Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 4.0Forest Park’s 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 42 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Forest Park at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Forest Park’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Forest Park’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Forest Park feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 203 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 10 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Chicago Midway Airport 3sw, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Forest Park’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 42 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Oak Brook 2w, IL, falls mostly in February. 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 133 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Forest Park
83% of the work is heating. 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 Midway Airport 3sw.
Living with Forest Park’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
203 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 10 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Forest Park from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 31%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Forest Park and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Forest Park in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Forest Park’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Park, IL | 17° | 84° | 38" | 42" |
| Duryea, PA | 18° | 84° | 40" | 45" |
| New Haven, IN | 18° | 84° | 39" | 34" |
| Ashland, OH | 19° | 83° | 39" | 49" |
| 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 Forest Park averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 55% 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 Forest Park compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Forest Park’s place among Illinois’.
Forest Park weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Forest Park’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Oak Brook 2w, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 17° | 2.0" | 12.6" | 11 | 17 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 36° | 20° | 1.8" | 14.5" | 10 | 18 | 16° – 39° |
| March | 47° | 29° | 2.3" | 4.1" | 12 | 6 | 31° – 53° |
| April | 59° | 39° | 3.8" | 0.8" | 12 | 1 | 41° – 55° |
| May | 71° | 49° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| June | 80° | 59° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 65° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| August | 82° | 63° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| September | 76° | 55° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| October | 63° | 43° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| November | 49° | 33° | 2.5" | 0.6" | 9 | 0 | 33° – 49° |
| December | 37° | 23° | 2.1" | 9.7" | 13 | 14 | 17° – 40° |
| Year | 60° | 41° | 38.0" | 42.3" | 133 | 55 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Forest Park’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 Forest Park’s center.
- Snow: Oak Brook 2w, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Chicago Midway Airport 3sw, 9 miles from the town’s center, 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 Forest Park’s climate
What is the weather like in Forest Park?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 42 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Forest Park in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 108 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Forest Park get?
About 42 inches in a normal winter at Oak Brook 2w, IL, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 55 days a year.
How hot does it get in Forest Park?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 65°. About 21 days a year reach 90° (Chicago Midway Airport 3sw).
When is the first and last frost in Forest Park?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 10 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 203 frost-free days, at Chicago Midway Airport 3sw.
What growing zone is Forest Park in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Forest Park?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Forest Park getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Forest Park.
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.