Feels like and wind chill, explained

The thermometer measures the air. Your skin also feels the wind and the humidity. The feels-like temperature combines them. This guide is general information, not medical advice.

The definitions below come from the National Weather Service and were checked on September 19, 2026.

Feels like

On a cold day, the feels-like temperature is the wind chill. On a hot day, it is the heat index. When the air is mild and calm, it is the same as the air temperature. Weather apps show one feels-like number and pick the right calculation for the conditions.

Wind chill

Wind chill describes how cold it feels on exposed skin when wind speeds up the loss of body heat. The National Weather Service gives the example of an air temperature of 0 degrees with a 15 mile per hour wind, which has a wind chill of 19 degrees below zero. At that wind chill, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes. See the wind chill chart.

Wind chill only applies to living things. Objects cool to the air temperature and no further, so wind chill alone cannot freeze a pipe. Frostbite needs an air temperature below freezing.

Cold weather advisories and extreme cold warnings

The National Weather Service issues a Cold Weather Advisory and an Extreme Cold Warning using thresholds set by each local office. The service’s Rochester, New York, example issues an advisory when the air temperature or wind chill is expected between 15 and 24 degrees below zero, and a warning at 25 below zero or colder. Your own region’s thresholds may differ. See the cold weather safety pages.

Planning around the number

For a walk, use the feels-like temperature to choose a coat, not the air temperature. For a car trip, the air temperature tells you whether roads can ice. For tender plants, the overnight low matters.

In Canada

Environment and Climate Change Canada issues extreme cold warnings using regional thresholds. See the Canada.ca weather alerts page.

What this means for Bold Weather

Bold Weather shows the feels-like temperature under the air temperature whenever they differ, and shows cold alerts at the top of the screen in large type with the agency named. Explore the large type forecast or learn about the TestFlight beta.