Weather / Cooking
Boiling Point at Altitude Calculator
Find the temperature at which water boils at your altitude or air pressure, in °C or °F, using the IAPWS steam tables and the standard atmosphere.
Boiling Point at Altitude Calculator: Water boils when its vapour pressure reaches the surrounding air pressure. The calculator finds the air pressure at your altitude from the International Standard Atmosphere, then the boiling temperature from the IAPWS-IF97 steam-table equation. Water boils at about 96.7 °C at 1,000 m, 94.6 °C in Denver (1,609 m), 87.8 °C in La Paz (3,640 m), and 70.2 °C on the summit of Everest. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
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Water boils when its vapour pressure equals the air pressure, worked out here with the international IAPWS-IF97 standard; the pressure at an altitude comes from the International Standard Atmosphere. Weather changes the real pressure by a few percent, moving the boiling point by up to about 1 °C.
Cooking at altitude
Above about 900 m, recipes need changes: boil pasta and vegetables longer, add liquid to stews, and for baking reduce the leavening and raise the oven temperature slightly, since water evaporates faster and gases expand more.
To convert recipe temperatures, use the oven temperature converter or the cooking converter.
Is boiled water still safe?
Yes: bringing water to a rolling boil kills disease-causing organisms even at the lower boiling temperature of high places. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise boiling for three minutes instead of one above about 2,000 m (6,500 ft).
How to use it
- Enter your altitude in metres or feet, or switch to air pressure.
- Read the boiling point and how much lower it is than at sea level.
- Allow extra cooking time for food boiled or simmered at that temperature.
Privacy & limitations
Everything is worked out in your browser.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does food take longer to cook at altitude?
Boiling water cannot get hotter than its boiling point, which drops by about 1 °C for every 300 m, so pasta, beans, and eggs cook more slowly in the cooler water.
Does a pressure cooker help?
Yes: it holds the pressure about 1 bar above the outside air, so the water inside boils at around 115–120 °C at any altitude.
Does the weather change the boiling point?
A little: a deep low or strong high changes the pressure by a few percent, moving the boiling point by up to about 1 °C. Enter the station pressure to include it.
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