2025 Compare Climate & Weather:
Chicago, IL vs Iowa City, IA

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Highlights

On average, there are 199 sunny days per year in Iowa City. Chicago averages 189 sunny days per year. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Iowa City, Iowa gets 36.9 inches of rain, on average, per year. Chicago, Illinois gets 38.2 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38.1 inches of rain per year.

Iowa City averages 26.8 inches of snow per year. Chicago averages 35.1 inches of snow per year. The US average is 27.8 inches of snow per year.

Weather Highlights

Iowa City, Iowa
Summer High: the July high is around 85.1 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 13.3
Rain: averages 36.9 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 26.8 inches of snow a year

Chicago, Illinois
Summer High: the July high is around 83.9 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 19.2
Rain: averages 38.2 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 35.1 inches of snow a year

BestPlaces Comfort Index
Iowa City

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Iowa City is 7.0 (10=best), which means it is more comfortable than most places in Iowa.

7 / 10
June, September and May are the most pleasant months in Iowa City, while January and December are the least comfortable months.

Chicago

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Chicago is 7.0 (10=best), which means it is about average compared to other places in Illinois.

7 / 10
September, June and August are the most pleasant months in Chicago, while January and December are the least comfortable months.

Today's Weather - Chicago, IL

9 AM PST

Sunny

68°F

DAYDESCRIPTIONHIGH / LOWWIND
TodaySunny73° / 43°NNE 15 to 20 mph
SundaySunny65° / 52°ENE 10 mph
MondayPartly Sunny then Isolated Rain Showers72° / 58°E 5 to 10 mph
TuesdayMostly Cloudy then Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms70° / 58°E 5 to 10 mph
WednesdayMostly Sunny then Isolated Showers And Thunderstorms75° / 61°ESE 5 to 10 mph
ThursdayMostly Sunny then Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms86° / 66°SSE 10 to 15 mph
FridaySlight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms85° / 58°SW 10 to 15 mph
Today's Weather - Iowa City, IA

9 AM PST

Sunny

73°F

DAYDESCRIPTIONHIGH / LOWWIND
TodaySunny81° / 45°N 10 to 15 mph
SundaySunny78° / 53°E 5 mph
MondayMostly Sunny82° / 59°SE 5 to 10 mph
TuesdayChance Showers And Thunderstorms81° / 61°SE 5 to 10 mph
WednesdaySunny86° / 67°SE 5 to 15 mph
ThursdaySlight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms89° / 61°S 10 to 15 mph
FridaySunny79° / 54°W 10 to 15 mph
Average Monthly High / Low (°F)
MonthChicago, ILIowa City, IA
January32° / 19°30° / 13°
February37° / 23°35° / 18°
March47° / 31°48° / 28°
April58° / 41°62° / 40°
May69° / 51°73° / 50°
June79° / 61°82° / 60°
July84° / 68°85° / 64°
August82° / 67°83° / 62°
September75° / 59°76° / 53°
October63° / 47°64° / 41°
November49° / 36°48° / 30°
December36° / 24°33° / 17°
Hot, Freezing, Rainy, Snowy Days: Chicago / Iowa City
MonthHot DaysFreezing DaysRainy DaysSnowy Days
January0 / 027 / 3010 / 67 / 4
February0 / 023 / 258 / 65 / 3
March0 / 017 / 2011 / 74 / 2
April0 / 03 / 611 / 101 / 0
May1 / 10 / 012 / 110 / 0
June3 / 40 / 010 / 110 / 0
July6 / 70 / 010 / 90 / 0
August4 / 40 / 010 / 90 / 0
September1 / 10 / 09 / 70 / 0
October0 / 01 / 510 / 80 / 0
November0 / 010 / 1811 / 72 / 1
December0 / 024 / 2811 / 76 / 4
July is the hottest month for Chicago with an average high temperature of 83.9°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in Illinois. In Chicago, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Chicago are June, September and August.

July is the hottest month for Iowa City with an average high temperature of 85.1°, which ranks it as warmer than most places in Iowa. In Iowa City, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Iowa City are September, June and August.
January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Chicago with an average of 19.2°. This is warmer than most places in Illinois.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Iowa City with an average of 13.3°. This is warmer than most places in Iowa.

In Chicago, there are 13.6 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in Illinois.

In Iowa City, there are 16.6 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is hotter than most places in Iowa.

In Chicago, there are 103.9 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most places in Illinois.

In Iowa City, there are 133.3 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most places in Iowa.

In Chicago, there are 4.0 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is warmer than most places in Illinois.

In Iowa City, there are 12.2 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is warmer than most places in Iowa.

August is the wettest month in Chicago with 4.2 inches of rain, and the driest month is January with 2.0 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 31% of yearly precipitation and 17% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 38.2 inches in Chicago means that it is drier than most places in Illinois.


July is the wettest month in Iowa City with 4.8 inches of rain, and the driest month is January with 1.0 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 39% of yearly precipitation and 10% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 36.9 inches in Iowa City means that it is wetter than most places in Iowa.

May is the rainiest month in Chicago with 11.5 days of rain, and February is the driest month with only 8.4 rainy days. There are 124.8 rainy days annually in Chicago, which is one of the rainiest places in Illinois. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 27% of the time and the driest is Spring with only a 24% chance of a rainy day.

May is the rainiest month in Iowa City with 11.2 days of rain, and February is the driest month with only 5.5 rainy days. There are 98.0 rainy days annually in Iowa City, which is about average compared to other places in Iowa. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 29% of the time and the driest is Spring with only a 19% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 35.1 inches in Chicago means that it is one of the snowiest places in Illinois.

An annual snowfall of 26.8 inches in Iowa City means that it is less snowy than most places in Iowa.
January is the snowiest month in Chicago with 11.0 inches of snow, and 6 months of the year have significant snowfall.

December is the snowiest month in Iowa City with 8.1 inches of snow, and 6 months of the year have significant snowfall.

DID YOU KNOW?

Many people confuse Weather and Climate, but they are different. Weather refers to the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, while Climate refers to the conditions of the atmosphere over a long period of time.

Weather, more specifically, refers to how the atmosphere behaves and its effects on life and human activities. Most people think of Weather in terms of what can be observed: temperature, humidity, precipitation, and cloudy/sunny conditions. Weather conditions constantly change on a minute-to-minute basis.

Climate is a record of the average weather conditions for a given place over a long period of time, often referred to as Climate Normals. A 30-year period of record is a common requirement to be considered a Climate Normal.

Reviews for Chicago    2 Reviews
Jill · Sherman Oaks, CA
re:
Over 16 years ago

Hi. I'd like to know if you still feel the same way about living in Broomfield. I went there this past July to check it out (along with Lafayette, Boulder (can't  More

   |    Reply
NC For Me · Apex, NC
re:
Over 16 years ago

Apex is perfect for what you are looking for. It's close enough to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill to find a job and Cary the next town over, is a little more expensive but  More

   |    Reply

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Reviews for Iowa City    2 Reviews
Jill · Sherman Oaks, CA
re:
Over 16 years ago

Hi. I'd like to know if you still feel the same way about living in Broomfield. I went there this past July to check it out (along with Lafayette, Boulder (can't  More

   |    Reply
NC For Me · Apex, NC
re:
Over 16 years ago

Apex is perfect for what you are looking for. It's close enough to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill to find a job and Cary the next town over, is a little more expensive but  More

   |    Reply

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Zips In Chicago, Illinois
60629, 60618, 60632, 60639, 60623, 60647, 60617, 60625, 60608, 60634, 56 total
Zips In IOWA CITY, IOWA
52240, 52245, 52246, 52242
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