Miami is 14.3°C (25.7°F) warmer by day, Miami has 17.5°C (31.5°F) warmer nights, Miami gets 407 mm (16 in) more rain a year.
Chicago is at its warmest in August and coolest in January, while Miami peaks in August and bottoms out in January. Month for month, Miami is the warmer of the two in 12 of 12 months.
Miami is the wetter of the two, collecting 1,374 mm (54.1 in) of rain a year against 967 mm (38.1 in) in Chicago. The most comfortable time to visit is July, August and September in Chicago and January, February and December in Miami.
| Chicago | Metric | Miami |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 54°F | 🌡️Average daytime high | 79.7°F |
| 43.9°F | 🌙Average nighttime low | 75.4°F |
| August | 🔥Hottest month | August |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | January |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 38.1 in | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 54.1 in |
| May | ☔Wettest month | June |
| January | 🏜️Driest month | February |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 81% | 💧Average humidity | 76% |
| 4.4 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 4.3 m/s |
Overnight, Chicago typically falls to around 6.6°C (43.9°F) while Miami settles near 24.1°C (75.4°F).
Chicago is hottest in August and coldest in January, whereas Miami peaks in August and is coolest in January.
Chicago sees the most rain in May and the least in January; Miami is wettest in June and driest in February.
Chicago feels the more humid of the two, averaging 81% relative humidity against 76%.
For Miami, the pick of the year is January, February and December.
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 | Miami | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | 22.1 | 26.6❄️ | 31.1 | 67.3 | 70❄️ | 72.9 |
| February | 23.7 | 28.4 | 33.1 | 68.9 | 71.6 | 74.3 |
| March | 30.9 | 36 | 41 | 70.3 | 73 | 75.9 |
| April | 38.5 | 44.1 | 49.6 | 73.4 | 75.9 | 78.4 |
| May | 47.1 | 52.9 | 58.6 | 77.2 | 79.2 | 81.3 |
| June | 57.9 | 63.5 | 69.1 | 80.4 | 82 | 83.8 |
| July | 66.2 | 71.1 | 75.9 | 82 | 83.5 | 85.1 |
| August | 66.6 | 71.4🔥 | 76.1 | 82.4 | 84🔥 | 85.6 |
| September | 60.1 | 65.3 | 70.5 | 81.3 | 82.9 | 84.4 |
| October | 48.7 | 54 | 59.2 | 78.4 | 80.1 | 81.9 |
| November | 37.4 | 42.1 | 46.6 | 73.9 | 75.9 | 78.1 |
| December | 27.7 | 31.6 | 35.8 | 70.2 | 72.5 | 74.8 |
| Annual Avg | 43.9 | 48.9 | 54 | 75.6 | 77.5 | 79.7 |
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 Miami feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Chicago Miami
See how Chicago and Miami 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 Miami — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Miami is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 26.5°C (79.7°F) against 12.2°C (54°F) in Chicago — roughly 14.3°C (25.7°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Miami, with average lows of 24.1°C (75.4°F) versus 6.6°C (43.9°F).
Chicago is hottest in August, averaging highs of about 24.5°C (76.1°F), while Miami peaks in August at around 29.8°C (85.6°F). That makes Miami 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 19.6°C (67.2°F) at the low point of the year in Miami.
Miami is the wetter city, collecting about 1,374 mm (54.1 in) of rain a year versus 967 mm (38.1 in) in Chicago. Chicago is wettest in May and driest in January; Miami is wettest in June and driest in February.
Chicago is the more humid of the two, averaging 81% relative humidity over the year against 76% in Miami.
The most comfortable months in Chicago are July, August and September, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Miami is at its most pleasant around January, February and December, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Miami is the warmer city in all 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in January, about 24.1°C (43.4°F), and narrowest in July, about 6.9°C (12.4°F).
Chicago has the bigger seasonal swing, about 24.9°C (44.8°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 7.8°C (14°F) in Miami — so Miami has the steadier, more even climate.
It depends what matters most to you: choose Miami for warmer weather, pick Chicago if you prefer drier conditions and go for Miami if you want lower humidity. There is no single "better" climate — it comes down to whether you value warmth, dryness or comfort most.
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 Miami, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
