Feels-Like Temperature (Wind Chill & Heat Index)
What the air actually feels like: wind chill in cold and heat index in humid heat, from temperature, wind and humidity.
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Two Formulas, One Feeling
In cold, wind strips the warm air layer off your skin: the wind chill formula (used by US and Canadian weather services) turns 0°C with a 20 km/h wind into a felt −5°C. In humid heat, sweat stops evaporating: the heat index makes 32°C at 70% humidity feel like 41°C. The tool picks the right formula from your inputs — wind chill applies at ≤10°C with wind, heat index at ≥27°C with humidity ≥40%.
Safety bands: wind chill below −27°C frostbites exposed skin in under 30 minutes; heat index above 40°C makes heat exhaustion likely with exertion, above 54°C heat stroke is imminent. Both formulas assume shade — full sun adds up to ~8°C on the heat side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 32°C feel fine in the desert but brutal on the coast?
Humidity. At 20% RH the heat index for 32°C is about 30°C — sweat evaporates and cools you. At 70% RH it is 41°C. Dry heat is survivable; wet heat is the dangerous one.
Does wind chill affect my car or pipes?
No — wind chill models heat loss from warm skin. Objects cool faster to the actual air temperature with wind, but never below it. Pipes freeze by the thermometer, not the feels-like.
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Feels-Like Temperature (Wind Chill & Heat Index)