Photo: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0Elgin Township’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Elgin Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Elgin Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Elgin Township’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Elgin Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 174 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Elgin, IL, 3 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Elgin Township’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 32 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Elgin, IL, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Elgin Township
89% 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 Elgin, IL.
Living with Elgin Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
174 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 25 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Elgin Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 29%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Elgin Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Elgin Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Elgin Township’s, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin Township, IL | 15° | 84° | 38" | 32" |
| Garrett, IN | 17° | 83° | 38" | 30" |
| Sayre, PA | 17° | 84° | 37" | 35" |
| North Liberty, IA | 12° | 84° | 37" | 29" |
| Bryan, OH | 18° | 84° | 37" | 29" |
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 Elgin Township averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 61% 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. In a city of 106,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Elgin Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Elgin Township’s place among Illinois’.
Elgin Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Elgin Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Elgin, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 15° | 1.8" | 9.5" | 10 | 17 | 13° – 34° |
| February | 34° | 18° | 1.8" | 8.0" | 8 | 13 | 14° – 38° |
| March | 46° | 27° | 2.3" | 3.7" | 10 | 4 | 28° – 52° |
| April | 59° | 37° | 3.8" | 0.8" | 13 | 1 | 40° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 48° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 53° – 66° |
| June | 80° | 58° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 62° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 80° |
| August | 82° | 61° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| September | 75° | 53° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 41° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 47° | 30° | 2.5" | 1.4" | 10 | 1 | 31° – 47° |
| December | 35° | 20° | 2.1" | 8.7" | 10 | 9 | 15° – 38° |
| Year | 59° | 39° | 38.2" | 32.1" | 124 | 44 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Elgin Township’s 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 Elgin Township’s center.
- Snow: Elgin, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Elgin, IL, 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 Elgin Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Elgin Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Elgin Township in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 139 nights a year reach 32° or below and 11 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Elgin Township get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter at Elgin, IL, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 44 days a year.
How hot does it get in Elgin Township?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 62°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Elgin, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Elgin Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 174 frost-free days, at Elgin, IL.
What growing zone is Elgin Township in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Elgin Township?
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 Elgin Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 61% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Elgin Township.
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.