ConverterHub

Wind Chill Calculator

Enter the air temperature and wind speed to find the wind chill temperature and how cold it really feels.

Result

-19.5 °C
Cold - use caution

How it is calculated

The tool uses the metric wind chill formula WC = 13.12 + 0.6215·T − 11.37·V0.16 + 0.3965·T·V0.16, where T is the air temperature in °C and V is the wind speed in km/h. The result is in °C, rounded to one decimal. The label depends on the result: at -27 °C or colder it reads Frostbite danger, from -26.9 to -10 °C Cold - use caution, and above -10 °C Low risk. The formula is meant for cold air and real wind. The tool does not block warm temperatures or calm air, so check that your inputs are in that range before trusting the figure. Wind chill describes exposed skin, not the actual air temperature.

Worked example

The air is -10 °C with a 30 km/h wind. First the wind term: 300.16 ≈ 1.7234. Then 13.12 + 0.6215 × (-10) = 6.905; minus 11.37 × 1.7234 = 19.596 gives -12.691; plus 0.3965 × (-10) × 1.7234 = -6.833 gives about -19.5 °C. This lies between -27 and -10, so the label is Cold - use caution.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Entering the wind speed in mph or m/s. The formula expects km/h, so 10 m/s must be typed as 36.
  • Entering the temperature in °F. The input is in °C.
  • Believing the air or a car engine is actually that cold. Wind chill is the effect on exposed skin, and objects only cool to the air temperature.
  • Using the formula for mild or warm weather. A result above 10 °C is of little meaning, since wind chill is intended for cold conditions.
  • Ignoring gusts. A forecast wind speed averages the gusts, which feel colder than the figure shown.

About this calculator

This calculator finds wind chill using the U.S. National Weather Service's metric formula, WCT = 13.12 + 0.6215T − 11.37V^0.16 + 0.3965TV^0.16, where T is air temperature in °C and V is wind speed in km/h — the equation that converts a thermometer reading into how cold the air actually feels against exposed skin, and flags the frostbite risk that goes with it.

Hikers, outdoor workers, and parents dressing kids for winter use it to judge how many layers a given forecast actually calls for, and weather forecasters use the same formula to generate the "feels like" temperature shown in winter weather reports.

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