2025 Compare Climate & Weather:
Lake Forest, IL vs Lake Forest, CA

Highlights

On average, there are 279 sunny days per year in Lake Forest. Lake Forest averages 190 sunny days per year. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Lake Forest, California gets 14.2 inches of rain, on average, per year. Lake Forest, Illinois gets 35.4 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38.1 inches of rain per year.

Lake Forest averages 0 inches of snow per year. Lake Forest averages 38 inches of snow per year. The US average is 27.8 inches of snow per year.

Weather Highlights

Lake Forest, California
Summer High: the July high is around 85.3 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 45.2
Rain: averages 14.2 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 0 inches of snow a year

Lake Forest, Illinois
Summer High: the July high is around 82.4 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 15.9
Rain: averages 35.4 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 38 inches of snow a year

BestPlaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Lake Forest is 9.1 (10=best), which means it is one of the most pleasant places in California.

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Lake Forest is 6.9 (10=best), which means it is less comfortable than most places in Illinois.

Today's Weather - Lake Forest, IL

41°F

Today's Weather - Lake Forest, CA

63°F

Average Monthly High / Low (°F)

Hot, Freezing, Rainy, Snowy Days: Lake Forest / Lake Forest

July is the hottest month for Lake Forest with an average high temperature of 82.4°, which ranks it as one of the coolest places in Illinois. In Lake Forest, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Lake Forest are June, August and September.

August is the hottest month for Lake Forest with an average high temperature of 87.0°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in California. In Lake Forest, there are 5 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Lake Forest are October, June and May.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Lake Forest with an average of 15.9°. This is about average compared to other places in Illinois.

December has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Lake Forest with an average of 44.5°. This is warmer than most places in California.

In Lake Forest, there are 11.8 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in Illinois.

In Lake Forest, there are 36.8 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is about average compared to other places in California.

In Lake Forest, there are 126.4 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is colder than most places in Illinois.

In Lake Forest, there are 1.9 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most places in California.

In Lake Forest, there are 7.1 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is about average compared to other places in Illinois.

In Lake Forest, there are 0.0 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is about average compared to other places in California.

May is the wettest month in Lake Forest with 3.9 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 1.5 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 32% of yearly precipitation and 15% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 35.4 inches in Lake Forest means that it is one of the driest places in Illinois.


February is the wettest month in Lake Forest with 3.5 inches of rain, and the driest month is July with 0.0 inches. The wettest season is Spring with 60% of yearly precipitation and 1% occurs in Autumn, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 14.2 inches in Lake Forest means that it is drier than most places in California.

May is the rainiest month in Lake Forest with 11.8 days of rain, and February is the driest month with only 7.6 rainy days. There are 120.5 rainy days annually in Lake Forest, which is rainier than most places in Illinois. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 28% of the time and the driest is Spring with only a 23% chance of a rainy day.

February is the rainiest month in Lake Forest with 6.3 days of rain, and August is the driest month with only 0.4 rainy days. There are 36.5 rainy days annually in Lake Forest, which is less rainy than most places in California. The rainiest season is Spring when it rains 49% of the time and the driest is Autumn with only a 5% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 38.0 inches in Lake Forest means that it is one of the snowiest places in Illinois.

There is rarely any recorded snowfall in Lake Forest, ranking it as one of the least snowy places in California.

January is the snowiest month in Lake Forest with 11.3 inches of snow, and 6 months of the year have significant snowfall.

Any measurable snowfall is a rare occurance in Lake Forest.