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Wind chill, heat index and dew point — official NWS formulas, °C or °F

⚠️ Wind chill is only defined for temperatures at or below 50°F and wind speeds of at least 3 mph. The result below is calculated anyway but is not meteorologically valid outside this range.
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Feels-like temperature
Formula (US National Weather Service): WC = 35.74 + 0.6215T − 35.75V0.16 + 0.4275TV0.16, where T is air temperature in °F and V is wind speed in mph.
⚠️ The heat index formula is officially valid for temperatures at or above 80°F with humidity at or above 40%. The result below is calculated anyway but accuracy decreases outside this range.
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Feels-like temperature
Formula (NWS Rothfusz regression): HI = −42.379 + 2.04901523T + 10.14333127R − 0.22475541TR − 0.00683783T² − 0.05481717R² + 0.00122874T²R + 0.00085282TR² − 0.00000199648T²R², where T is air temperature in °F and R is relative humidity (%).
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Dew point
Formula (Magnus equation): α = (17.27 × T)/(237.7 + T) + ln(R/100); Td = (237.7 × α)/(17.27 − α), where T is air temperature in °C and R is relative humidity (%).
How this works: Wind chill is the NWS formula in °F and mph: WC = 35.74 + 0.6215T − 35.75V0.16 + 0.4275T V0.16 (defined at or below 50°F and at least 3 mph). Heat index is the NWS Rothfusz regression in °F and relative humidity. Dew point uses Magnus: α = 17.27T/(237.7+T) + ln(RH/100), Td = 237.7α/(17.27−α) with T in °C.
Acronyms on this page:
NWS — National Weather Service: the US government agency behind one of the formulas used here.
RH — Relative Humidity: how much moisture is in the air compared to the maximum it could hold at that temperature.

FAQ

What's the difference between wind chill and heat index?

Wind chill estimates how much colder moving air makes cold temperatures feel, calculated at or below 50°F with wind of at least 3 mph. Heat index estimates how much hotter humidity makes warm temperatures feel. They're opposite-direction "feels like" figures, and only one applies at a time depending on conditions.

Why does wind chill need a minimum temperature and wind speed to calculate?

The US National Weather Service formula used here is only valid at or below 50°F and at least 3 mph of wind. Outside that range the formula's underlying assumptions break down, so it wouldn't produce a meaningful "feels like" figure.

What is dew point, and why does it matter more than a humidity percentage alone?

Dew point is the temperature air would need to cool to for moisture to condense. Unlike relative humidity, which changes with temperature even when the actual moisture content doesn't, dew point directly reflects how much moisture is in the air — which is why meteorologists often prefer it for describing how muggy it feels.

Are these official National Weather Service figures?

They use the same published NWS formulas — the Rothfusz regression for heat index, the standard wind chill formula, and the Magnus approximation for dew point — but this is an independent calculator, not an official forecast or warning source.