Wind Chill Calculator
Calculate wind chill — how cold it feels — from air temperature and wind speed in °C and °F.
Feels like
0.05 °C
32.09 °F — wind chill
Wind chill measures how cold moving air feels on exposed skin. It applies at or below 10 °C with winds above about 5 km/h; otherwise the wind chill equals the air temperature.
Last updated: January 2026
How this calculator is verified
Checked by True Calculator automated test suite on
- Formula verified against a published worked example in the automated test suite
- Edge cases (zero, negative, boundary and unit-mismatch inputs) covered by unit tests
The full verification method is on our how we verify page. Found an error? Tell us and we will re-check it.
When to Use This Calculator
Use this calculator for cold-weather planning in India's hill stations and Himalayan belt — Manali, Leh, Gulmarg and Sikkim — where sharp winds make winter temperatures feel far worse than the forecast number. Trekkers use it to pack layers before a high-altitude trek, and drivers on mountain passes use it to plan exposure time during breakdowns or photo stops. It is also standard equipment for anyone working outdoors in winter, from cable repair crews to mountaineering instructors. The same formula appears in every international weather service, so the number you get here matches what you see on global forecasts. Enter the local temperature and wind, and you know exactly how many layers the day demands.
How to Use This Calculator
- Step 1: Read the actual air temperature in °C.
- Step 2: Note the wind speed in km/h from a weather app or an anemometer.
- Step 3: Enter both values to get the wind chill — the perceived temperature on exposed skin.
- Step 4: If the temperature is above 10 °C or wind is under 5 km/h, the wind chill equals the air temperature.
Worked Example
At an actual −5 °C with a 30 km/h wind, the wind chill is −13 °C — the skin loses heat as if the air were 13 degrees below freezing, 8 °C colder than the thermometer. Even at 5 °C with the same wind, the wind chill falls to about 0.05 °C, crossing the freezing mark that thermometer alone would not show. That is why frostbite warnings use wind chill, not the plain temperature, for exposed skin.
Tips and Common Mistakes
- •Cover exposed skin — ears, nose, fingers — when wind chill drops below −10 °C.
- •Wind chill affects people and animals, not cars or pipes; those cool to the real temperature.
- •Check the wind at your actual location; ridge tops and open fields run far windier than city streets.
- ✗Do not assume the air has cooled — wind chill is a heat-loss rate, not a true temperature change.
- ✗Do not rely on wind chill to judge car engine or water pipe freezing, which follow the real temperature over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is wind chill?
Wind chill is how cold the air feels on exposed skin when wind speeds up heat loss. At 10 °C with a 40 km/h wind, it feels like about 6 °C. The air itself is not colder — your skin loses heat faster.
How is wind chill calculated?
Using the standard formula: wind chill = 13.12 + 0.6215T − 11.37V^0.16 + 0.3965T·V^0.16, with temperature in °C and wind speed in km/h. It applies at or below 10 °C with winds above about 5 km/h.
When does wind chill not apply?
Above 10 °C, or when wind is below about 5 km/h, the wind chill equals the air temperature. The calculator shows a note whenever it returns the plain temperature instead of an adjusted value.
Can wind chill affect objects or cars?
No — wind chill only affects living things that lose body heat. A car left outside cools to the actual air temperature, not the wind-chill value. Frozen pipes depend on the real temperature and wind exposure over time.
Where does wind chill matter in India?
In Himalayan hill stations and Ladakh, winter winds can push perceived temperatures far below freezing. It also matters for planning winter treks and overnight travel in northern India.
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