Chicago weather by month & the best time to visit
🇺🇸 United States · major city break · hot-summer continental climate
The best time to visit Chicago is September — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 75/100), with July and August close behind. Chicago averages about 2,095 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 24°C / 75°F and roughly 87 mm of rain in September.
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- Sun hours / year
- 2,095
- Sunniest month
- September
- Peak score
- 75/100
- Rain / year
- 984 mm
- Snow / year
- ≈1.4 m
- Midday UV at peak
- 7 (high)
- Population
- 9M
- Elevation
- 213 m
When is the best time to visit Chicago?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Chicago is September, then July and August. The dullest month is January (0/100, 44 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Chicago?
Chicago gets a moderate 2,095 hours of sunshine a year. 75 Sunshine Score points separate September (75) from January (0), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #362 of 580 destinations in United States for annual sunshine, below the national median of 2,279 hours. The year's 984 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | -1° / 30°F | -10° / 14°F | 44 mm | 1 |
| February | 0 | 1° / 34°F | -9° / 16°F | 51 mm | 2 |
| March | 0 | 7° / 45°F | -3° / 27°F | 63 mm | 3 |
| April | 43 | 15° / 59°F | 3° / 37°F | 95 mm | 5 |
| May | 69 | 21° / 70°F | 9° / 48°F | 120 mm | 6 |
| June | 70 | 26° / 79°F | 15° / 59°F | 112 mm | 7 |
| July | 73 | 29° / 84°F | 18° / 64°F | 100 mm | 7 |
| August | 72 | 28° / 82°F | 17° / 63°F | 106 mm | 6 |
| September | 75 | 24° / 75°F | 13° / 55°F | 87 mm | 5 |
| October | 50 | 16° / 61°F | 6° / 43°F | 91 mm | 3 |
| November | 0 | 8° / 46°F | -1° / 30°F | 58 mm | 2 |
| December | 0 | 1° / 34°F | -6° / 21°F | 57 mm | 1 |
See Chicago on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Milwaukee United States · 108 km · best in Sep · 1,950 h sun/yr
- South Bend United States · 135 km · best in Sep · 2,045 h sun/yr
- Madison United States · 174 km · best in Sep · 2,236 h sun/yr
- Bloomington/Normal United States · 187 km · best in Sep · 2,243 h sun/yr
- Kalamazoo United States · 196 km · best in Sep · 2,022 h sun/yr
- Peoria United States · 209 km · best in Sep · 2,293 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Gary United States · 57 km · 2,094 h sun/yr · best in Sep
- Michigan City United States · 95 km · 2,045 h sun/yr · best in Sep
- Rockford United States · 101 km · 2,258 h sun/yr · best in Sep
Head-to-head
How Chicago compares month by month: Chicago vs Milwaukee · Chicago vs Madison · Chicago vs South Bend · Chicago vs Peoria · all comparisons
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