Pleasant weather for Easter egg hunts hasn’t always been the case in Chicago.
Since Easter doesn’t occur on the same date each year, the temperature and precipitation values can vary dramatically. So, there aren’t any normal high or low temperatures, or accumulations of rain or snow. Here’s a look back at the holiday’s most extreme conditions.
Data is from the National Weather Service’s Chicago office and measured at the city’s official recording site, which has been O’Hare International Airport since Jan. 17, 1980. For almost a century prior to that, sites around downtown Chicago, the University of Chicago and Midway Airport were used to gather the city’s official weather data.
Warmest
Temperatures tend to fall in the 40- to 50-degree range on Easter, according to the National Weather Service.
Chicago experienced its warmest Easter on April 10, 1977, when the high temperature reached 85 degrees. Highs in the 80s for Easter have been recorded seven times since 1871.
The coldest Easter high temperature was 19 degrees on March 25, 1894.
The high was 59 degrees in 2025.
Coldest
Low temperatures for almost half of the previous Easter holidays have hovered in the 30-degree range, according to the National Weather Service.
Chicago experienced its warmest low Easter temperature — 62 degrees — on April 13, 1941. The high that day reached 82 degrees.
The coldest low Easter temperature was 11 degrees on March 24, 1940.
The low was 45 degrees in 2025.
Wettest
Rain accumulating in more than 1 inch of precipitation has occurred just four times since 1871, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 3 inches of rain fell on March 31, 1929 — the wettest Easter in Chicago history.
No rain or just a trace of precipitation has fallen in 91 of the 155 years — almost 60% — on record.
Snowiest
Snowfall
Since 1871, snowfall of more than a trace has been recorded just 10 times on Easter.
A record snowfall of 7.1 inches fell at O’Hare airport on Easter in 1964 and was also the heaviest snowfall of that year.
Depth of snow on the ground
Snowfall of more than a trace has been recorded on the ground on Easter in just six of the past 155 years. Two of those years had snow depth of 5 inches or more.
Chicago had a snow depth of 6 inches — the deepest ever for the holiday — on April 4, 1920.
Sources: National Weather Service Chicago; Tribune archives and reporting
Want more vintage Chicago?
Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago’s past.
Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@chicagotribune.com and mmather@chicagotribune.com
