Days with a maximum at or below 0 C (32 F) in Chicago

Chicago has had days with a maximum temperature at or below 0 C (32 F) in 68 years, most in 1978 with 74. Days per year, season span, streaks and every date.

Key Facts for Chicago

Chicago has had days with a maximum temperature at or below 0 C (32 F) in 68 years, 3,059 days in all.
The most in one year was 74 days in 1978.
In 2026, the latest year on file, there were 32 such days.
The earliest first date in a year was 1 January 1961.
The latest last date in a year was 31 December 1968.
The longest run inside a single year was 46 days in 1978.
2 years with under 90 percent of days observed are left out of these rankings.

Days per Year

68 years, 3,059 days

Days per year in Chicago with a maximum temperature at or below 0 C (32 F). The line is the decade average. The most was 74 in 1978. Grey bars are years with under 90 percent of days observed, left out of rankings.

Days with a maximum at or below 0 C (32 F) per year in Chicago
Year	Days	Decade average
1959	51	51
1960	69	52.1
1961	44	52.1
1962	61	52.1
1963	69	52.1
1964	48	52.1
1965	44	52.1
1966	51	52.1
1967	48	52.1
1968	41	52.1
1969	46	52.1
1970	47	47.3
1971	36	47.3
1972	51	47.3
1973	34	47.3
1974	35	47.3
1975	34	47.3
1976	46	47.3
1977	59	47.3
1978	74	47.3
1979	57	47.3
1980	57	49.3
1981	47	49.3
1982	53	49.3
1983	55	49.3
1984	47	49.3
1985	66	49.3
1986	41	49.3
1987	22	49.3
1988	49	49.3
1989	56	49.3
1990	22	39.5
1991	46	39.5
1992	24	39.5
1993	49	39.5
1994	43	39.5
1995	49	39.5
1996	58	39.5
1997	45	39.5
1998	25	39.5
1999	34	39.5
2000	56	45.9
2001	44	45.9
2002	30	45.9
2003	57	45.9
2004	46	45.9
2005	45	45.9
2006	14	45.9
2007	53	45.9
2008	56	45.9
2009	58	45.9
2010	64	45.1
2011	44	45.1
2012	17	45.1
2013	51	45.1
2014	72	45.1
2015	51	45.1
2016	40	45.1
2017	30	45.1
2018	32	45.1
2019	50	45.1
2020	19	30.9
2021	31	30.9
2022	46	30.9
2023	16	30.9
2024	21	30.9
2025	51	30.9
2026	32	30.9

Season Span

earliest 1 January, latest 31 December

For each year, a bar from the first to the last day in Chicago meeting 0 C (32 F). Long bars mean a long season.

First to last qualifying date each year in Chicago
Year	First date	Last date
1959	1959-01-03	1959-12-30
1960	1960-01-03	1960-12-29
1961	1961-01-01	1961-12-31
1962	1962-01-01	1962-12-31
1963	1963-01-01	1963-12-31
1964	1964-01-01	1964-12-27
1965	1965-01-09	1965-12-27
1966	1966-01-06	1966-12-30
1967	1967-01-03	1967-12-31
1968	1968-01-01	1968-12-31
1969	1969-01-01	1969-12-29
1970	1970-01-01	1970-12-30
1971	1971-01-05	1971-12-28
1972	1972-01-04	1972-12-23
1973	1973-01-01	1973-12-31
1974	1974-01-01	1974-12-26
1975	1975-01-04	1975-12-27
1976	1976-01-03	1976-12-31
1977	1977-01-01	1977-12-28
1978	1978-01-01	1978-12-28
1979	1979-01-01	1979-12-28
1980	1980-01-01	1980-12-30
1981	1981-01-02	1981-12-30
1982	1982-01-01	1982-12-30
1983	1983-01-03	1983-12-31
1984	1984-01-01	1984-12-26
1985	1985-01-01	1985-12-29
1986	1986-01-01	1986-12-25
1987	1987-01-08	1987-12-29
1988	1988-01-01	1988-12-30
1989	1989-01-02	1989-12-27
1990	1990-01-01	1990-12-31
1991	1991-01-01	1991-12-19
1992	1992-01-14	1992-12-26
1993	1993-01-01	1993-12-30
1994	1994-01-02	1994-12-13
1995	1995-01-01	1995-12-27
1996	1996-01-03	1996-12-30
1997	1997-01-06	1997-12-31
1998	1998-01-10	1998-12-31
1999	1999-01-01	1999-12-28
2000	2000-01-05	2000-12-31
2001	2001-01-01	2001-12-31
2002	2002-01-01	2002-12-26
2003	2003-01-02	2003-12-24
2004	2004-01-05	2004-12-27
2005	2005-01-05	2005-12-21
2006	2006-01-06	2006-12-08
2007	2007-01-16	2007-12-29
2008	2008-01-01	2008-12-31
2009	2009-01-01	2009-12-31
2010	2010-01-01	2010-12-28
2011	2011-01-02	2011-12-28
2012	2012-01-02	2012-12-29
2013	2013-01-01	2013-12-31
2014	2014-01-01	2014-12-31
2015	2015-01-01	2015-12-31
2016	2016-01-01	2016-12-27
2017	2017-01-04	2017-12-31
2018	2018-01-01	2018-12-29
2019	2019-01-02	2019-12-31
2020	2020-01-08	2020-12-31
2021	2021-01-04	2021-12-22
2022	2022-01-02	2022-12-27
2023	2023-01-07	2023-11-28
2024	2024-01-01	2024-12-21
2025	2025-01-02	2025-12-30
2026	2026-01-01	2026-03-17

Every Year

Days with a maximum at or below 0 C (32 F) per year in Chicago
Year	Days	First date	Last date	Longest streak in year	Coverage
2026	32	1 January 2026	17 March 2026	20 days	Incomplete, not ranked
2025	51	2 January 2025	30 December 2025	10 days	Complete
2024	21	1 January 2024	21 December 2024	8 days	Complete
2023	16	7 January 2023	28 November 2023	5 days	Complete
2022	46	2 January 2022	27 December 2022	8 days	Complete
2021	31	4 January 2021	22 December 2021	16 days	Complete
2020	19	8 January 2020	31 December 2020	3 days	Complete
2019	50	2 January 2019	31 December 2019	7 days	Complete
2018	32	1 January 2018	29 December 2018	8 days	Complete
2017	30	4 January 2017	31 December 2017	14 days	Complete
2016	40	1 January 2016	27 December 2016	9 days	Complete
2015	51	1 January 2015	31 December 2015	18 days	Complete
2014	72	1 January 2014	31 December 2014	18 days	Complete
2013	51	1 January 2013	31 December 2013	11 days	Complete
2012	17	2 January 2012	29 December 2012	4 days	Complete
2011	44	2 January 2011	28 December 2011	18 days	Complete
2010	64	1 January 2010	28 December 2010	12 days	Complete
2009	58	1 January 2009	31 December 2009	18 days	Complete
2008	56	1 January 2008	31 December 2008	9 days	Complete
2007	53	16 January 2007	29 December 2007	22 days	Complete
2006	14	6 January 2006	8 December 2006	3 days	Complete
2005	45	5 January 2005	21 December 2005	11 days	Complete
2004	46	5 January 2004	27 December 2004	20 days	Complete
2003	57	2 January 2003	24 December 2003	15 days	Complete
2002	30	1 January 2002	26 December 2002	4 days	Complete
2001	44	1 January 2001	31 December 2001	12 days	Complete
2000	56	5 January 2000	31 December 2000	19 days	Complete
1999	34	1 January 1999	28 December 1999	5 days	Complete
1998	25	10 January 1998	31 December 1998	17 days	Complete
1997	45	6 January 1997	31 December 1997	14 days	Complete
1996	58	3 January 1996	30 December 1996	10 days	Complete
1995	49	1 January 1995	27 December 1995	10 days	Complete
1994	43	2 January 1994	13 December 1994	9 days	Complete
1993	49	1 January 1993	30 December 1993	10 days	Complete
1992	24	14 January 1992	26 December 1992	5 days	Complete
1991	46	1 January 1991	19 December 1991	7 days	Complete
1990	22	1 January 1990	31 December 1990	15 days	Complete
1989	56	2 January 1989	27 December 1989	14 days	Complete
1988	49	1 January 1988	30 December 1988	12 days	Complete
1987	22	8 January 1987	29 December 1987	12 days	Complete
1986	41	1 January 1986	25 December 1986	10 days	Complete
1985	66	1 January 1985	29 December 1985	33 days	Complete
1984	47	1 January 1984	26 December 1984	15 days	Complete
1983	55	3 January 1983	31 December 1983	19 days	Complete
1982	53	1 January 1982	30 December 1982	14 days	Complete
1981	47	2 January 1981	30 December 1981	11 days	Complete
1980	57	1 January 1980	30 December 1980	19 days	Complete
1979	57	1 January 1979	28 December 1979	23 days	Complete
1978	74	1 January 1978	28 December 1978	46 days	Complete
1977	59	1 January 1977	28 December 1977	6 days	Complete
1976	46	3 January 1976	31 December 1976	43 days	Complete
1975	34	4 January 1975	27 December 1975	9 days	Complete
1974	35	1 January 1974	26 December 1974	9 days	Complete
1973	34	1 January 1973	31 December 1973	15 days	Complete
1972	51	4 January 1972	23 December 1972	9 days	Complete
1971	36	5 January 1971	28 December 1971	6 days	Complete
1970	47	1 January 1970	30 December 1970	14 days	Complete
1969	46	1 January 1969	29 December 1969	8 days	Complete
1968	41	1 January 1968	31 December 1968	15 days	Complete
1967	48	3 January 1967	31 December 1967	18 days	Complete
1966	51	6 January 1966	30 December 1966	23 days	Complete
1965	44	9 January 1965	27 December 1965	9 days	Complete
1964	48	1 January 1964	27 December 1964	6 days	Complete
1963	69	1 January 1963	31 December 1963	21 days	Complete
1962	61	1 January 1962	31 December 1962	10 days	Complete
1961	44	1 January 1961	31 December 1961	19 days	Complete
1960	69	3 January 1960	29 December 1960	23 days	Complete
1959	51	3 January 1959	30 December 1959	8 days	Complete

Decade averages for Days with a maximum at or below 0 C (32 F) in Chicago
Decade	Average days per year	Years counted
1950s	51.0	1
1960s	52.1	10
1970s	47.3	10
1980s	49.3	10
1990s	39.5	10
2000s	45.9	10
2010s	45.1	10
2020s	30.7	6

Compare with your own threshold in the threshold explorer. Fahrenheit thresholds are converted to tenths of a degree Celsius once, rounding half up.

Download the Data

Data for Days with a maximum at or below 0 C (32 F) in Chicago, by year: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-17 (17 October 2026). Threshold counts are computed by this site from the threaded city record.

Data as of 2026-10-17. Last revised 17 October 2026 (2026-10-17).