Chicago weather in April: Chicago, Illinois: normal highs, lows, rain and records for April
Chicago in April has a normal high of 59°F and a normal low of 40°F, a daily mean of 50°F, rising from 53°F on the 1st to 65°F by the 30th. Measurable precipitation falls on 12 days in a normal April, 3.75 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 15°C and low of 5°C, 95 mm of precipitation and 3 cm of snow in April.
- NOAA stationChicago O'Hare International Airport
- Station IDUSW00094846
- Location41.99°N 87.93°W
- Elevation658 ft (201 m)
- From the center17 miles
- Population2,721,308
- Jan 32° 19°
- Feb 36° 22°
- Mar 47° 31°
- Apr 59° 40°
- May 71° 51°
- Jun 80° 61°
- Jul 85° 66°
- Aug 83° 65°
- Sep 76° 57°
- Oct 63° 45°
- Nov 48° 34°
- Dec 37° 24°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Chicago in April?
The normal high is 59°F and the normal low 40°F, for a daily mean of 49.7°F. April is 10.7°F warmer than March and 10.9°F cooler than May. April is the 7th warmest month of the year in Chicago and the 4th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 12°F, from 53°F on April 1 to 65°F on April 30. From one year to the next April's mean temperature typically moves about 3.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Aprils in three average between 47°F and 53°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 42%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1 | 53°F | 36°F | 37% | 21% |
| April 8 | 56°F | 38°F | 39% | 22% |
| April 15 | 59°F | 40°F | 41% | 23% |
| April 22 | 62°F | 43°F | 41% | 24% |
| April 30 | 65°F | 45°F | 42% | 25% |
Every day of April: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon April 30, coldest night April 1)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1 | 53°F | 36°F | 37% | 21% | 12 h 40 min |
| April 2 | 54°F | 36°F | 38% | 21% | 12 h 40 min |
| April 3 | 54°F | 36°F | 38% | 21% | 12 h 50 min |
| April 4 | 54°F | 37°F | 38% | 21% | 12 h 50 min |
| April 5 | 55°F | 37°F | 38% | 21% | 12 h 50 min |
| April 6 | 55°F | 37°F | 38% | 22% | 12 h 50 min |
| April 7 | 56°F | 37°F | 39% | 22% | 13 h |
| April 8 | 56°F | 38°F | 39% | 22% | 13 h |
| April 9 | 56°F | 38°F | 39% | 22% | 13 h |
| April 10 | 57°F | 38°F | 39% | 22% | 13 h |
| April 11 | 57°F | 39°F | 40% | 23% | 13 h 10 min |
| April 12 | 58°F | 39°F | 40% | 23% | 13 h 10 min |
| April 13 | 58°F | 39°F | 40% | 23% | 13 h 10 min |
| April 14 | 58°F | 40°F | 40% | 23% | 13 h 20 min |
| April 15 | 59°F | 40°F | 41% | 23% | 13 h 20 min |
| April 16 | 59°F | 40°F | 41% | 23% | 13 h 20 min |
| April 17 | 60°F | 41°F | 41% | 24% | 13 h 20 min |
| April 18 | 60°F | 41°F | 41% | 24% | 13 h 30 min |
| April 19 | 60°F | 41°F | 41% | 24% | 13 h 30 min |
| April 20 | 61°F | 42°F | 41% | 24% | 13 h 30 min |
| April 21 | 61°F | 42°F | 41% | 24% | 13 h 30 min |
| April 22 | 62°F | 43°F | 41% | 24% | 13 h 40 min |
| April 23 | 62°F | 43°F | 42% | 24% | 13 h 40 min |
| April 24 | 62°F | 43°F | 42% | 24% | 13 h 40 min |
| April 25 | 63°F | 44°F | 42% | 25% | 13 h 40 min |
| April 26 | 63°F | 44°F | 42% | 25% | 13 h 50 min |
| April 27 | 64°F | 44°F | 42% | 25% | 13 h 50 min |
| April 28 | 64°F | 45°F | 42% | 25% | 13 h 50 min |
| April 29 | 64°F | 45°F | 42% | 25% | 13 h 50 min |
| April 30 | 65°F | 45°F | 42% | 25% | 14 h |
- Normal high
- 59°FApril average
- Normal low
- 40°FApril average
- Precipitation
- 3.75 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 120.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 1.3 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 6
- Daylight
- 12 h 40 min to 14 hApril 1 to April 30
- Days at 70°F or more
- 6
- Days at 80°F or more
- 1
- Sunshine
- 69%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00094846; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Chicago in April?
On a given April day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 40% on average, highest around April 28 (42%). In all, 3.75 in falls on 12 days of a normal April, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal April in Chicago, 6 nights fall to freezing and snowfall averages 1.3 inches.
Snow falls on 1 day in a normal April, and an inch or more covers the ground on 1 day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00094846.
How humid and windy is Chicago in April?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 61°F with 47% relative humidity and a dew point of 40°F; at 6 a.m. it is 48°F with 74% humidity. The wind averages 10.5 mph, most often from the east-northeast in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 48°F | 40°F | 74% | 8.9 mph | 26% |
| 9 a.m. | 55°F | 41°F | 57% | 11.6 mph | – |
| noon | 60°F | 40°F | 49% | 12.6 mph | 18% |
| 3 p.m. | 61°F | 40°F | 47% | 13.4 mph | – |
| 6 p.m. | 57°F | 39°F | 51% | 12.1 mph | 21% |
| 9 p.m. | 52°F | 40°F | 62% | 9.2 mph | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00094846. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).
What are the records for April in Chicago?
The warmest April temperature on Chicago's official record (since 1872) is 91°F, on April 30, 1942; the coldest is 7°F, on April 7, 1982. The wettest April brought 8.68 in (2013); the snowiest, 13.6 inches (1938).
The April mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 49.7°F: 2021 51.9°F (+2.2), 2022 47.0°F (−2.7), 2023 51.8°F (+2.0), 2024 52.7°F (+3.0), 2025 50.8°F (+1.1), 2026 53.8°F (+4.1). 5 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| April | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.9°F | +2.2°F | 0.71 in |
| 2022 | 47.0°F | −2.7°F | 5.31 in |
| 2023 | 51.8°F | +2.0°F | 2.02 in |
| 2024 | 52.7°F | +3.0°F | 3.47 in |
| 2025 | 50.8°F | +1.1°F | 2.66 in |
| 2026 | 53.8°F | +4.1°F | 7.19 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record ORDthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00094846. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does April in Chicago compare across Illinois?
Across the 144 places PlainClimate covers in Illinois, April normal highs run from 55°F in Waukegan to 71°F in Anna; Chicago's is 59°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.