What Is Wind Chill?
Updated 2026-01-10
What wind chill measures
Wind chill (often shown as part of a "feels like" temperature in cold conditions) estimates how cold moving air makes exposed skin feel compared to the actual air temperature. Wind strips away the thin layer of warm air your body naturally holds near your skin, speeding up heat loss — the stronger the wind, the faster that warm layer is carried away.
Why it matters for safety
Wind chill is particularly important for outdoor safety in freezing conditions, since it affects how quickly frostbite or hypothermia can develop on exposed skin, even if the actual air temperature alone wouldn't seem dangerous. It's a useful reminder that the thermometer reading alone doesn't always tell the full story of how conditions will actually feel.