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Chicago, Illinois Weather in December

Typical December in Chicago, Illinois: days around 37°F, nights around 24°F, and the month cools about 6°F from early to late — based on 30-year climate normals (NOAA, 1991–2020), day by day below.

37°Faverage high

24°Faverage low

−6°Fearly vs late December

12°Fday-to-night swing

Traveling soon? See the live 16-day Chicago forecast →

Early, mid and late December in Chicago

The month split in three — the part of the answer a 30-row table hides.

Part of December	Avg high	Avg low
Early December (Dec 1–10)	40°F	27°F
Mid December (Dec 11–20)	36°F	24°F
Late December (Dec 21–31)	34°F	22°F

Daylight in Chicago during December

Chicago loses 14 minutes of daylight by Dec 21 and gets 3 minutes back by Dec 31.

9 h 22 minon Dec 1

9 h 08 minshortest day · Dec 21

9 h 11 minon Dec 31

Day-by-day December normals for Chicago

Long-term daily averages (NOAA 1991–2020) — climate, not a live forecast. For the next 16 days, use the live forecast.

Day	Avg high	Avg low
Dec 1	41°F	28°F
Dec 2	41°F	28°F
Dec 3	40°F	28°F
Dec 4	40°F	27°F
Dec 5	40°F	27°F
Dec 6	39°F	27°F
Dec 7	39°F	27°F
Dec 8	39°F	26°F
Dec 9	38°F	26°F
Dec 10	38°F	26°F
Dec 11	38°F	26°F
Dec 12	37°F	25°F
Dec 13	37°F	25°F
Dec 14	37°F	25°F
Dec 15	37°F	24°F
Dec 16	36°F	24°F
Dec 17	36°F	24°F
Dec 18	36°F	24°F
Dec 19	36°F	24°F
Dec 20	35°F	23°F
Dec 21	35°F	23°F
Dec 22	35°F	23°F
Dec 23	35°F	23°F
Dec 24	34°F	22°F
Dec 25	34°F	22°F
Dec 26	34°F	22°F
Dec 27	34°F	22°F
Dec 28	34°F	22°F
Dec 29	33°F	21°F
Dec 30	33°F	21°F
Dec 31	33°F	21°F

December in Chicago through the years

Real photos taken in Chicago in December by Weathershot app users — different years, same month.

Weather in Chicago, 19°F — December 22, 2021 (community photo) — 📷 19°F · Dec 2021📷 Andrew J. K.

Weather in Chicago, 16°F — December 26, 2022 (community photo) — 📷 16°F · Dec 2022📷 danilo roccia

Weather in Chicago, 34°F — December 13, 2023 (community photo) — 📷 34°F · Dec 2023📷 KGM Home Inspection

Cloudy weather in Chicago, 43°F — December 17, 2023 (community photo) — ☁️ Cloudy · 43°F · Dec 2023📷 bradbelote

Weather in Chicago, 18°F — December 1, 2024 (community photo) — 📷 18°F · Dec 2024📷 eternity25

Cloudy weather in Chicago, 14°F — December 12, 2024 (community photo) — ☁️ Cloudy · 14°F · Dec 2024📷 Ricardo B. P.

Clear weather in Chicago, 30°F — December 16, 2025 (community photo) — ☀️ Clear · 30°F · Dec 2025📷 mrcel

Cloudy weather in Chicago, 32°F — December 22, 2025 (community photo) — ☁️ Cloudy · 32°F · Dec 2025📷 KGM Home Inspection

More months: September · October · November · January · Live Chicago forecast

December elsewhere: Atlanta weather in December · Denver weather in December · Miami weather in December · New York weather in December · Phoenix weather in December · Seattle weather in December

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The December photos above were taken with Weathershot — it stamps the real weather onto your picture. Snap one in Chicago and it could land on this page.

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