Sports and Adventure Wind Chill Guide

Whatever the weather forecast says the temperature will be during your event is wrong. It will be colder. Unless there is no wind, and you are stationary, there will be some wind, and that means a wind chill calculation is smart. Check the Gear List for a smart list of things to bring, including the 10 Essentials. Also check the Chart below to know how many layers and how heavy of layers should be included.

Wind chill temperature is defined as that temperature in calm air which provides the same chilling effect on a person as that for a particular combination of temperature and wind speed. Winds above 40 MPH don't really lower the wind chill factor much, so a Category 5 hurricane (156 MPH threshold) has roughly the same wind chill factor as a Category 1 hurricane (74 MPH).

The wind chill chart is a good indicator of how to dress and prepare for various weather conditions. When dressing for cold weather, it's important to remember that insulating air warmed by body heat is the best protection against the cold. The best advice is to wear lightweight, warm clothing in several layers, with looser fit preferred, especially of the outer layers. Outer garments should be tightly-woven, water-repellant and hooded. Mittens snug at the wrist are better protection than fingered gloves. Much body heat can be lost (or retained) through the head so headwear is a key clothing element. Check out our Wind Chill Store for good deals on these layers, garments, and many other outdoor products.

Top line (C) is Celsius or Centigrade. Bottom line (F) is Fahrenheit temperature. Bright sunlight (insolation) can offset the wind chill by 10 degrees F or more. For the same combination of temperature and wind speed, insolation reduces the chill effect.

Our Celebrazio Amazon store has men's, women's, and children's sections. A sample of departments includes outdoor sports, cycling, basketball, exercise, recreation, climbing, skiing, running, triathlons. A sample of brands includes North Face, Adidas, ASICS, Gore, Mountain Khakis, Marmot, prAna, Patagonia, and Icebreaker. Get what you need to stay warm, stay hydrated, and keep the frostbite off!

Click Here to jump over: Amazon Wind Chill Gear Shop

Our Amazon Store ships globally and provides men's and women's clothes for running and cycling specifically. Top brands such as Inov-8, 2XU, Mizuno, Adidas, dhb, Science in Sport, Tyr, and Under Armor are featured.

Click Here to jump over: Outdoor Gear for Wind Chill (ships through Amazon).

   Frostbite Times vary by wind speed and temperature: 
      At 5 MPH and -10 F, the wind chill is -22 F and the frostbite 
         risk is 30 minutes. 
      At 20 MPH and 0 F;  30 minutes. 
      At 40 MPH and 5 F;  30 minutes.  
      At 10 MPH and -25 F, the wind chill is -47 F and the frostbite
         risk is 10 minutes.  
      At 25 MPH and -10 F; 10 minutes. 
      At 40 MPH and -5 F; 10 minutes. 
      


   C O L D   Reference Points: 
     27 F:      The coldest temperature ever recorded in San Francisco. 
     -3 C       (-3 C; Dec. 11, 1932). 

    -12 C:      temperature at mid-mountain on one of my ski trips in 2010.  
     10 F       It was windy, putting the wind chill down near -22 C.  
                Near the top of the mountain that day:  closer to -30 and 
                we didn't stick around long enough to find out.  

    -25 C:      During the May climbing season on Mt. Everest, the average
    -13 F       estimated for the summit for the month.  (there is no 
                weather station, so no exact value is known).  
                With winds up to around 15 m/sec, the wind chill may be 
                below -45 C.  

    -27 F:      The coldest temperature recorded in Chicago. 
    -33 C       (-33 C; Jan. 20, 1985).   The wind chill this day, 
                with the 21-mph wind, was -58 F.  

    -40 C:      The average winter temps in Yakutsk, Siberia.  
    -40 F

    -41 C:      The coldest forecast temperature for the summit of Mt. Everest
    -42 F       (winter).  Strong winter winds (> 30 m/sec) are typical, 
                taking the estimated extreme Everest wind chill below -65 C.  
                (These winds equate to a Cat-1 hurricane).  

    -65 F:      The wind chill on Jan 30, 2019 in southern Minnesota.  This was
    -55 C       during the polar vortex winter. 

    -70 F:      coldest temperature ever recorded (as of 2009) in the lower 48 
    -57 C       United States.  This was on Jan 20, 1954 at Rogers Pass, Montana.

    -74 F:      southern hemisphere's winter average at Vostok Russian 
    -59 C       research station, Antarctica.  Antarctica also has the
                strongest winds on the planet, leading to consistently
                outrageous wind chill factors. 

    -90 F:      northern hemisphere's coldest recorded temperature: 
    -68 C       Sakha, northeastern Russia, in 1933.  This is the Oymyakon 
                valley, nicknamed "Pole of Cold".  

    -128.6 F:   coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth;  winter 1983, 
    -89 C       down at Vostok.  (July 21, 1983;  wind chill fell below
                -160 F; -107 C). 

      0 K:      Absolute Zero (Kelvin scale).  No more heat.  
                Equates to -273 C and -459 F.