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Winter Weather in Chicago Illinois, United States

Daily high temperatures are around 38°F, rarely falling below 19°F or exceeding 55°F. The lowest daily average high temperature is 33°F on January 22.

Daily low temperatures decrease by 4°F, from 32°F to 28°F, rarely falling below 5°F or exceeding 43°F. The lowest daily average low temperature is 22°F on January 29.

For reference, on July 18, the hottest day of the year, temperatures in Chicago typically range from 71°F to 83°F, while on January 29, the coldest day of the year, they range from 22°F to 33°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in the Winter in Chicago

Average High and Low Temperature in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°FFallSpringJan 2233°FJan 2233°F22°F22°FDec 142°FDec 142°F32°F32°FFeb 2840°FFeb 2840°F28°F28°FJan 134°FJan 134°F24°F24°F
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the hourly average winter temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in the Winter in Chicago

Average Hourly Temperature in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMFallSpringfreezingvery coldvery coldcoldcold
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Dalian, China (6,569 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Chicago (view comparison).

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The winter in Chicago experiences essentially constant cloud cover, with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy remaining about 57% throughout the season. The highest chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 59% on December 28.

The clearest day of the winter is February 25, with clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions 45% of the time.

For reference, on December 28, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 59%, while on August 26, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy skies is 68%.

Cloud Cover Categories in the Winter in Chicago

Cloud Cover Categories in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%FallSpringAug 2668%Aug 2668%Dec 145%Dec 145%Feb 2845%Feb 2845%Jan 141%Jan 141%Feb 142%Feb 142%clearmostly clearpartly cloudyovercastmostly cloudy
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. In Chicago, the chance of a wet day over the course of the winter is decreasing, starting the season at 24% and ending it at 19%.

For reference, the year's highest daily chance of a wet day is 37% on May 26, and its lowest chance is 15% on January 30.

Over the course of the winter in Chicago, the chance of a day with only rain decreases from 21% to 14%, the chance of a day with mixed snow and rain remains an essentially constant 2% throughout, and the chance of a day with only snow remains an essentially constant 4% throughout.

Probability of Precipitation in the Winter in Chicago

Probability of Precipitation in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb0%0%5%5%10%10%15%15%20%20%25%25%FallSpringJan 3015%Jan 3015%Dec 124%Dec 124%Feb 2819%Feb 2819%Jan 118%Jan 118%snowrainmixed
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).

Rainfall

To show variation within the season and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day.

The average sliding 31-day rainfall during the winter in Chicago is decreasing, starting the season at 2.1 inches, when it rarely exceeds 4.1 inches or falls below 0.7 inches, and ending the season at 1.4 inches, when it rarely exceeds 2.8 inches or falls below 0.4 inches.

The lowest average 31-day accumulation is 0.9 inches on January 27.

Average Monthly Rainfall in the Winter in Chicago

Average Monthly Rainfall in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb0 in0 in1 in1 in2 in2 in3 in3 in4 in4 in5 in5 inFallSpringJan 270.9 inJan 270.9 inDec 12.1 inDec 12.1 inFeb 281.4 inFeb 281.4 inJan 11.2 inJan 11.2 in
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day.

The average sliding 31-day snowfall during the winter in Chicago is increasing, starting the season at 1.0 inches, when it rarely exceeds 2.8 inches or falls below -0.0 inches, and ending the season at 2.4 inches, when it rarely exceeds 6.5 inches or falls below -0.0 inches.

The highest average 31-day accumulation is 3.4 inches on February 1.

Average Monthly Snowfall in the Winter in Chicago

Average Monthly Snowfall in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb0 in0 in1 in1 in2 in2 in3 in3 in4 in4 in5 in5 in6 in6 in7 in7 in8 in8 in9 in9 inFallSpringFeb 13.4 inFeb 13.4 inDec 11.0 inDec 11.0 inFeb 282.4 inFeb 282.4 inJan 12.8 inJan 12.8 in
The average snowfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average rainfall.

Over the course of the winter in Chicago, the length of the day is rapidly increasing. From the start to the end of the season, the length of the day increases by 1 hour, 52 minutes, implying an average daily increase of 1 minute, 16 seconds, and weekly increase of 8 minutes, 50 seconds.

The shortest day of the winter is December 21, with 9 hours, 8 minutes of daylight and the longest day is February 28, with 11 hours, 14 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in the Winter in Chicago

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hrFallSpringDec 219 hr, 8 minDec 219 hr, 8 minnightnightdaydayFeb 2811 hr, 14 minFeb 2811 hr, 14 minFeb 110 hr, 4 minFeb 110 hr, 4 min
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.

The latest sunrise of the winter in Chicago is 7:18 AM on January 3 and the earliest sunrise is 52 minutes earlier at 6:26 AM on February 28.

The earliest sunset is 4:19 PM on December 7 and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 21 minutes later at 5:40 PM on February 28.

Daylight saving time is observed in Chicago during 2024, but it neither starts nor ends during the winter, so the entire season is in standard time.

For reference, on June 20, the longest day of the year, the Sun rises at 5:15 AM and sets 15 hours, 14 minutes later, at 8:29 PM, while on December 21, the shortest day of the year, it rises at 7:15 AM and sets 9 hours, 8 minutes later, at 4:22 PM.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in the Winter in Chicago

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMFallSpring6:26 AM6:26 AMFeb 285:40 PMFeb 285:40 PM7:05 AM7:05 AMDec 74:19 PMDec 74:19 PM7:18 AM7:18 AMJan 34:32 PMJan 34:32 PM7:02 AM7:02 AMFeb 15:06 PMFeb 15:06 PMSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunset
The solar day in the winter. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in the Winter in Chicago

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMFallSpring010203001020
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth in the the winter of 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for the winter of 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. The label associated with each bar indicates the date and time that the phase is obtained, and the companion time labels indicate the rise and set times of the Moon for the nearest time interval in which the moon is above the horizon.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in the Winter in Chicago

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb12 AM12 AM4 AM4 AM8 AM8 AM12 PM12 PM4 PM4 PM8 PM8 PM12 AM12 AMFallSpringNov 17:48 AMNov 17:48 AMNov 153:29 PMNov 153:29 PMDec 112:22 AMDec 112:22 AMDec 153:02 AMDec 153:02 AMDec 304:28 PMDec 304:28 PMJan 134:28 PMJan 134:28 PMJan 296:37 AMJan 296:37 AMFeb 127:54 AMFeb 127:54 AMFeb 276:45 PMFeb 276:45 PMMar 141:55 AMMar 141:55 AMMar 295:58 AMMar 295:58 AM7:34 AM7:34 AM7:51 AM7:51 AM7:41 AM7:41 AM7:52 AM7:52 AM7:30 AM7:30 AM4:00 PM4:00 PM4:19 PM4:19 PM8:10 AM8:10 AM7:31 AM7:31 AM4:25 PM4:25 PM7:08 AM7:08 AM6:27 AM6:27 AM5:27 PM5:27 PM6:32 PM6:32 PM7:13 AM7:13 AM7:54 PM7:54 PM
The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The chance that a given day will be muggy in Chicago is essentially constant during the winter, remaining around 0% throughout.

For reference, on July 26, the muggiest day of the year, there are muggy conditions 50% of the time, while on January 1, the least muggy day of the year, there are muggy conditions 0% of the time.

Humidity Comfort Levels in the Winter in Chicago

Humidity Comfort Levels in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%FallSpringDec 10%Dec 10%Feb 280%Feb 280%Jan 10%Jan 10%Feb 10%Feb 10%drydrycomfortablecomfortable
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Chicago is essentially constant during the winter, remaining within 0.5 miles per hour of 13.9 miles per hour throughout.

For reference, on January 4, the windiest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 14.4 miles per hour, while on August 2, the calmest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 8.5 miles per hour.

The highest daily average wind speed during the winter is 14.4 miles per hour on January 4.

Average Wind Speed in the Winter in Chicago

Average Wind Speed in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb0 mph0 mph5 mph5 mph10 mph10 mph15 mph15 mph20 mph20 mphFallSpringJan 414.4 mphJan 414.4 mphDec 113.8 mphDec 113.8 mphFeb 2813.4 mphFeb 2813.4 mphFeb 113.9 mphFeb 113.9 mph
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

The hourly average wind direction in Chicago throughout the winter is predominantly from the west, with a peak proportion of 43% on January 13.

Wind Direction in the Winter in Chicago

Wind Direction in the Winter in ChicagoSWNDecJanFeb0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%FallSpringwestsoutheastnorth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Chicago is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average surface water temperature in Chicago is rapidly decreasing during the winter, falling by 10°F, from 45°F to 35°F, over the course of the season.

Average Water Temperature in the Winter in Chicago

Average Water Temperature in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb30°F30°F35°F35°F40°F40°F45°F45°F50°F50°F55°F55°FFallSpringDec 145°FDec 145°FFeb 2835°FFeb 2835°FJan 139°FJan 139°FFeb 136°FFeb 136°F
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Chicago typically lasts for 7.2 months (222 days), from around April 1 to around November 9, rarely starting before March 14 or after April 18, and rarely ending before October 22 or after November 29.

The winter in Chicago is very likely fully outside of the growing season, with the chance that a given day is in the growing season reaching a low of -0% on December 27.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in the Winter in Chicago

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%FallSpringDec 18%Dec 18%Feb 280%Feb 280%Jan 10%Jan 10%Feb 10%Feb 10%50%Nov 950%Nov 9frigidfreezingvery coldcoldcool
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

The average accumulated growing degree days in Chicago are very rapidly decreasing during the winter, decreasing by 3,370°F, from 3,375°F to 5°F, over the course of the season.

Growing Degree Days in the Winter in Chicago

Growing Degree Days in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb0°F0°F500°F500°F1,000°F1,000°F1,500°F1,500°F2,000°F2,000°F2,500°F2,500°F3,000°F3,000°F3,500°F3,500°FFallSpringDec 13,375°FDec 13,375°FFeb 285°FFeb 285°F
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the winter, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy in Chicago is rapidly increasing during the winter, rising by 1.6 kWh, from 1.8 kWh to 3.4 kWh, over the course of the season.

The lowest average daily incident shortwave solar energy during the winter is 1.6 kWh on December 21.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in the Winter in Chicago

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in the Winter in ChicagoDecJanFeb0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWhFallSpringDec 211.6 kWhDec 211.6 kWhDec 11.8 kWhDec 11.8 kWhFeb 283.4 kWhFeb 283.4 kWhFeb 12.3 kWhFeb 12.3 kWh
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Chicago are 41.850 deg latitude, -87.650 deg longitude, and 584 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Chicago is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 69 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 591 feet. Within 10 miles is essentially flat (253 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (653 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Chicago is covered by artificial surfaces (100%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (66%) and water (34%), and within 50 miles by water (36%) and artificial surfaces (29%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Chicago, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 4 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Chicago.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Chicago according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Chicago is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Chicago and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Chicago and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

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