Champaign, Illinois climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Champaign's normal year runs from 18°F January nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 37.0 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.4°C, January lows of −8°C, July highs of 29°C, 939 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationChampaign Willard Airport
- Station IDUSW00094870
- Location40.04°N 88.28°W
- Elevation754 ft (230 m)
- From the center5 miles
- Population91,961
On October 23, the normal high in Champaign is 63°F and the normal low 40°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 31%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Champaign.
- Jan 34° 18°
- Feb 39° 22°
- Mar 52° 31°
- Apr 65° 41°
- May 76° 52°
- Jun 84° 62°
- Jul 85° 64°
- Aug 84° 62°
- Sep 79° 55°
- Oct 67° 43°
- Nov 52° 32°
- Dec 39° 24°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Champaign each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 18°F. The most precipitation falls in May (4.39 in), the least in February (1.80 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°F | 18°F | 26.0°F | 2.07 | 9 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 39°F | 22°F | 30.3°F | 1.80 | 8 | <1 | 24 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 52°F | 31°F | 41.3°F | 2.57 | 11 | <1 | 19 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 65°F | 41°F | 52.8°F | 3.68 | 11 | <1 | 5 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 76°F | 52°F | 64.0°F | 4.39 | 13 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 84°F | 62°F | 72.6°F | 4.35 | 12 | 6 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 85°F | 64°F | 74.7°F | 3.87 | 11 | 6 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 84°F | 62°F | 72.8°F | 3.12 | 10 | 4 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 79°F | 55°F | 67.0°F | 3.05 | 9 | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 67°F | 43°F | 55.0°F | 3.03 | 10 | <1 | 5 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 52°F | 32°F | 41.9°F | 2.90 | 9 | <1 | 16 | 10 h |
| December | 39°F | 24°F | 31.3°F | 2.14 | 10 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 42°F | 52.5°F | 36.97 | 122 | 22 | 122 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −8°C | −3.3°C | 53 mm |
| February | 4°C | −6°C | −0.9°C | 46 mm |
| March | 11°C | 0°C | 5.2°C | 65 mm |
| April | 18°C | 5°C | 11.6°C | 93 mm |
| May | 24°C | 11°C | 17.8°C | 112 mm |
| June | 29°C | 17°C | 22.6°C | 110 mm |
| July | 29°C | 18°C | 23.7°C | 98 mm |
| August | 29°C | 17°C | 22.7°C | 79 mm |
| September | 26°C | 13°C | 19.4°C | 77 mm |
| October | 19°C | 6°C | 12.8°C | 77 mm |
| November | 11°C | 0°C | 5.5°C | 74 mm |
| December | 4°C | −5°C | −0.4°C | 54 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Champaign's own co-op station Champaign (3 mi S) does: 21 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094870; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Champaign?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (9).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094870.
When is the last frost in Champaign?
In Champaign, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 19 in half of years and after May 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 17 in half of years and before October 3 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 191 year in 10 after May 5; 9 in 10 after April 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 171 year in 10 before October 3; 9 in 10 before October 31
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 180 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 201 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 8 in half of springs and before October 28 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Champaign in zone 6a across its 2 ZIP code areas (6a in 61821, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Champaign's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (23 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Illinois · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00094870; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
What hardiness zone is each Champaign ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Champaign's 2 ZIP code areas are all in zone 6a. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Champaign?
In a normal year in Champaign, 22 days a year reach 90°F, 122 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 122 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 22a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 122a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 35high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 122a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1997) is 102°F, on July 20, 2001; the lowest is −18°F, on January 16, 2009.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2024, with 46.46 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094870; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00094870. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Champaign?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Champaign, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and December the cloudiest (62%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 330th (with 21 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 64% | 1.9 |
| February | 67% | 2.7 |
| March | 67% | 3.7 |
| April | 71% | 4.8 |
| May | 72% | 5.5 |
| June | 79% | 6.3 |
| July | 82% | 6.3 |
| August | 81% | 5.5 |
| September | 81% | 4.6 |
| October | 72% | 3.1 |
| November | 69% | 2.1 |
| December | 62% | 1.6 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Champaign need?
A normal year in Champaign brings 5,586 heating degree days, 4% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,054 cooling degree days, 16% more than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,574 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,209 | 0 |
| February | 971 | 0 |
| March | 737 | 3 |
| April | 378 | 12 |
| May | 132 | 99 |
| June | 13 | 241 |
| July | 2 | 303 |
| August | 5 | 247 |
| September | 66 | 124 |
| October | 336 | 26 |
| November | 695 | 1 |
| December | 1,043 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,586 | 1,054 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094870. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Champaign been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 55.5°F, 3.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 52.5°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53.8°F | +1.3°F | 40.50 |
| 2022 | 52.3°F | −0.2°F | – |
| 2023 | 55.0°F | +2.5°F | 29.62 |
| 2024 | 55.5°F | +3.0°F | 46.46 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094870. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Champaign's climate compare?
Champaign is warmer than 84 of the other 143 places with their own NOAA record in Illinois, and wetter than 14. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.5°F is warmer than 52%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Champaign is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Champaign share this climate record?
14 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Urbana, IL39,831 people · 6 mi NE
- Mahomet, IL10,619 people · 12 mi NW
- Savoy, IL9,260 people · 2 mi NE
- Monticello, IL6,010 people · 16 mi W
- Tolono, IL3,581 people · 3 mi S
- Lake of the Woods, IL1,976 people · 13 mi NW
- Philo, IL1,385 people · 7 mi E
- Mansfield, IL918 people · 17 mi NW
- De Land, IL442 people · 20 mi W
- Sadorus, IL400 people · 6 mi SW
- Bondville, IL382 people · 7 mi NW
- Seymour, IL333 people · 9 mi NW
- Ivesdale, IL262 people · 11 mi SW
- White Heath, IL197 people · 13 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Champaign's other NOAA stations record?
2 more NOAA stations keep 1991-2020 normals in or near Champaign. This page uses Champaign Willard Airport; the others differ by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champaign (3 mi S) USC00118740 | 3 mi SE | 721 ft | 52.3°F | 18°F | 85°F | 40.9 | 21 | April 15 |
| Champaign (9 mi SW) USW00054808 | 7 mi SW | 700 ft | 51.1°F | 17°F | 84°F | 39.6 | – | April 23 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Champaign's climate
What is the coldest month in Champaign?
January, with a normal high of 34°F and a normal low of 18°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 64°F at night).
Does it snow in Champaign?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Champaign's NOAA station; Champaign's own co-op station Champaign (3 mi S) records 21 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Champaign?
May, with 4.39 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.80 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Champaign in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Champaign in zone 6a across its 2 ZIP code areas (6a in 61821, the largest). By the same method at Champaign's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (23 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Champaign?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 19; in one year in ten it comes after May 5. Waiting until May 5 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Champaign in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Illinois climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Tuscola, IL17 miles from this station, 52.4°F a year
- Ogden, IL17 miles from this station, 52.2°F a year
- Rantoul, IL20 miles from this station, 52.3°F a year
- Sidell, IL25 miles from this station, 51.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made