2025 Compare Climate & Weather:
Chicago, IL vs California, MD

Highlights

On average, there are 207 sunny days per year in California. Chicago averages 189 sunny days per year. The US average is 205 sunny days.

California, Maryland gets 45.6 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.

California averages 14.2 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

California, Maryland
Summer High: the July high is around 87.8 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 28.4
Rain: averages 45.6 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 14.2 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

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for California is 7.4 (10=best), which means it is one of the most pleasant places in Maryland.

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

Today's Weather - Chicago, IL

47°F

Today's Weather - California, MD

63°F

Average Monthly High / Low (°F)

Hot, Freezing, Rainy, Snowy Days: Chicago / California

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 California with an average high temperature of 87.8°, which ranks it as warmer than most places in Maryland. In California, there are 3 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for California are September, May and June.

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 California with an average of 28.4°. This is one of the warmest places in Maryland.

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

In California, there are 24.2 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is about average compared to other places in Maryland.

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 California, there are 68.4 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is one of the warmest places in Maryland.

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 California, there are 0.0 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is one of the warmest places in Maryland.

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 California with 4.5 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 2.9 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 28% of yearly precipitation and 21% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 45.6 inches in California means that it is wetter than most places in Maryland.

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 California with 10.9 days of rain, and October is the driest month with only 7.8 rainy days. There are 112.3 rainy days annually in California, which is about average compared to other places in Maryland. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 28% of the time and the driest is Winter with only a 22% 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 14.2 inches in California means that it is less snowy than most places in Maryland.

January is the snowiest month in Chicago with 11.0 inches of snow, and 6 months of the year have significant snowfall.

February is the snowiest month in California with 5.2 inches of snow, and 4 months of the year have significant snowfall.