White Christmas in Chicago?
Historically, Chicago, IL has a 35% chance of a white Christmas — at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on 25 December, about 1 Christmas in 3 — based on NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Chicago Midway AP 3SW, 16 km from the city centre.
At least 5 inches is on the ground in 12% of years, and new snow (0.1 inch or more) falls on Christmas Day in 23%.
All US cities ranked Weather alerts now
From 15 December this page also links the National Weather Service forecast for Chicago.
Chicago against other cities
Chicago, IL ranks 10 of 93 US cities on our list.
| Milwaukee, WI · 134 km | 43% |
|---|---|
| Madison, WI · 198 km | 60% |
| Fort Wayne, IN · 225 km | 31% |
| Indianapolis, IN · 263 km | 26% |
| Toledo, OH · 340 km | 31% |
| Detroit, MI · 384 km | 33% |
What this page shows, and what it misses
NOAA's smoothed share of Christmases from 1991 to 2020 with snow on the ground at Chicago Midway AP 3SW (station USC00111577, 620 ft above sea level, 16 km from the centre of Chicago), based on 30 years with data.
It misses this year's weather and local differences: snow cover can change a lot over a few miles and a few hundred feet of height.
FAQQuestions people ask
Will Chicago, IL have a white Christmas?
Historically, Chicago, IL has a 35% chance of a white Christmas — at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on 25 December, about 1 Christmas in 3 — based on NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Chicago Midway AP 3SW, 16 km from the city centre. These are long-run odds, not a forecast: from about a week before, check the National Weather Service forecast for Chicago.
How much snow does Chicago, IL usually have on Christmas Day?
At least 5 inches is on the ground in 12% of years, and new snow (0.1 inch or more) falls on Christmas Day in 23%. The median snow depth on 25 December at this station is 3 inches.
How does Chicago, IL compare with other US cities?
Chicago, IL ranks 10 of 93 US cities on this list for the chance of 1 inch or more of snow on the ground on Christmas Day.
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily normals; Palecki, M., Durre, I., Applequist, S., Arguez, A. & Lawrimore, J., 2021), public domain. Forecast links: National Weather Service (api.weather.gov), public domain. Station matching and ranking are Global Incident Tracker's own; NOAA does not endorse them.