Wind Chill Calculator
Calculate the National Weather Service wind chill (feels-like temperature) from air temperature and wind speed. Shows frostbite risk.
Wind chill conditions
Feels like
6.2 °F
Frostbite risk: low- Air temperature
- 20 °F
- Wind speed
- 15 mph
- Wind chill (F)
- 6.2 °F
- Wind chill (C)
- -14.3 °C
Frequently Asked Questions about the Wind Chill Calculator
What is wind chill?
Wind chill is the perceived (feels-like) temperature on exposed skin in cold and windy conditions. Wind strips away the thin warm layer of air at your skin surface, so the same air feels colder when it is moving.
What formula does this use?
The 2001 US National Weather Service wind chill formula: WC (°F) = 35.74 + 0.6215 * T - 35.75 * V^0.16 + 0.4275 * T * V^0.16. It is validated for temperatures at or below 50 °F and wind speeds at or above 3 mph.
When is wind chill dangerous?
Frostbite risk rises sharply as wind chill drops. The NWS flags increasing risk below 0 °F, high risk below -19 °F, and severe risk below -69 °F, where frostbite can occur in under 5 minutes on exposed skin.
Does wind chill affect objects too?
Wind chill is defined for living human skin. Inanimate objects only cool to the actual air temperature, not below it. Wind speeds up that cooling, but they will not freeze below the air temperature unless the air itself is cold enough.
Why does the calculator warn above 50 °F?
The NWS formula is only validated below 50 °F, where wind has a meaningful chilling effect. Above that, your body loses heat through evaporation and radiation more than convection, so the formula is not used.
Related Calculators
More calculators in "Lifestyle"