Hourly Weather Forecast for Chicago, IL - The Weather Channel | Weather.com (2024)

FAQs

How cold is Chicago, Illinois? ›

Temperatures average around 78°F – 92°F (26°C – 33°C), while rainfall averages from 3.7 – 4.3 inches (94 – 109mm). It's cooler near the lake, and June is typically the wettest month of the year.

Chicago's climate is typically continental with cold winters, warm summers, and frequent short fluctuations in temperature, humidity, cloudiness, and wind direction.

Record Cold January 20, 1985

The temperature went down to -27, and a wind chill of -93 was recorded. This is the all-time coldest temperature for Chicago.

1. Fairbanks, Alaska. With a minimum average temperature of about minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit, Fairbanks takes the cake as the coldest city in the U.S. The northernmost major city in Alaska, Fairbanks has seen record cold temperatures reaching minus 66 degrees in the past.

Chicago is FAR colder than Boston in the winter. The average lows are already about 10 degrees lower, but don't let that fool you. Those are just averages. Chicago gets FAR more arctic blasts where the temperature is below 0 or in the single digits with insane wind chills.

The best times to visit Chicago are April through May and between September and October, when the temperatures are warm, a variety of festivals take place and crowds are manageable.

Undoubtedly, Chicago is one of the most popular cities to live in — whether you're a young professional jumping off your career, you're looking for the perfect place to raise a family, or you're simply wanting to live in a city that has it all. No matter why you're moving to Chicago, you've made an excellent choice!

Chicago's snow season: July and August are the city's only totally snow-free months. Traces of snow have fallen as late as June 2, 1910, and as early as September 25, 1928 and 1942. Because June is considered to be a summer month, it is true that snow has occurred here in every season.

Chicago has a very well-known culture. Some of the many things Chicago is famous for are: Chicago-style hot dogs, Chicago-style (deep dish) pizza, Maxwell Street Polish Sausage, jazz music, and 1920s gangsters, for example Al Capone. Chicago is also known for architecture, for example the Sears Tower and museums.

Is Chicago growing or Shrinking? ›

Updated numbers released Thursday showed the Windy City lost approximately 0.3% of its population between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023.

The coldest high temperature recorded in Chicago on Christmas actually came the following year in 1983, with a high temperature of negative-5 degrees. The low temperature that day was a positively frigid negative-17, the coldest temperature ever recorded on Christmas.

Chicago sees colder weather than some parts of Alaska

CHICAGO - That's right. It's colder in Chicago than in parts of Alaska.

Chicago's official allâ€'time high temperature of 105 (University of Chicago) was set July 24 1934. It was 109 at Midway on July 23, 1934, the highest temperature ever recorded at a Chicago location (but Midway was not the official observatory for Chicago in 1934).

On average, January is Chicago's coldest month, but it's not necessarily the coldest month in any given winter. Long-term temperature averages at Midway Airport (1929-2011) rank January as the city's coldest month with 23.9 degrees followed by February at 27.9 degrees and December at 28.9.

Chicago, however, is not one of the coldest cities in the United States on average. Most of the extreme winter weather conditions are experienced in December and January.

Chicago wears its "Windy City" nickname like a badge of honor. And let me tell you, that wind doesn't exactly come with a complimentary hot cocoa. On average, Chicago enjoys (or endures, depending on your perspective) temperatures a good 5-6 degrees Fahrenheit colder than New York City throughout the year.

Surviving a Chicago winter can feel like an epic adventure, especially if you're not used to our low temperatures and the wind chill factor from Lake Michigan. But when you know where to look, the city transforms into a snowy wonderland, and Chicagoans revel in the frosty festivities.