Lapse Rate Temperature Calculator

Enter the base temperature, altitude gain, and lapse rate to find the temperature at altitude.

How to use

  1. Enter your values in the fields above.
  2. Press Calculate to see your result instantly.
  3. Use the Share button to copy a link to your result.

About this calculator

As air rises through the atmosphere it expands and cools, a relationship meteorologists describe with the environmental lapse rate — the rate at which temperature drops with altitude. The often-cited standard atmosphere value is about 6.5°C per kilometre, though the actual rate varies with humidity and weather: dry (unsaturated) air cools faster, near the dry adiabatic lapse rate of roughly 9.8°C/km, while saturated air cools more slowly because condensation releases latent heat.

This calculator applies a chosen lapse rate to a base temperature and an altitude gain to estimate the temperature higher up. It’s used by pilots and meteorologists forecasting conditions aloft, by mountaineers and hikers anticipating how cold it will get on a summit, and by engineers doing rough atmospheric and HVAC calculations where elevation changes matter.

Was this helpful?

Comments (0)

  • Be the first to comment.

Popular calculators

All Calculators