Current Wind Chill Temperatures
Map Description. Feel-like (wind chill) temperatures and frostbite warning times in Maryland. Wind chill is defined only for air temperatures at or below 50°F and wind speeds above 3 mph. Station markers shown as squares represent stations displaying the air temperature (because winds and/or temperatures didn't fulfill their thresholds for wind chill calculation), and markers shown as circles represent stations displaying wind chill temperatures; the white letter A inside the circle means the air temperature at the wind chill active station is above the freezing temperature (32°F) while a white letter B means the air temperature is equal to or below freezing. A colored glow or filled circle around the stations under wind chill conditions indicates the time it takes for frostbite to set in exposed skin, as indicated in the legend. Map updated every 15 minutes (5 during warnings, watches, and advisories). Reload the page to refresh the map. Derived from Maryland Mesonet 5-minute averaged winds and temperatures using wind chill equations from Osczevski and Bluestein (2005), and frostbite times from the wind chill chart from NOAA (2024); thresholds in winds and wind chill temperatures needed to differentiate contiguous forstbite onset times in the map were set by the middle values in the stepwise winds and wind chill temperatures in the chart. Blue and/or red shading in the maps represents temperatures below and/or above 32°F. Input data has not undergone quality control procedures. This product is for informational purposes and not for critical safety decisions.
Understanding Wind Chill (NOAA 2024)
Wind Chill or "Feels-Like" Temperatures: Cold air alone can be deadly, but when the air is moving, it feels much colder. The wind chill is the effect of the cold wind on people and animals—as the wind increases, it removes heat from the body faster, driving down skin temperature and, eventually, internal body temperature. Wind chill temperature is therefore based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold, and it can give you an approximation of how cold the air feels on your body.
The wind chill doesn't just make you feel colder than the actual air temperature—the lower the wind chill temperature, the greater and faster your risk for developing frostbite and/or hypothermia. Hypothermia occurs when your core body temperature (normally around 98.6°F) falls below 95°F. Frostbite occurs when your body tissue freezes; the most susceptible parts are fingers, toes, ear lobes, and the tip of the nose.
It is important to understand that wind chill relates to how quickly the body loses heat; it does not mean objects will cool below the actual air temperature. Therefore, regardless of wind speed, frostbite cannot occur with air temperatures above freezing, but hypothermia remains a significant danger. It is more likely to get frostbite in any situation that leads to prolonged cold exposure, especially during winter windy and cold conditions, even under cold-weather clothing; learn to recognize its different stages (Mayo Clinic 2023a). Hypothermia is a medical emergency because when the body's temperature is dangerously low, the body can’t function properly which can lead to cardiac arrest (when the heart stops beating) and death; learn to recognize its symptoms (Mayo Clinic 2023b).