Once we know this, then we realize that how cold something feels is a function of a) the temperature of your body b) the temperature of the thing and c) how good a conductor of heat it is. Air is a pretty poor thermal conductor, so even freezing cold air doesn't remove heat from your skin that fast. read more
Here's the thing, you don't feel heat, you feel heat transfer. That means that you feel hot when heat is being transferred into your skin, and you feel cold when heat is being transferred away from your skin. read more
Feels "colder" bacause it's at a lower tempreture than your body's, so the medium "sucks" energy "out" of you.Cold water feels colder because molecules in water are closer together than in air (that's why one it's a liquid and the other is a gas) Because in water molecules are closer together the contact surface with your skin is bigger, so there are more molecules (atoms) "sucking" energy out of you, so for the same exposure time water can "suck" more energy out of you than air. read more
The reason the water feels colder than air is because water is the better conductor of the two. When you hop into that 60-degree pool, heat escapes your body much more easily than it would if you were standing beside the pool in 60-degree air. read more
It can then flow away and be replaced by fresh cold water. Ice doesn't flow. On the other hand, Ice at freezing will melt. This takes energy and leaves you with water at freezing. Another point is that water is slightly denser than water. So for the same contact patch slightly more water is in contact with you than ice. read more