Chatham, Illinois Weather
Cicadas claim the scorching afternoon. Day 14 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Chatham weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 4Light Drizzle39%0.01″92°71°—
- SundayJul 5Overcast17%—84°71°-8°
- MondayJul 6Light Drizzle——84°68°0°
- TuesdayJul 7Partly Cloudy——81°63°-3°
- WednesdayJul 8Overcast——85°64°+4°
- ThursdayJul 9Drizzle41%0.02″84°71°-1°
- FridayJul 10Drizzle41%0.07″82°70°-2°
AQI 28 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±4 points). Ozone at AQI 37. Overcast through the UV peak window (cloud cover ~63%) — afternoon ozone should stay flat.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion during the projected peak around 10 PM.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 37. Overcast through the UV peak window (cloud cover ~63%) — afternoon ozone should stay flat.
- Present
- AQI 37
- UV peak
- 5.5 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- overcast
- Projected peak
- AQI 14
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 6.1 µg/m³, PM10 at 6.7 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.91
- Wind
- breezy
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).








































If the first of July be rainy weather, 'twill rain more or less for four weeks together.
- Moonrise
- 10:53 PM
- Moonset
- 10:05 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Cicadas claim the scorching afternoon
Chatham at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 14°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: April 14 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
ZIP code: 62629
16-Day Forecast — Chatham
- Sat92°71°39%
- Sun84°71°17%
- Mon84°68°8%
- Tue81°63°4%
- Wed85°64°8%
- Thu84°71°41%
- Fri82°70°41%
- Sat83°68°24%
- Sun74°59°5%
- Mon73°57°5%
- Tue75°60°10%
- Wed79°63°10%
- Thu82°65°16%
- Fri82°68°23%
- Sat86°71°20%
- Sun86°72°29%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of July 4, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Chatham
SPC has placed Chatham in the Slight Risk category for severe thunderstorms today.
- TODAYSLGTSlight Risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Scattered severe storms possible. A few tornadoes, hail, and damaging wind gusts possible.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook. Outlooks are re-issued multiple times per day; this page reflects the most recent SPC polygons covering the city’s coordinates.
Microseason · July 1–5
Cicadas claim the scorching afternoon
Dog-day cicadas emerge in waves, their rasp dominating every sunny hour; heat peaks above 90 degrees daily.
Day 185 of 365 · Wedge 37 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Chatham peaks at about 78°F in July and bottoms near 27°F in January; May brings the heaviest rain (4.5 inches) and January the least (1.9 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 1.9″ | 14 |
| February | 31° | 2.1″ | 12 |
| March | 42° | 3.4″ | 16 |
| April | 54° | 4.1″ | 16 |
| May | 64° | 4.5″ | 17 |
| June | 73° | 4.3″ | 15 |
| July | 78° | 2.9″ | 14 |
| August | 78° | 2.5″ | 13 |
| September | 71° | 2.9″ | 12 |
| October | 58° | 3.0″ | 11 |
| November | 43° | 3.4″ | 12 |
| December | 31° | 2.7″ | 13 |
Regional context
Per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Chatham runs from a 27°F January mean to 78°F in July, a 51°F seasonal spread, with near 37.7 inches of precipitation across about 165 wet days.
Chatham's precipitation spreads evenly: May peaks at 4.5 inches on 17.0 wet days, while January holds 1.9 inches over 13.7 — no month dominates Chatham's rain calendar. It is a balanced pattern Chatham shares with places like Southern View, IL, Curran, IL and Jerome, IL.
Chatham reaches its last hard frost near mid-April; that is the cue for kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Chatham's heat-lovers — tomatoes, peppers, squash — hold off until Chatham's frost risk clears, 10-14 days on. The season ends by mid-November in Chatham, once hard frosts set back in. A creek-bottom lot in Chatham can lag Chatham's last frost 7-10 days behind a south slope.
Similar climates: Southern View, IL, Curran, IL, Jerome, IL, Springfield, IL, Auburn, IL.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Chatham?
- Chatham's last spring frost lands near mid-April, and in Chatham the first fall frost follows around mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Chatham?
- May is the wettest month in Chatham, about 4.5 inches on average; the year totals roughly 38 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Chatham?
- On average July tops the year in Chatham at about 78°F.
- What is the coldest month in Chatham?
- The coldest stretch in Chatham falls in January, around 27°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Chatham?
- Around mid-April, start frost-hardy crops in Chatham; tomatoes and basil belong a fortnight later.
- How many rainy days does Chatham get?
- Chatham records around 165 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is Chatham?
- Since January in Chatham averages 27°F, Chatham's USDA zone follows that floor — confirm it by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Chatham?
- Chatham's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Chatham?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Chatham in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Chatham?
- Current conditions for Chatham and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Chatham forecast updated?
- The Chatham forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Chatham?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Chatham are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Chatham?
- The next few days in Chatham's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
The humid subtropical climate of Chatham, Illinois carries typical Januarys near 27°F and Julys around 78°F — 51°F of seasonal travel.
Across the year, Chatham collects about 38 inches of precipitation over roughly 165 days with measurable rain or snow.
From 39.7°N, Chatham sees a 51°F seasonal swing that governs Chatham's planting and frost windows.
ZIP codes in Chatham
- 62629