Case 1
- Air temperature
- 0°C
- Wind speed
- 20km/h
-5.2°C
Open with these valuesWind Chill Calculator
-5.2°C
Result: -5.2 °CWind chill is what cold air feels like on bare skin once the wind strips away the warm layer your body builds around itself: 0 °C with a 20 km/h wind feels like -5.2 °C. The index is only defined at or below 10 °C and above 4.8 km/h — outside that, the number stops meaning anything.
Worked examples
Case 2
- Air temperature
- -5°C
- Wind speed
- 30km/h
-13.0°C
Open with these valuesCase 3
- Air temperature
- -10°C
- Wind speed
- 50km/h
-21.8°C
Open with these valuesHow it's calculated
WC = 13.12 + 0.6215·T − 11.37·v^0.16 + 0.3965·T·v^0.16
- StepEnter the air temperature in degrees Celsius; it may be negative.
- StepEnter the wind speed in km/h — if you have m/s, multiply by 3.6 first.
- StepRead the wind chill, the temperature bare skin experiences.
- ResultCheck that you are at or below 10 °C and above 4.8 km/h; the index needs both.
Reference table
| Temperature, wind | Inside the valid range? | Wind chill |
|---|---|---|
| 0, 0 | No — calm air, below the 4.8 km/h floor | 13.1 |
| 10, 4.8 | Exactly on both limits | 9.8 |
| 5, 10 | Yes | 2.7 |
| 0, 20 | Yes | -5.2 |
| -5, 30 | Yes | -13.0 |
| -10, 50 | Yes | -21.8 |
| -20, 60 | Yes | -36.5 |
| 15, 100 | No — warmer than 10 °C | 11.1 |
Questions
What is wind chill?
Wind chill is the temperature it feels like on exposed skin once the wind is taken into account. Wind carries away the thin layer of warm air your body heats around itself, so a windy cold day feels colder than a calm one at the same temperature.
Why does wind make it feel colder?
Your body warms a thin layer of air right against your skin. Wind blows that warm layer away and replaces it with cold air, so your skin loses heat faster. The faster the wind, the quicker the heat loss.
When does the wind chill formula apply?
The index is defined for an air temperature of 10 °C or below and a wind speed above 4.8 km/h. Outside that range this calculator still returns a number, but it means nothing — with no wind at all the formula collapses to 13.12 + 0.6215 times the temperature, which is why 0 °C and calm air reads 13.1.
Which units should I use?
Degrees Celsius for the air temperature and kilometres per hour for the wind, returning the wind chill in degrees Celsius. This is the metric form of the index; the North American imperial form uses different coefficients with °F and mph. If your wind speed is in m/s, multiply by 3.6 first.
Is wind chill the same as the feels-like temperature?
In cold weather, yes — wind chill is the feels-like temperature. In warm, humid weather forecasts switch to the heat index or the humidex instead, which account for moisture rather than wind. Wind chill only covers the cooling effect of wind on cold air.
Sources and last check
Information, not professional advice.