Dennis Barnes of Abingdon has a beef about "heat index" and "wind chill" numbers: "Isn't this sensationalism a bit silly? Why do the media feel that it is necessary to tell me how hot or cold it feels, when all I need to do is step outside?" It can be silly, especially when the real and "index" readings are very close or benign. But during extreme weather, they do warn of real and potentially dangerous added effects on the human body that temperature alone can't convey.