Loves Park, Illinois Weather
Cicadas claim the afternoon. Day 14 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Loves Park weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 4Heavy Showers57%0.83″81°68°—
- SundayJul 5Overcast17%—83°64°+2°
- MondayJul 6Overcast——79°62°-4°
- TuesdayJul 7Overcast——80°57°+1°
- WednesdayJul 8Overcast14%—81°61°+1°
- ThursdayJul 9Light Showers50%0.13″75°65°-6°
- FridayJul 10Overcast35%—78°61°+3°
AQI 31 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). Ozone at AQI 35 now. With UV 3.4 peaking around 1 PM under partly cloudy skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 11 around 1 PM.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion during the projected peak around 9 PM.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 35 now. With UV 3.4 peaking around 1 PM under partly cloudy skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 11 around 1 PM.
- Present
- AQI 35
- UV peak
- 3.4 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- partly cloudy
- Projected peak
- AQI 11
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 4.8 µg/m³, PM10 at 6.6 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.73
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 1h 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
- 10:54 PM
- Moonset
- 9:59 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Cicadas claim the afternoon
Loves Park at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 5°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: April 30 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
ZIP code: 61111
16-Day Forecast — Loves Park
- Sat81°68°57%
- Sun83°64°17%
- Mon79°62°2%
- Tue80°57°1%
- Wed81°61°14%
- Thu75°65°50%
- Fri78°61°35%
- Sat81°61°11%
- Sun66°58°7%
- Mon74°54°8%
- Tue74°58°8%
- Wed78°61°25%
- Thu82°65°14%
- Fri83°67°26%
- Sat85°69°30%
- Sun84°70°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 — Loves Park
SPC includes Loves Park in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- 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. 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 afternoon
Annual cicada buzz begins, peaking in the heat of the day.
Day 185 of 365 · Wedge 37 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | — | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | — | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Loves Park peaks at about 74°F in July and bottoms near 22°F in January; June brings the heaviest rain (5.2 inches) and January the least (1.6 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 1.6″ | 4 |
| February | 26° | 1.6″ | 4 |
| March | 37° | 2.4″ | 5 |
| April | 49° | 3.8″ | 7 |
| May | 60° | 4.2″ | 8 |
| June | 70° | 5.2″ | 8 |
| July | 74° | 3.8″ | 6 |
| August | 72° | 4.2″ | 6 |
| September | 64° | 3.6″ | 5 |
| October | 52° | 2.6″ | 5 |
| November | 39° | 2.3″ | 5 |
| December | 27° | 1.9″ | 5 |
Regional context
By the nearest station's NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Loves Park sees 22°F Januarys and 74°F Julys, a 52°F range, plus around 37.2 inches of precipitation across 69 days.
Precipitation in Loves Park runs summer-dominant: June averages 5.2 inches across 7.8 days of warm-season storms, while January drops to 1.6 inches over 4.4 rainy days of drier cool air. It is a warm-season-wet pattern Loves Park shares with places like Machesney Park, IL, Argyle, IL and Caledonia, IL.
The cool-season window in Loves Park starts at late-May, when nights stop freezing — think kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Warm-soil crops in Loves Park wait about two weeks past Loves Park's last frost, once the soil warms. Around early-October, freezing nights resume in Loves Park and tender crops must come in. Within Loves Park, cold-air pooling chills low spots by 5-10°F, shifting Loves Park's local frost dates.
Similar climates: Machesney Park, IL, Argyle, IL, Caledonia, IL, Roscoe, IL, Rockford, IL.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Loves Park?
- Loves Park's last spring frost lands near mid-May, and in Loves Park the first fall frost follows around mid-October.
- What is the rainy season in Loves Park?
- June is the wettest month in Loves Park, about 5.2 inches on average; the year totals roughly 37 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Loves Park?
- July is Loves Park's warmest month, averaging about 74°F.
- What is the coldest month in Loves Park?
- Loves Park bottoms out in January, with a mean near 22°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Loves Park?
- Loves Park's last frost (mid-May) cues hardy greens; in Loves Park, hold heat-lovers two weeks past.
- How many rainy days does Loves Park get?
- Expect roughly 69 wet days a year in Loves Park.
- What hardiness zone is Loves Park?
- Loves Park's USDA zone comes from its January mean (22°F); enter the ZIP on the USDA lookup for the number.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Loves Park?
- Loves Park'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 Loves Park?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Loves Park in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Loves Park?
- Current conditions for Loves Park and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Loves Park forecast updated?
- The Loves Park forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Loves Park?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Loves Park 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 Loves Park?
- The next few days in Loves Park's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
Loves Park, Illinois has a warm-summer humid continental climate: January averages roughly 22°F, July about 74°F, 52°F between them.
Loves Park sees close to 37 inches of precipitation annually, falling across some 69 wet days.
Latitude 42.3°N gives Loves Park its 52°F swing, and with it the rhythm of Loves Park's growing season.
ZIP codes in Loves Park
- 61111
- 61011
- 61130
- 61131
- 61132