10-Day Weather Forecast for Chicago, IL - The Weather Channel | weather.com (2024)

FAQs

Does Lake Michigan make Chicago colder? ›

Lake Michigan influences the climate of Chicago and most of northeastern Illinois. The large thermal mass of the lake tends to moderate temperatures, causing cooler summers and warmer winters. One of the major benefits is cool lake breezes that provide some relief from summer heat.

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.

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.

November is one of the cloudiest months in Chicago. It might snow for 1.8 days. As November is an off-peak season hence hotel and flight prices are lower, especially during early November. November is perfect for sightseeing and visiting tourist attractions as it is less crowded.

The temperatures in each lake vary, with Superior being the coolest because it is farther north and Lake Erie being the warmest.

According to Leinbach, Michigan's shores simply have science on their side. "The winds generally go from west to east in this country, and that means that the warm water in the summer gets pushed to the Michigan side of the lake," he explained. "So the water is warmer for swimming and playing and things like that.

In 126 years of official snowfall records, Chicago has recorded snow in September on two occasions, and both were “trace events”: Sept. 25, 1928, with high and low temperatures of 50 and 39 degrees; and Sept. 25, 1942, with high and low temperatures of 46 and 30.

Summer (June through August) is Chicago's peak season, when lodging is typically more expensive. Winter (December through March) is the cheapest time to go, but the cold and snow aren't very inviting. Spring and fall are the shoulder seasons when sweet deals and decent weather coincide.

The peak tourist season in Chicago typically occurs during the summer months, from June to August.

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.

Is Chicago colder than Alaska? ›

The average daily high in Anchorage is approximately 23 degrees in the month of January, according to the National Weather Service. Chicago's temperatures are even colder than some found in the Arctic Circle.

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).

Chicago is a city that tourists simply can't get enough of. However, it comes as no surprise as this city offers diverse cultural experiences. You can experience world-class museums, exciting culinary adventures, and renowned architecture.

Generally, they predict snowfall off and on from November through March, with April getting the occasional dusting. Whenever it does snow in Chicago, be sure to take advantage of the Chicago snow on the area's many great sledding hills!

The sun, primary energy source for virtually all weather phenomena, in large part determines air temperatures and seasonal variations. Solar energy is three to four times greater in early summer than in early winter at Chicago's mid-latitude location; which results in warm summers and cold winters.

On hot summer days later in the summer, the temperature difference between the water and land can create a local wind flow blowing cooler air off Lake Michigan further inland, Vavrus said. This cooling effect is especially pronounced when the wind is blowing from the east or northeast, he said.

Chicago Breaks water temperatures peak in the range 20 to 24°C (68 to 75°F) on around the 10th of August and are at their minimum on about the 1st of March, in the range 4 to 5°C (39 to 41°F).

During the summer the lake absorbs energy, but the land reradiates energy to the atmosphere. Therefore, air over land is warmer than that over the water. In the winter the energy absorbed by the lake water is gradually released to the atmosphere, making the air over the water warmer than that over the land.