New York is 4.2°C (7.6°F) warmer by day, Chicago has 1.5°C (2.7°F) warmer nights, New York gets 247 mm (9.7 in) more rain a year.
Chicago is at its warmest in August and coolest in January, while New York peaks in July and bottoms out in January. Month for month, New York is the warmer of the two in 12 of 12 months.
New York is the wetter of the two, collecting 1,214 mm (47.8 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 June, August and September in New York.
| Chicago | Metric | New York |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 66.4°F | 🌡️Average daytime high | 73.9°F |
| 32.9°F | 🌙Average nighttime low | 30.2°F |
| August | 🔥Hottest month | July |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | January |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 38.1 in | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 47.8 in |
| May | ☔Wettest month | July |
| January | 🏜️Driest month | February |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 81% | 💧Average humidity | 80% |
| 4.4 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 1.6 m/s |
Overnight, Chicago typically falls to around 0.5°C (32.9°F) while New York settles near -1°C (30.2°F).
Chicago is hottest in August and coldest in January, whereas New York peaks in July and is coolest in January.
Chicago sees the most rain in May and the least in January; New York is wettest in July and driest in February.
Chicago feels the more humid of the two, averaging 81% relative humidity against 80%.
For New York, the pick of the year is June, 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 | Chicago | New York | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | 5.2 | 24.8❄️ | 44.4 | 3.9 | 28.2❄️ | 52.5 |
| February | 8.6 | 27.9 | 47.1 | 6.6 | 30 | 53.6 |
| March | 18.5 | 37.6 | 56.8 | 15.1 | 39.4 | 63.7 |
| April | 29.7 | 46.8 | 64 | 27.1 | 50.7 | 74.3 |
| May | 38.5 | 55.4 | 72.3 | 37.6 | 59.5 | 81.5 |
| June | 48 | 64 | 79.9 | 47.3 | 67.6 | 88 |
| July | 59.5 | 71.8 | 84 | 56.5 | 74.5🔥 | 92.5 |
| August | 60.4 | 72.5🔥 | 84.6 | 54.7 | 73 | 91.2 |
| September | 50.7 | 65.8 | 81.1 | 44.8 | 66.2 | 87.8 |
| October | 38.1 | 55.2 | 72.3 | 32.9 | 55.6 | 78.3 |
| November | 25.9 | 43.3 | 60.6 | 23.5 | 45.5 | 67.5 |
| December | 11.8 | 30.7 | 49.5 | 13.1 | 35.1 | 57.2 |
| Annual Avg | 32.9 | 49.6 | 66.4 | 30.2 | 52.2 | 73.9 |
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 New York feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Chicago New York
See how Chicago and New York 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 New York — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
New York is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 23.3°C (73.9°F) against 19.1°C (66.4°F) in Chicago — roughly 4.2°C (7.6°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Chicago, with average lows of 0.5°C (32.9°F) versus -1°C (30.2°F).
Chicago is hottest in August, averaging highs of about 29.2°C (84.5°F), while New York peaks in July at around 33.6°C (92.4°F). That makes New York the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
New York gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -15.6°C (3.9°F), compared with -14.9°C (5.1°F) at the low point of the year in Chicago.
New York is the wetter city, collecting about 1,214 mm (47.8 in) of rain a year versus 967 mm (38.1 in) in Chicago. Chicago is wettest in May and driest in January; New York is wettest in July and driest in February.
Humidity is similar in both, averaging around 81% in Chicago and 80% in New York across the year.
The most comfortable months in Chicago are July, August and September, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
New York is at its most pleasant around June, August and September, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
New York is the warmer city in all 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in December, about 2.4°C (4.3°F), and narrowest in September, about 0.2°C (0.4°F).
Both have a similar seasonal range — around 26.5°C (47.7°F) between the coldest and hottest months — so neither climate is noticeably more extreme than the other.
It depends what matters most to you: choose New York for warmer weather and pick Chicago if you prefer drier conditions. 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 New York, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
