Chicago in Winter

Winter is unpleasant in most northern cities, and Chicago is no exception. It brings the worst weather and the fewest tourists, and for anyone willing to come anyway, that means lower prices. Winter here runs from December to early March. December is all lights and markets, January and February are the cold, cheap, quiet stretch, and by March everyone is waiting for St. Patrick's Day and the first warm afternoon.

This page is the overview. Each month has its own guide.

• Things to do in Chicago in December and Christmas events in Chicago
• Chicago in January and things to do in January
• Chicago in February and things to do in February
• Chicago in March and things to do in March

How cold it gets

These are the National Weather Service's 1991-2020 normals, measured at O'Hare. You'll find them on the NWS Chicago normals page.

• December: high 36.6°F, low 24.4°F, 7.6 inches of snow.
• January: high 31.6°F, low 18.8°F, 11.3 inches of snow. The coldest month.
• February: high 35.7°F, low 21.8°F, 10.7 inches of snow.
• March: high 47.0°F, low 31.0°F, 5.5 inches of snow.

O'Hare averages about 38 inches of snow a year, most of it from December through February. A cold snap with several days below 0°F isn't unusual, and O'Hare averages six or seven nights a year below zero. The wind chill is the figure to watch. Along Wacker Drive and on the river bridges, gusts between the towers can make it feel 10 or 15 degrees colder than the thermometer says. Lake Michigan adds lake-effect snow when the wind blows in from the north or northeast, and it's usually heaviest near the shore. Our weather page explains more, and the NWS Chicago forecast is the one to trust the week you travel.

Prices and crowds

January through early March is the cheapest time to visit Chicago. Hotels drop their rates to fill rooms when the tourists stay away, and weekends tend to be the best deals once the business travelers leave. Lines at the museums are short, and you can usually get into a good restaurant without booking weeks out. December is busier, with holiday shoppers and New Year's Eve, and big events like the Auto Show can fill hotels on particular weeks, so check before you commit. See where to stay in Chicago and how to save money on your trip.

Illinois residents get the best deal of all. The big museums offer free days to residents, and the Field Museum, for one, is free to them every Wednesday.

What to wear

Surviving a Chicago winter is all about being prepared. If you come dressed for winter in the South, you'll be miserable. Bring a warm coat that covers your hips, a hat that covers your ears, gloves, a scarf you can pull over your face and waterproof boots with some tread, because salted sidewalks turn to slush. Layer underneath, since everywhere indoors is heated. More in what to wear in Chicago in winter.

You can also keep your time outside short. The L and buses go almost everywhere a visitor needs (see transportation), and downtown, the Pedway runs through tunnels and bridges across more than 40 blocks of the Loop, linking train stations, hotels and stores.

What there is to do

Most residents probably wouldn't put up with the winters if there weren't plenty going on, and the summers are the reward for sticking it out. Winter is when locals go to the museums, the theater and the long weekend brunch. Here are the highlights, more or less in calendar order.

• Skating. The free McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park runs from mid-November into early February, and the Skating Ribbon in Maggie Daley Park goes into early March. Both need reservations.
• Christmas markets and lights. Christkindlmarket fills Daley Plaza from the Friday before Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, with a second market at Wrigleyville's Gallagher Way that stays open through New Year's Eve. ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo runs from late November into early January. It's ticketed now, but cheap.
• New Year's Eve. Fireworks on the river and over the lake, and free CTA rides late at night. See New Year's in Chicago.
• Restaurant Week. Chicago Restaurant Week runs 17 days from late January into February, with set-price menus at hundreds of restaurants.
• Theatre Week and the Auto Show. Chicago Theatre Week sells $15 and $30 seats in the first half of February, and the Chicago Auto Show fills McCormick Place in February, as it has since 1901.
• Lunar New Year. Chinatown's parade goes up Wentworth Avenue on a Sunday in February or early March.
• The Garfield Park Conservatory. The conservatory, off the Green Line, is warm and green all winter, and free for Chicago residents.

There's more in winter activities in Chicago, things to do in Chicago in winter and things to do on rainy days.

The winter holidays

Winter is festive, even when it's freezing. Plenty of people come to Chicago for the Christmas lights and the holiday shopping, to toast the new year at a downtown restaurant, for a romantic Valentine's Day, or to watch the river turn green for St. Patrick's Day, which the city celebrates on the Saturday on or before March 17. The full calendar is on our holidays and events in Chicago page.

Photo by SeanSantry