Chicago, IL: Winter

28 February 2026: Winter 2026 (December 2025 to February 2026) averaged 27.1°F in Chicago, IL, the coldest winter since 2019, tied 73rd coldest of 154 (with 1958, 1935 and 1898).

Winter 2026 (December 2025 to February 2026)

Mean temperature: 27.1°F; Coldest since 2019; 73rd coldest of 154
Precipitation: 4.76 in; Driest since 2025; 46th driest of 155

A normal winter in Chicago, IL (1991 to 2020): a mean temperature of 26.8°F, between 22.6°F and 31.5°F in eight years of ten and 6.08 in of precipitation, between 3.41 in and 8.22 in in eight years of ten.

The mean temperature of every winter in Chicago, IL since 1873: 27.1°F in 2026; the lowest is 18°F, in 1904.

Normal range, 22.6 to 31.5°F

Every year, ranked, as a table

Every winter in Chicago, IL from 1872 to 2026, ranked: the mean temperature, the mean high and the mean low from the warmest, the precipitation from the wettest; a year missing more than a tenth of its days is not ranked.

Year	Mean, °F	Rank	High, °F	Rank	Low, °F	Rank	Precipitation, in	Rank	Days missing
2026	27.1	79	34.8	58	19.4	89	4.76	109	0
2025	27.3	75	34.1	74	20.5	77	4.43	119	0
2024	34.8	5	41.2	7	28.4	3	7.12	39	0
2023	31.7	15	38.4	12	25	14	8.59	15	0
2022	28.7	49	36.6	33	20.8	71	5.73	78	0
2021	27.6	69	33.7	82	21.5	57	5.75	77	0
2020	31.4	16	38.2	14	24.7	16	5.12	95	0
2019	26.7	89	33.7	82	19.7	85	8.09	23	0
2018	26.8	84	34.6	63	19	93	6.77	47	0
2017	30.4	24	37.5	21	23.2	32	6.16	63	0
2016	31.4	16	37.8	17	24.9	15	6.94	43	0
2015	23.2	122	30	130	16.5	121	3.65	133	0
2014	18.8	151	27.2	146	10.4	152	7.24	36	0
2013	29.7	31	37.1	29	22.3	45	8.80	13	0
2012	32.8	10	40.2	8	25.4	12	6.15	64	0
2011	23	125	29.4	135	16.6	120	6.79	46	0
2010	25	108	30.6	122	19.3	91	5.50	82	0
2009	22.1	133	30.5	123	13.7	139	10.32	4	0
2008	24.8	111	32	110	17.6	109	8.95	10	0
2007	26.8	84	33.2	95	20.5	77	6.51	52	0
2006	29.1	42	35.9	41	22.4	40	5.94	71	0
2005	28.5	53	35.2	52	21.7	53	7.34	32	0
2004	26.4	93	33.9	79	18.9	94	3.44	136	0
2003	25	108	32.5	104	17.6	109	2.48	148	0
2002	32.5	12	39.6	10	25.3	13	3.15	142	0
2001	22.1	133	29.6	133	14.6	132	5.80	76	0
2000	29.6	32	37.2	26	22	49	6.00	69	0
1999	30.3	26	38.1	16	22.5	38	7.31	34	0
1998	33	9	38.6	11	27.5	7	5.87	73	0
1997	25.2	105	32.1	109	18.4	103	8.15	21	0
1996	25.2	105	32.9	102	17.5	111	2.88	145	0
1995	28.5	53	35.1	53	21.8	51	5.23	92	0
1994	22.6	128	30.1	129	15.2	129	5.33	91	0
1993	26.4	93	33.5	87	19.4	89	7.14	37	0
1992	30.5	23	37.3	25	23.6	28	3.97	127	0
1991	26.6	90	34.6	63	18.6	97	3.97	127	0
1990	27.4	71	35.4	49	19.5	86	4.68	112	0
1989	26.8	84	35.1	53	18.6	97	3.99	126	0
1988	24.9	110	32.8	103	17	117	6.94	43	0
1987	30	28	36.9	30	23	35	3.75	132	0
1986	21.2	142	29.4	135	12.9	144	4.46	118	0
1985	22	135	30.3	124	13.6	140	7.86	25	0
1984	21.5	139	29.1	139	13.9	137	5.53	81	0
1983	30.9	19	37.7	18	24.1	24	11.28	3	0
1982	19.4	147	28	144	10.9	150	4.36	122	0
1981	26.1	97	34.1	74	18.2	106	5.88	72	0
1980	26.1	97	33.7	82	18.6	97	4.20	124	0
1979	18.4	153	25.9	152	11	149	8.22	20	0
1978	19.2	148	26.7	150	11.7	147	5.68	80	0
1977	18.7	152	27.1	148	10.4	152	2.30	151	0
1976	28.9	46	36.8	31	21.1	67	6.05	67	0
1975	28.7	49	35	55	22.4	40	8.32	19	0
1974	26.5	92	33.3	92	19.8	83	9.67	7	0
1973	27.9	61	34.7	60	21.2	61	7.52	31	0
1972	28.3	57	36	40	20.6	74	7.96	24	0
1971	26.2	96	33.8	80	18.5	102	5.21	93	0
1970	24.1	115	30.8	117	17.4	114	3.86	130	0
1969	26.8	84	33.2	95	20.3	79	6.33	56	0
1968	27.2	77	34.3	71	20.1	81	6.44	54	0
1967	26.6	90	33.5	87	19.8	83	7.73	28	0
1966	27.5	70	34.4	70	20.6	74	7.32	33	0
1965	26.4	93	34	76	18.7	96	7.72	29	0
1964	25.3	103	33.4	90	17.2	116	2.41	150	0
1963	19.1	149	27	149	11.2	148	1.85	154	0
1962	23.2	122	30.2	128	16.1	124	6.23	60	0
1961	27.4	71	34.6	63	20.2	80	2.23	152	0
1960	29.9	29	35.4	49	24.4	21	8.89	12	1
1959	22.2	132	29.7	132	14.6	132	5.09	97	0
1958	27.1	79	33.6	86	20.7	73	3.40	137	0
1957	28.1	60	34.7	60	21.6	54	5.09	97	0
1956	27.8	62	34.5	67	21.2	61	3.16	141	0
1955	28.5	53	34.7	60	22.2	46	5.11	96	0
1954	32.1	14	39.7	9	24.6	18	6.60	49	0
1953	31.1	18	37.5	21	24.7	16	5.01	100	0
1952	28.5	53	36.2	36	20.8	71	5.38	89	0
1951	23.3	120	31	114	15.6	128	7.13	38	0
1950	29.2	39	37.2	26	21.2	61	13.79	1	0
1949	28.9	46	36.2	36	21.6	54	8.78	14	0
1948	24.7	112	32.2	108	17.3	115	4.96	101	0
1947	27.2	77	34.9	56	19.5	86	4.87	107	0
1946	25.7	101	33	100	18.4	103	4.57	116	0
1945	23.1	124	30	130	16.4	122	3.59	134	1
1944	29.3	37	37.5	21	21.1	67	2.93	144	0
1943	24.4	114	32.4	106	16.3	123	6.44	54	0
1942	29.6	32	34.6	63	24.6	18	5.39	88	0
1941	29.2	39	34.9	56	23.5	30	4.65	114	0
1940	26.8	84	32.4	106	21.2	61	3.04	143	0
1939	29.5	34	35.8	43	23.1	33	5.38	89	0
1938	28.7	49	34.2	72	23.1	33	5.40	86	0
1937	29.1	42	36.5	34	21.8	51	5.50	82	0
1936	19.9	146	26.5	151	13.3	141	4.21	123	0
1935	27.1	79	33	100	21.2	61	5.86	74	0
1934	29	45	35.7	45	22.4	40	2.75	147	0
1933	30.7	21	37.6	20	23.8	27	6.00	69	0
1932	35.7	2	41.5	4	29.8	2	5.69	79	0
1931	32.3	13	37.7	18	26.9	10	1.60	155	0
1930	28.3	57	34.5	67	22.2	46	5.49	84	0
1929	23.9	117	30.7	120	17	117	7.10	40	0
1928	27.4	71	34.2	72	20.6	74	5.04	99	0
1927	28.6	52	34.8	58	22.4	40	2.77	146	0
1926	27.8	62	33.7	82	21.5	57	5.48	85	1
1925	27	83	33.8	80	20.1	81	4.20	124	0
1924	29.4	35	35.5	48	23.4	31	4.96	101	0
1923	27.8	62	34.5	67	21.1	67	3.18	140	0
1922	28.9	46	36.1	38	21.6	54	6.53	51	0
1921	32.8	10	38.2	14	27.4	9	4.68	112	0
1920	21.9	136	28.1	143	15.8	126	1.94	153	0
1919	33.1	8	38.4	12	27.8	6	6.22	61	0
1918	20.8	143	27.5	145	14	136	7.81	26	0
1917	23.5	119	31.2	113	15.7	127	4.80	108	0
1916	27.7	67	34	76	21.4	60	7.02	41	0
1915	27.4	71	33.2	95	21.5	57	6.24	58	0
1914	30.4	24	36.4	35	24.4	21	4.39	120	0
1913	29.3	37	36.7	32	21.9	50	4.38	121	0
1912	22.9	126	28.8	142	16.9	119	4.95	104	0
1911	29.2	39	35.6	46	22.9	36	4.76	109	0
1910	24	116	30.3	124	17.7	108	8.14	22	0
1909	30.8	20	37.4	24	24.1	24	6.98	42	0
1908	29.4	35	35.3	51	23.6	28	8.50	16	0
1907	29.1	42	35.6	46	22.6	37	7.67	30	0
1906	30.7	21	37.2	26	24.2	23	4.72	111	0
1905	20.7	144	27.2	146	14.3	134	4.49	117	0
1904	18	154	25.3	153	10.8	151	6.24	58	0
1903	25.1	107	30.8	117	19.3	91	6.02	68	0
1902	23.3	120	29.2	138	17.5	111	3.89	129	0
1901	24.6	113	31	114	18.3	105	3.78	131	0
1900	25.5	102	32.5	104	18.6	97	6.54	50	0
1899	21.8	137	28.9	141	14.7	131	3.29	138	0
1898	27.1	79	33.1	99	21.1	67	7.75	27	0
1897	27.7	67	33.3	92	22.1	48	6.91	45	0
1896	27.8	62	33.2	95	22.4	40	11.30	2	0
1895	22.5	129	29	140	16	125	5.40	86	0
1894	25.3	103	31.9	111	18.8	95	5.82	75	0
1893	18.9	150	25.3	153	12.5	145	6.15	64	0
1892	28.3	57	34	76	22.5	38	4.88	106	0
1891	29.8	30	35.8	43	23.9	26	5.19	94	0
1890	34.7	6	41.4	5	28.1	5	7.30	35	0
1889	27.3	75	33.5	87	21.2	61	4.89	105	0
1888	21.4	141	29.6	133	13.1	142	6.74	48	0
1887	22.4	130	31.8	112	13	143	9.99	5	0
1886	27.8	62	36.1	38	19.5	86	8.42	18	0
1885	22.3	131	30.8	117	13.8	138	9.40	9	0
1884	25.8	100	33.4	90	18.2	106	6.15	64	0
1883	21.8	137	29.3	137	14.3	134	8.47	17	0
1882	35	4	41.6	3	28.4	3	6.46	53	0
1881	22.8	127	30.3	124	15.2	129	6.26	57	0
1880	35.2	3	43	1	27.5	7	8.91	11	0
1879	23.9	117	30.3	124	17.5	111	4.59	115	0
1878	37.2	1	42.7	2	31.7	1	6.18	62	0
1877	26	99	33.3	92	18.6	97	2.45	149	0
1876	33.6	7	41.4	5	25.8	11	9.74	6	0
1875	21.5	139	31	114	11.9	146	3.58	135	0
1874	30.2	27	35.9	41	24.5	20	9.52	8	0
1873	20.4	145	30.7	120	10.2	154	3.25	139	0
1872							4.96	101	91

Warmest, coldest, wettest and driest

Warmest
Year	Mean, °F
1878	37.2
1932	35.7
1880	35.2
1882	35
2024	34.8
1890	34.7
1876	33.6
1919	33.1
1998	33
2012	32.8
More years share the last value

Coldest
Year	Mean, °F
1904	18
1979	18.4
1977	18.7
2014	18.8
1893	18.9
1963	19.1
1978	19.2
1982	19.4
1936	19.9
1873	20.4

Wettest
Year	Precipitation, in
1950	13.79
1896	11.30
1983	11.28
2009	10.32
1887	9.99
1876	9.74
1974	9.67
1874	9.52
1885	9.40
2008	8.95

Driest
Year	Precipitation, in
1931	1.60
1963	1.85
1920	1.94
1961	2.23
1977	2.30
1964	2.41
1877	2.45
2003	2.48
1934	2.75
1927	2.77

The hottest, coldest and wettest days

Hottest day: 65°F; 27 February 2026, 16 February 2026
Coldest night: -11°F; 23 January 2026
Wettest day: 1.92 in; 8 January 2026

Every month, season and year

Months

Seasons

Years

Chicago, IL the day's answers

All-time records

Every answer in words

Winter 2026 (December 2025 to February 2026) brought 4.76 in of precipitation in Chicago, IL, the driest winter since 2025, tied 46th driest of 155 (with 1911).
The hottest day of winter 2026 (December 2025 to February 2026) in Chicago, IL: 65°F on Friday 27 February 2026 and Monday 16 February 2026.
The coldest night of winter 2026 (December 2025 to February 2026) in Chicago, IL: a low of -11°F on Friday 23 January 2026.
The wettest day of winter 2026 (December 2025 to February 2026) in Chicago, IL: 1.92 in on Thursday 8 January 2026.