This calculator applies only to bodies that generate their own heat.
This Wind Chill calculator is accessible from anywhere in the website using the shortcut key; "Alt" + "t".
The "Reset" button clears all calculations on the page and reinstalls default values (this button may not respond in the FireFox browser).
Reset can also be achieved by pressing the "F5" key.
Hover your cursor over the symbols for an associated description.
The standard formula, that appears to be accepted everywhere provides an answer in Imperial units (°F) and is based upon a wind velocity in miles per hour (mph);
Ṯₑ = 35.74 + 0.6215*Ṯ - 35.75*v⁰˙¹⁶ + 0.4275*Ṯ*v⁰˙¹⁶
where 'v' is the relative velocity between wind movement and body movement.
metric conversion: This value is a direct conversion of the Imperial value to Celsius.
equivalent temperature: This is the value in Celsius calculated according to a formula published by the Meteorological Service of Canada;
Ṯₑ = 13.12 + 0.6215*Ṯ - 11.37*v⁰˙¹⁶ + 0.3965*Ṯ*v⁰˙¹⁶
where 'v' is the relative velocity between wind movement and body movement in metres per second.
CalQlata version: CalQlata's modified version of the Canadian Metric formula for improved accuracy.
Wind chill is not an actual temperature, it is an equivalent temperature. Moreover, wind chill does not affect bodies of constant temperature, such as a piece of wood or a brick.
Live bodies, such as animals, generate their own internal heat. Wind chill is the [equivalent] still-air temperature that would be required to remove the same amount of body-heat as the wind.
It is important to understand that the above calculation is neither accurate nor repeatable. It was established by measuring the heat loss from a liquid in a plastic container under highly controlled conditions in a laboratory.
Every animal generates heat at a different rate, which means that the heat loss in each human, when calculated according to the above formula, can only be approximate and will differ for everyone. Moreover, it only applies to a naked body, clothing will affect the rate of heat loss. And naked face or hands cannot be considered representative as the heat they receive is generated elsewhere inside a protected body-warmer, such as a coat.