Denver is 4.4°C (7.9°F) warmer by day, Chicago has 4.5°C (8.1°F) warmer nights, Chicago gets 505 mm (19.9 in) more rain a year.
Chicago is at its warmest in August and coolest in January, while Denver peaks in July and bottoms out in January. Month for month, Denver is the warmer of the two in 7 of 12 months.
Chicago is the wetter of the two, collecting 967 mm (38.1 in) of rain a year against 462 mm (18.2 in) in Denver. The most comfortable time to visit is July, August and September in Chicago and June, July and August in Denver.
| Chicago | Metric | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 54°F | 🌡️Average daytime high | 61.9°F |
| 43.9°F | 🌙Average nighttime low | 35.8°F |
| August | 🔥Hottest month | July |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | January |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 38.1 in | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 18.2 in |
| May | ☔Wettest month | May |
| January | 🏜️Driest month | January |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 81% | 💧Average humidity | 50% |
| 4.4 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 2.5 m/s |
Overnight, Chicago typically falls to around 6.6°C (43.9°F) while Denver settles near 2.1°C (35.8°F).
Chicago is hottest in August and coldest in January, whereas Denver peaks in July and is coolest in January.
Chicago sees the most rain in May and the least in January; Denver is wettest in May and driest in January.
Chicago feels the more humid of the two, averaging 81% relative humidity against 50%.
For Denver, the pick of the year is June, July and August.
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 | Chicago | Denver | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | 22.1 | 26.6❄️ | 31.1 | 19.6 | 30.2❄️ | 40.6 |
| February | 23.7 | 28.4 | 33.1 | 20.5 | 31.8 | 43.2 |
| March | 30.9 | 36 | 41 | 25.3 | 37.9 | 50.7 |
| April | 38.5 | 44.1 | 49.6 | 30.6 | 44.6 | 58.5 |
| May | 47.1 | 52.9 | 58.6 | 40.1 | 54.3 | 68.7 |
| June | 57.9 | 63.5 | 69.1 | 50.7 | 65.8 | 81.1 |
| July | 66.2 | 71.1 | 75.9 | 57.4 | 71.6🔥 | 85.6 |
| August | 66.6 | 71.4🔥 | 76.1 | 55.9 | 69.4 | 82.9 |
| September | 60.1 | 65.3 | 70.5 | 47.5 | 61.9 | 76.3 |
| October | 48.7 | 54 | 59.2 | 35.4 | 49.5 | 63.3 |
| November | 37.4 | 42.1 | 46.6 | 26.2 | 38.3 | 50.4 |
| December | 27.7 | 31.6 | 35.8 | 20.1 | 30.6 | 40.8 |
| Annual Avg | 43.9 | 48.9 | 54 | 35.8 | 48.9 | 61.9 |
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 Chicago and Denver feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Chicago Denver
See how Chicago and Denver 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 Chicago and Denver — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Denver is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 16.6°C (61.9°F) against 12.2°C (54°F) in Chicago — roughly 4.4°C (7.9°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Chicago, with average lows of 6.6°C (43.9°F) versus 2.1°C (35.8°F).
Chicago is hottest in August, averaging highs of about 24.5°C (76.1°F), while Denver peaks in July at around 29.8°C (85.6°F). That makes Denver the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Denver gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -6.9°C (19.7°F), compared with -5.5°C (22.2°F) at the low point of the year in Chicago.
Chicago is the wetter city, collecting about 967 mm (38.1 in) of rain a year versus 462 mm (18.2 in) in Denver. Chicago is wettest in May and driest in January; Denver is wettest in May and driest in January.
Chicago is the more humid of the two, averaging 81% relative humidity over the year against 50% in Denver.
The most comfortable months in Chicago are July, August and September, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Denver is at its most pleasant around June, July and August, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Denver is the warmer city in 7 of the 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in October, about 2.5°C (4.5°F), and narrowest in April, about 0.3°C (0.5°F).
Chicago has the bigger seasonal swing, about 24.9°C (44.8°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 23°C (41.4°F) in Denver — so Denver has the steadier, more even climate.
On climate alone, Denver 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 Chicago and Denver, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
