Places › Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL — best months to visit
Architecture, deep dish, and a lakefront that owns the summer.
Best months for Chicago: September — mild days around 76°F, rain on about 9 days a month.
JAN
33°F
Rain 8 days
Daylight 9h 27mFEB
37°F
Rain 8 days
Daylight 10h 31mMAR
48°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 11h 48mAPR
60°F
Rain 12 days
Daylight 13h 17mMAY
71°F
Rain 13 days
Daylight 14h 31mJUN
81°F
Rain 12 days
Daylight 15h 12mJUL
85°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 14h 56mAUG
83°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 13h 52mSEP
76°F
★ Best
Rain 9 days
Daylight 12h 26mOCT
63°F
Rain 12 days
Daylight 11h 00mNOV
49°F
Rain 9 days
Daylight 9h 45mDEC
38°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 9h 09m
33°F
Rain 8 days
Daylight 9h 27mFEB
37°F
Rain 8 days
Daylight 10h 31mMAR
48°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 11h 48mAPR
60°F
Rain 12 days
Daylight 13h 17mMAY
71°F
Rain 13 days
Daylight 14h 31mJUN
81°F
Rain 12 days
Daylight 15h 12mJUL
85°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 14h 56mAUG
83°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 13h 52mSEP
76°F
★ Best
Rain 9 days
Daylight 12h 26mOCT
63°F
Rain 12 days
Daylight 11h 00mNOV
49°F
Rain 9 days
Daylight 9h 45mDEC
38°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 9h 09m
Averages are the 1991–2020 climate normals (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information) for the station named on each page. Rain days = days with at least 0.01 in of precipitation. Daylight is computed for the middle of the month.
Temperature band (low to high) in each month's color; pale bars behind = total rain for the month. 1991–2020 normals.
All twelve months
| Month | Score | Avg high | Avg low | Rain | Rain days | Daylight | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46 | 33° | 19° | 1.48 in | 8 | 9h 27m | An off month |
| February | 53 | 37° | 23° | 1.46 in | 8 | 10h 31m | A shoulder month |
| March | 70 | 48° | 32° | 1.88 in | 10 | 11h 48m | A good month |
| April | 84 | 60° | 41° | 3.57 in | 12 | 13h 17m | One of the best months |
| May | 88 | 71° | 52° | 4.09 in | 13 | 14h 31m | One of the best months |
| June | 80 | 81° | 62° | 4.01 in | 12 | 15h 12m | One of the best months |
| July | 76 | 85° | 68° | 3.55 in | 10 | 14h 56m | A good month |
| August | 80 | 83° | 66° | 3.99 in | 10 | 13h 52m | One of the best months |
| September ★ Best | 91 | 76° | 59° | 2.77 in | 9 | 12h 26m | One of the best months |
| October | 84 | 63° | 46° | 3.48 in | 12 | 11h 00m | One of the best months |
| November | 71 | 49° | 35° | 2.35 in | 9 | 9h 45m | A good month |
| December | 50 | 38° | 25° | 1.79 in | 10 | 9h 09m | An off month |
Score is rule-derived from the same normals — the rules are published on How we pick. Rain days = days with at least 0.01 in of precipitation.
September in Chicago: one of the best months (score 91 of 100)
Typical September days in Chicago reach about 76°F with nights near 59°F.
- A light jacket or fleece for evenings.
- A compact rain layer — about 9 days see rain in a typical September.