Palos Heights, Illinois Weather
Cicadas claim the afternoon. Day 14 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Palos Heights weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 4Showers81%0.65″83°70°—
- SundayJul 5Foggy12%—76°66°-7°
- MondayJul 6Overcast——81°67°+5°
- TuesdayJul 7Overcast——84°65°+3°
- WednesdayJul 8Overcast——84°65°0°
- ThursdayJul 9Thunderstorm48%0.28″80°68°-4°
- FridayJul 10Overcast47%—82°66°+2°
AQI 39 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 10.0 µg/m³, PM10 at 10.9 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
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 48. Overcast through the UV peak window (cloud cover ~78%) — afternoon ozone should stay flat.
- Present
- AQI 48
- UV peak
- 2.5 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- overcast
- Projected peak
- AQI 8
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 10.0 µg/m³, PM10 at 10.9 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.92
- 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
- 10:48 PM
- Moonset
- 9:55 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Cicadas claim the afternoon
Palos Heights at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 12°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: April 26 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
ZIP code: 60463
16-Day Forecast — Palos Heights
- Sat83°70°81%
- Sun76°66°12%
- Mon81°67°3%
- Tue84°65°1%
- Wed84°65°7%
- Thu80°68°48%
- Fri82°66°47%
- Sat84°65°16%
- Sun73°63°9%
- Mon78°62°9%
- Tue79°64°7%
- Wed84°65°29%
- Thu87°68°25%
- Fri86°72°19%
- Sat89°71°24%
- Sun89°73°33%
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 — Palos Heights
SPC has placed Palos Heights in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms today.
- TODAYMRGLMarginal Risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Isolated severe storms possible. Limited threat for hail or damaging wind.
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 | 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
The year in Palos Heights tops out in July (~76°F) and dips lowest in January (~24°F), with May wettest at 4.2 inches and January driest at 2.0 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 2.0″ | 16 |
| February | 27° | 2.1″ | 14 |
| March | 37° | 3.0″ | 16 |
| April | 50° | 3.8″ | 17 |
| May | 59° | 4.2″ | 18 |
| June | 70° | 4.0″ | 17 |
| July | 76° | 2.9″ | 15 |
| August | 75° | 3.0″ | 14 |
| September | 68° | 3.1″ | 14 |
| October | 55° | 3.0″ | 13 |
| November | 40° | 3.2″ | 16 |
| December | 28° | 2.5″ | 15 |
Regional context
Palos Heights's climate, from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 station normals, pairs 24°F Januarys with 76°F Julys — a 53°F swing. About 36.8 inches of precipitation falls over roughly 184 days a year.
Palos Heights's precipitation spreads evenly: May peaks at 4.2 inches on 18.2 wet days, while January holds 2.0 inches over 15.7 — no month dominates Palos Heights's rain calendar. That even rhythm groups Palos Heights with places like Worth, IL, Chicago Ridge, IL and Palos Hills, IL.
Palos Heights's growing window opens around mid-April, once Palos Heights's overnight lows stop freezing — sow kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. In Palos Heights, warm-season transplants — tomatoes, peppers, basil — wait two weeks past Palos Heights's frost date. It shuts near mid-November, when freezes return to Palos Heights and tender plants need cover. Within Palos Heights, cold-air pooling chills low spots by 5-10°F, shifting Palos Heights's local frost dates.
Similar climates: Worth, IL, Chicago Ridge, IL, Palos Hills, IL, Alsip, IL, Crestwood, IL.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Palos Heights?
- Frost typically leaves Palos Heights by mid-April and returns to Palos Heights near mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Palos Heights?
- Palos Heights sees its heaviest rain in May (around 4.2 inches), part of roughly 37 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Palos Heights?
- The warmest stretch in Palos Heights comes in July, around 76°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Palos Heights?
- On average January is the chilliest month in Palos Heights, about 24°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Palos Heights?
- Frost-hardy sowings begin at mid-April in Palos Heights; warm-season starts follow two weeks on.
- How many rainy days does Palos Heights get?
- Palos Heights averages about 184 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
- What hardiness zone is Palos Heights?
- Palos Heights sits in the USDA zone set by January lows near 24°F; the USDA ZIP tool gives the band.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Palos Heights?
- Palos Heights'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 Palos Heights?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Palos Heights in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Palos Heights?
- Current conditions for Palos Heights and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Palos Heights forecast updated?
- The Palos Heights forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Palos Heights?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Palos Heights 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 Palos Heights?
- The next few days in Palos Heights's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
Palos Heights, Illinois has a warm-summer humid continental climate: January averages roughly 24°F, July about 76°F, 52°F between them.
Palos Heights sees close to 37 inches of precipitation annually, falling across some 184 wet days.
At 41.7°N, Palos Heights's 52°F summer-to-winter swing sets when Palos Heights's gardens wake and when frost returns.
ZIP codes in Palos Heights
- 60463