Wind Chill Calculator

Calculate the wind chill temperature — how cold it actually feels — from wind speed and air temperature.

The National Weather Service formula

This calculator uses the North American wind chill formula adopted by the US National Weather Service and Environment Canada: WC = 35.74 + 0.6215T − 35.75V0.16 + 0.4275TV0.16, where T is air temperature in °F and V is wind speed in mph. It's valid for temperatures at or below 50°F and wind speeds of at least 3 mph.

Why wind makes it feel colder

Moving air strips away the thin layer of warmed air your body maintains near your skin, speeding up heat loss through convection. Faster wind means faster heat loss, which your body perceives as a lower temperature even though the air itself hasn't actually changed.

Wind chill is an estimate, not an exact science — different countries use slightly different formulas, so figures can vary a bit between weather services.

Common questions

Why doesn't this work above 50°F?

The formula was derived from cold-weather skin heat-loss models and isn't valid or meaningful at warmer temperatures — for hot, humid weather, see our Heat Index Calculator instead.

Does humidity affect wind chill?

No — wind chill depends only on temperature and wind speed. Humidity's effect on perceived temperature is captured separately by the heat index, used for warm weather instead.

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