Dear Tom,
January and February are the two coldest months in Chicago. Which months are in third place, fourth, fifth, etc.?
— Bill Philips
Dear Bill,
Here are the months and their average temperatures, ranked from coldest to warmest: January, 24.3 degrees; February, 27.9; December, 28.9; March, 37.7; November, 40.8; April, 49.6; October, 54.5; May, 60.3; September, 66.1; June, 70.5; August, 73.7; and July, 75.2.
We used Midway Airport data from 1929 to 2009 to generate those averages. Monthly average temperatures are slightly different at other locations in the Chicago area, but the ranked order remains the same. The ranking by season is winter (December through February), 27.0 degrees; spring (March through May), 49.2; autumn (September through November), 53.8; summer (June through August), 73.2.
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Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or: asktomwhy@wgntv.com
Weather Report is prepared by the WGN-TV Weather Center, where Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN News at 11 a.m., 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
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