Chicago is well known as the “Windy City” because of its typical windy weather .Chicago experiences sudden changes in its climatic conditions thus making the Chicago weather unpredictable.
Chicago experiences a humid Continental climate with sudden climatic changes, high variations in temperature and an unpredictable rainfall. Though Chicago weather is quite similar to that of the Midwestern United States but because of being located at the juncture of the Great Plains and Lake Michigan its weather has a slight distinction.
During the mid-summer period, Chicago weather becomes very humid. The humidity rises high and the temperature fluctuates between 26 o C. During the night hours the temperature drops down approximately to 18 o C but at times it balances at 21 o C.
The summers in Chicago usually face thunderstorms which are at times accompanied with rains. During the summer season the temperature rises to 32°C approximately. The strangest thing about the summer season in Chicago is that it is the wettest season of Chicago. The average rainfall experienced at Chicago is approximately 36 inches or 920 mm. The months of July and August are considered to be the wettest months of the year in Chicago.
The weather of Chicago keeps changing during the winter season. The average snowfall taking place in Chicago during the winter months is measured to be 37.0 inches or 94 cm approximately. But this degree of snowfall can change from month to month and year to year. At times the snowfall ranges between 9.8inches and 87.0 inches or 25cm and 221cm. Usu7ally snow is brought into Chicago by the northeasterly winds.
The weekly temperature variation is a common phenomenon in Chicago. The temperature of Chicago can even drop down below 0 o C. The day temperature during the month of January drops down to 29°F or -2°C whereas during the night hours it drops to 14°F /10°C.
The highest temperature of Chicago ever recorded is 109°F /44°C which is quite unusual. The officially recorded highest temperature of Chicago during the Chicago Heat wave was 105°F /41°C. The coldest temperature recorded in Chicago during the month of January is -27°F /-33°C with the wind chill recorded as -83°F -64°C. The average speed of the Chicago winds is recorded to be approximately 8 mph (13 km/h) during late summer and 12 mph (19 km/h) during the spring months.
The summer season is considered to be the ideal time to visit Chicago. During this month Chicago also experiences the microclimatic effect being close to the Lake Michigan
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