Chicago in Spring

After a long, gray winter, spring in Chicago feels doubly welcome. The first 60-degree day brings out shorts, patio crowds and runners on the Lakefront Trail, even if it snows again the following week. For visitors, it's a good time to come. You'll get some cold days, but also smaller crowds and lower prices than in summer, plus plenty to do on a budget. The big museums hold free days for Illinois residents, the free Lincoln Park Zoo is open every day of the year, and by late May the neighborhood street festival season is underway.

Spring here runs March through May, and those three months feel like three different seasons. March is still winter most days. April is wet and unpredictable. May is summer's warm-up act.

Spring weather, month by month

These are the National Weather Service's official 1991-2020 normals, measured at O'Hare. Our Chicago weather page has the full year.

• March: average high 47°F, low 31°F, and about 5.5 inches of snow. A 65-degree day and a sleet storm can land in the same week.
• April: high 59°F, low 40°F. Rain picks up, and snow is still possible.
• May: high 70.5°F, low 50.6°F, and about 4.5 inches of rain, which makes it the wettest month of the year.

Lake Michigan stays cold all spring. When the wind blows off the water, the lakefront can be much cooler than the official high, so a warm afternoon in the West Loop can feel like a different season at Navy Pier. Once the sun comes out, though, you'll see plenty of Chicagoans dressed for July.

Pack layers that can handle the whole range. In March you may still want a winter coat, a hat and waterproof boots. By April, a light waterproof jacket over a sweater usually does it, and by May you'll want a T-shirt under everything. An umbrella that can take the wind is worth bringing any month. See what to wear in Chicago in spring for more.

March: indoors, plus one big party

Early spring is museum season. The Art Institute, the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium are all quieter than they'll be in July, and a discount city pass can bring the cost down if you're seeing several. Catch a play from our theatre guide, take a sightseeing tour, or wander the Garfield Park Conservatory, whose Spring Flower Show runs from February into May. Its glass houses are a warm, green break from a gray March day.

Then there's St. Patrick's Day. The river gets dyed green on the Saturday on or before March 17, the downtown parade runs down Columbus Drive the same day, and the bars do the rest. Our best bars for St. Patrick's Day will point you in the right direction. If you're a student, see spring break in Chicago.

More in Chicago in March and things to do in Chicago in March.

April: baseball and bulbs

Baseball season opens in late March or early April, and an early-season game at Wrigley is a cold one, so bring a hat. See Chicago Cubs games.

The flowers start showing up too. Lurie Garden in Millennium Park has more than 100,000 bulbs planted over the years, and they come up in waves, snowdrops first, then daffodils, then tulips. The garden's weekly bloom list tells you what's out. The Chicago Architecture Center river cruise starts running in March, and a mild April day is a good time to take it, with a jacket. For rainy days, keep our list of things to do on rainy days handy.

More in Chicago in April and things to do in Chicago in April.

May: everything goes outside

By May the focus shifts outdoors. Buckingham Fountain usually switches on in early May, the farmers markets open, and people start planning picnics in Grant Park again. Illinois Craft Beer Week fills the taprooms, and Memorial Day weekend brings the first big street fest, the Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest in Lakeview, along with the start of beach season and Navy Pier's summer fireworks.

More in Chicago in May and things to do in Chicago in May, plus our Memorial Day guide.

Planning a trip

If you've only got a few days, try our long weekend in Chicago in spring itinerary. For more ideas, see things to do in Chicago in spring and the year-round holidays and events calendar, including the neighborhood festivals that take over summer weekends. Pride Month follows in June, and our gay Chicago page covers the parade and Pride Fest.

Photo by Monika Thorpe