Photo: Randy Escalada · CC BY-SA 2.0Des Plaines’ winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Des Plaines at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Des Plaines’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Des Plaines’ place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Des Plaines feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 193 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 16 and the first by October 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Chicago Ohare International Airport, 3 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Des Plaines’ center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chicago Ohare International Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 11 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 126 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Des Plaines
86% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Chicago Ohare International Airport.
Living with Des Plaines’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
193 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 16 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 7.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Des Plaines from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 34%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Des Plaines and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Des Plaines in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Des Plaines’, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Plaines, IL | 17° | 84° | 38" | 38" |
| Sayre, PA | 17° | 84° | 37" | 35" |
| Fort Wayne, IN | 18° | 84° | 39" | 34" |
| Marshall, MI | 17° | 83° | 37" | 40" |
| Southport, NY | 16° | 83° | 36" | 42" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Des Plaines averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 58% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Des Plaines compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Des Plaines’ place among Illinois’.
Des Plaines weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Des Plaines’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chicago Ohare International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 17° | 1.9" | 11.3" | 11 | 16 | 15° – 35° |
| February | 36° | 20° | 1.8" | 10.7" | 9 | 12 | 15° – 38° |
| March | 47° | 29° | 2.3" | 5.5" | 11 | 5 | 30° – 53° |
| April | 59° | 38° | 3.8" | 1.3" | 12 | 1 | 40° – 54° |
| May | 70° | 49° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 80° | 59° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 64° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| August | 82° | 63° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 75° | 55° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| October | 63° | 43° | 3.3" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 48° | 32° | 2.4" | 1.8" | 10 | 1 | 32° – 48° |
| December | 36° | 22° | 2.1" | 7.6" | 11 | 9 | 17° – 39° |
| Year | 59° | 41° | 37.7" | 38.4" | 126 | 44 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 15° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Des Plaines’ numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Des Plaines’ center.
- Snow: Chicago Ohare International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Chicago Ohare International Airport, 3 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Des Plaines’ climate
What is the weather like in Des Plaines?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Des Plaines in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 121 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Des Plaines get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at Chicago Ohare International Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 11 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 44 days a year.
How hot does it get in Des Plaines?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 64°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Chicago Ohare International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Des Plaines?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 16 and the first fall frost by October 28, about 193 frost-free days, at Chicago Ohare International Airport.
What growing zone is Des Plaines in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Des Plaines?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Des Plaines getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Des Plaines.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.