The face of Fox & Friends‘ weather – Ms. Maria Molina – paid a visit to a state-of-the-art vehicle endurance testing facility operated by General Motors, which can simulate frigid temperatures, hurricane wind speeds, and even snowfall.
The weather simulator lives at the Warren Technical Center, and goes by the moniker “climatic wind tunnel.” We’re trying to think of a catchier name: Gale, maybe? Ms. Molina was very impressed with the authenticity of the extreme weather conditions recreated within, writing on GM’s Fast Lane blog that “the [74 mph] hurricane force winds felt similar to the hurricanes that have previously hit my home in South Florida, where I grew up.”
These hurricane conditions, mind you, were shifted into rapidly from harsh blizzard conditions: -14 degrees Fahrenheit – or -28 with wind chill – and artificial snow. “The conditions in the tunnel are just like the real weather I have experienced out in the field,” wrote Molina. It’s an amazing feat of ingenuity that GM has the capacity to quickly, systematically test their vehicles for weather endurance in a closed lab environment.
“GM doesn’t have to wait until the next snowstorm to test winter conditions,” Ms. Maria Molina concluded. “By using the climactic wind tunnel they are increasing productivity while keeping their scientists safer than out in the field!”
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