Austin is 14.6°C (26.3°F) warmer by day, Austin has 7.6°C (13.7°F) warmer nights, Chicago gets 129 mm (5.1 in) more rain a year.
Austin is at its warmest in August and coolest in January, while Chicago peaks in August and bottoms out in January. Month for month, Austin is the warmer of the two in 12 of 12 months.
Chicago is the wetter of the two, collecting 967 mm (38.1 in) of rain a year against 838 mm (33 in) in Austin. The most comfortable time to visit is April, May and October in Austin and July, August and September in Chicago.
| Austin | Metric | Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 80.2°F | 🌡️Average daytime high | 54°F |
| 57.6°F | 🌙Average nighttime low | 43.9°F |
| August | 🔥Hottest month | August |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | January |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 33 in | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 38.1 in |
| May | ☔Wettest month | May |
| February | 🏜️Driest month | January |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 68% | 💧Average humidity | 81% |
| 2.9 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 4.4 m/s |
Overnight, Austin typically falls to around 14.2°C (57.6°F) while Chicago settles near 6.6°C (43.9°F).
Austin is hottest in August and coldest in January, whereas Chicago peaks in August and is coolest in January.
Austin sees the most rain in May and the least in February; Chicago is wettest in May and driest in January.
Chicago feels the more humid of the two, averaging 81% relative humidity against 68%.
For Chicago, the pick of the year is July, August and September.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Austin | Chicago | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | 38.1 | 49.3❄️ | 60.6 | 22.1 | 26.6❄️ | 31.1 |
| February | 41.7 | 53.4 | 64.9 | 23.7 | 28.4 | 33.1 |
| March | 48.9 | 61 | 73 | 30.9 | 36 | 41 |
| April | 56.5 | 68.9 | 81.1 | 38.5 | 44.1 | 49.6 |
| May | 65.3 | 76.3 | 87.3 | 47.1 | 52.9 | 58.6 |
| June | 72.1 | 82.8 | 93.4 | 57.9 | 63.5 | 69.1 |
| July | 74.7 | 85.6 | 96.6 | 66.2 | 71.1 | 75.9 |
| August | 75.4 | 86.7🔥 | 97.9 | 66.6 | 71.4🔥 | 76.1 |
| September | 69.4 | 80.4 | 91.4 | 60.1 | 65.3 | 70.5 |
| October | 59.4 | 71.1 | 82.8 | 48.7 | 54 | 59.2 |
| November | 48.6 | 59.9 | 71.1 | 37.4 | 42.1 | 46.6 |
| December | 40.6 | 51.6 | 62.6 | 27.7 | 31.6 | 35.8 |
| Annual Avg | 57.6 | 68.9 | 80.2 | 43.9 | 48.9 | 54 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°F). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Austin and Chicago feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Austin Chicago
See how Austin and Chicago stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Austin and Chicago — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Austin is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 26.8°C (80.2°F) against 12.2°C (54°F) in Chicago — roughly 14.6°C (26.3°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Austin, with average lows of 14.2°C (57.6°F) versus 6.6°C (43.9°F).
Austin is hottest in August, averaging highs of about 36.6°C (98°F), while Chicago peaks in August at around 24.5°C (76.1°F). That makes Austin the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Chicago gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -5.5°C (22.2°F), compared with 3.4°C (38.1°F) at the low point of the year in Austin.
Chicago is the wetter city, collecting about 967 mm (38.1 in) of rain a year versus 838 mm (33 in) in Austin. Austin is wettest in May and driest in February; Chicago is wettest in May and driest in January.
Chicago is the more humid of the two, averaging 81% relative humidity over the year against 68% in Austin.
The most comfortable months in Austin are April, May and October, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Chicago is at its most pleasant around July, August and September, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Austin is the warmer city in all 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in March, about 13.9°C (25°F), and narrowest in July, about 8.1°C (14.6°F).
Chicago has the bigger seasonal swing, about 24.9°C (44.8°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 20.8°C (37.4°F) in Austin — so Austin has the steadier, more even climate.
On climate alone, Austin comes out ahead — it offers warmer days, less rain and lower humidity than Chicago. Chicago is the better fit only if you'd actually prefer cooler weather, more rainfall and a more humid climate.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Austin and Chicago, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
