Places › Chicago, IL › December
Chicago in December
An off month — score 50 of 100
Typical December days in Chicago reach about 38°F with nights near 25°F.
Avg high
38°F
1991–2020 normal
Avg low
25°F
1991–2020 normal
Rain total
1.79 in
in a typical December
Rain days
10
days with at least 0.01 in
Daylight
9h 09m
at mid-December, computed
What to pack for Chicago in December
- A real winter coat — typical nights drop below freezing, to about 25°F.
- A compact rain layer — about 10 days see rain in a typical December.
Every packing line is triggered by a number on this page — the rules are on How we pick.
December vs. the alternatives
The whole year in Chicago
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.