Wind Chill Calculator

The wind chill effect is based on fundamental principles of thermodynamics and heat transfer. Our bodies naturally create a thin layer of warmed air next to our skin—a microclimate that helps insulate us from the surrounding environment. When wind disrupts this protective layer, it accelerates heat loss through both convection and evaporation, making us feel significantly colder than the actual air temperature would suggest.

• Convective heat transfer: Wind strips away the insulating layer of warm air that naturally forms around the body, replacing it with colder air that must be warmed by body heat. The faster this replacement occurs, the more rapidly heat is drawn from the body.
• Evaporative cooling: Wind accelerates the evaporation of moisture from the skin, which requires heat energy and further cools the body. This is particularly significant when skin is damp from perspiration or environmental moisture.
• Surface area effects: Exposed skin with high surface-area-to-volume ratios (like fingers, ears, nose, and cheeks) is especially vulnerable to wind chill, explaining why these areas are often the first to suffer frostbite.
• Radiation balance: Wind disrupts the boundary layer that traps outgoing infrared radiation from the body, increasing radiative heat loss to the environment.