Elizabeth, Illinois Weather
Thunder stills across the plains. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Elizabeth weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 9:21 AM CDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Heavy Drizzle later16%0.10″61°55°—
- TuesdaySep 22Light Rain31%0.14″60°50°-1°
- WednesdaySep 23Light Drizzle——68°47°+8°
- ThursdaySep 24Overcast——66°50°-2°
- FridaySep 25Drizzle—0.10″61°56°-5°
- SaturdaySep 26Rain13%1.1″58°56°-3°
- SundaySep 27Light Drizzle13%0.01″70°56°+12°
Air quality now AQI 26 · Good
AQI 26 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 5.6 µg/m³, PM10 at 5.6 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 5.6 µg/m³, PM10 at 5.6 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 1.00
- 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).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:41 PM
- Moonset
- 1:13 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder stills across the plains
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Elizabeth at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 58°F (high 61°F, low 55°F), 2°F below the 60°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: May 1 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 0 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Elizabeth
- Mon61°55°16%
- Tue60°50°31%
- Wed68°47°0%
- Thu66°50°2%
- Fri61°56°3%
- Sat58°56°13%
- Sun70°56°13%
- Mon73°54°18%
- Tue73°55°32%
- Wed69°50°27%
- Thu64°51°13%
- Fri60°52°18%
- Sat67°55°19%
- Sun56°48°17%
- Mon53°37°19%
- Tue55°36°29%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically October 9) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Elizabeth
SPC includes Elizabeth in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWNONENo severe risk
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Elizabeth
Elizabeth sits in Jo Daviess County, where the year’s longest day runs 15h 17m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 5m — a swing of +6h 12m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Chicago, the state’s largest city, lies about 134 miles to the ESE. The nearest town Elizabeth tracks is Lake Summerset, roughly 43 miles to the ENE.
Air quality in Elizabeth
Air quality in Elizabeth’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 32).
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| July | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
Elizabeth's warmest month is July (~72°F mean) and its coldest is January (~19°F). Rainfall peaks in June (5.8 inches) and bottoms out in January (1.4 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19° | 1.4″ | 9 |
| February | 24° | 1.7″ | 8 |
| March | 36° | 2.3″ | 9 |
| April | 47° | 3.9″ | 11 |
| May | 59° | 4.3″ | 12 |
| June | 69° | 5.8″ | 12 |
| July | 72° | 4.7″ | 10 |
| August | 70° | 4.0″ | 9 |
| September | 62° | 3.9″ | 9 |
| October | 51° | 3.0″ | 9 |
| November | 37° | 2.4″ | 8 |
| December | 25° | 1.9″ | 9 |
Regional context
Similar climates Hanover, IL, The Galena Territory, IL, Apple Canyon Lake, IL
In Elizabeth, NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals put January near 19°F and July near 72°F — a 53°F seasonal arc — with about 39.4 inches of precipitation over 114 rainy or snowy days.
Precipitation in Elizabeth runs summer-dominant: June averages 5.8 inches across 11.7 days of warm-season storms, while January drops to 1.4 inches over 8.6 rainy days of drier cool air. That summer-storm rhythm groups Elizabeth with places like Hanover, IL, The Galena Territory, IL and Apple Canyon Lake, IL.
Around May 1, Elizabeth sheds its freezing nights — kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips go into Elizabeth's beds. Tomatoes and peppers do best set out two weeks later in Elizabeth, once nights clear the mid-40s°F. Frost returns to Elizabeth near October 9, ending the tender-crop season. Open lawns in Elizabeth whiten first when frost returns.
Similar climates: Hanover, IL, The Galena Territory, IL, Apple Canyon Lake, IL, Scales Mound, IL, Stockton, IL.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Elizabeth?
- In Elizabeth, expect the last spring frost near May 1; Elizabeth's first autumn frost comes around October 9.
- What is the rainy season in Elizabeth?
- Elizabeth sees its heaviest rain in June (around 5.8 inches), part of roughly 39 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Elizabeth?
- On average July tops the year in Elizabeth at about 72°F.
- What is the coldest month in Elizabeth?
- The coldest stretch in Elizabeth falls in January, around 19°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Elizabeth?
- In Elizabeth, sow peas and hardy greens around May 1; Elizabeth's tomatoes and peppers wait two weeks more.
- How many rainy days does Elizabeth get?
- Elizabeth records around 114 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is Elizabeth?
- Because Elizabeth bottoms near 19°F in January, that winter low sets Elizabeth's USDA zone — verify by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Elizabeth?
- Elizabeth'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 Elizabeth?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Elizabeth in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Elizabeth?
- Current conditions for Elizabeth and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Elizabeth forecast updated?
- The Elizabeth forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Elizabeth?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth?
- The next few days in Elizabeth's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Elizabeth sits at 42.3°N; its climate zone is warm-summer humid continental (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Elizabeth
- 61028