Wind Chill Calculator

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What Is Wind Chill?

Wind chill is the perceived decrease in air temperature felt by exposed skin due to wind. When wind blows across skin, it accelerates the rate of heat loss. The faster the wind, the faster the body loses heat, which makes the temperature feel colder than it actually is. The wind chill temperature represents how cold it feels, not the actual air temperature.

Wind chill only affects living things (and objects that generate their own heat). It does not lower the actual air temperature, and it does not make objects like water pipes freeze faster than the actual air temperature would suggest. If it is 25 degrees with a wind chill of 10, a pipe will freeze at the same rate as a calm 25-degree day.

The Wind Chill Formula

The National Weather Service uses a formula developed from human skin heat loss research: Wind Chill = 35.74 + 0.6215T - 35.75(V^0.16) + 0.4275T(V^0.16), where T is temperature in Fahrenheit and V is wind speed in mph. This formula applies when temperatures are at or below 50 degrees F and wind speeds are above 3 mph.

Frostbite Risk

At wind chills below -20 degrees F, exposed skin can develop frostbite in 30 minutes or less. At -40 degrees F wind chill, frostbite can occur in 5 to 10 minutes. Layered clothing, covering exposed skin, and limiting time outdoors are the key protective measures in extreme wind chill conditions.