Springfield climate
Springfield (Illinois, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 12 °C53 °F, and about 1,001 mm39 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Springfield climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 134 | −818 | −326 | 552.2 | 29 |
| Feb | 438 | −720 | −229 | 542.1 | 26 |
| Mar | 1151 | −131 | 541 | 702.8 | 19 |
| Apr | 1865 | 642 | 1253 | 1034.0 | 5 |
| May | 2374 | 1254 | 1864 | 1174.6 | 0 |
| Jun | 2882 | 1763 | 2373 | 1144.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 3086 | 1967 | 2576 | 1003.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 2985 | 1865 | 2475 | 863.4 | 0 |
| Sep | 2679 | 1457 | 2068 | 803.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 1965 | 644 | 1355 | 903.5 | 2 |
| Nov | 1152 | 032 | 642 | 682.7 | 14 |
| Dec | 439 | −523 | 031 | 642.5 | 26 |
| Year | 3086 | −818 | 1253 | 1,00139 | 120 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 83% | 67% | 1.9 | 9:38 |
| Feb | 82% | 67% | 2.7 | 10:38 |
| Mar | 78% | 64% | 3.7 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 75% | 58% | 5.0 | 13:12 |
| May | 77% | 60% | 5.6 | 14:21 |
| Jun | 77% | 51% | 6.4 | 14:58 |
| Jul | 75% | 46% | 6.4 | 14:43 |
| Aug | 72% | 45% | 5.6 | 13:43 |
| Sep | 70% | 42% | 4.7 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 72% | 52% | 3.3 | 11:04 |
| Nov | 77% | 57% | 2.3 | 9:55 |
| Dec | 83% | 68% | 1.7 | 9:22 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Springfield is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 19 °C67 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 1 °C34 °F and lows −8 °C18 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 27.8 °C50 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,001 mm39 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is April–June, which brings 33% of the annual total. The wettest month is May (117 mm4.6 in), the driest is February (54 mm2.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 70% in September to 83% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 42%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in July to 14 km/h (9 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.4 hours in December to 15.0 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 15 cm).
Best time to visit Springfield
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are September: average highs of 26 °C79 °F to 26 °C79 °F with 80 mm3.1 in to 80 mm3.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 1 °C34 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Springfield
- Winter (December–February) — highs 134 to 4 °C39 °F, lows −818 to −5 °C23 °F, about 58 mm2.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1151 to 23 °C74 °F, lows −131 to 12 °C54 °F, about 97 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2882 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1763 to 19 °C67 °F, about 100 mm3.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1152 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 032 to 14 °C57 °F, about 79 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Springfield compares
Compared with Peoria, about 99 km to the north, Springfield has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation.
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Springfield is the 159th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 101st wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Satu Mare (Romania, Dfa), Piteşti (Romania, Dfa) and Craiova (Romania, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Peoria 99 km · 11 °C52 °F · 983 mm39 in
- St. Louis 139 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,105 mm44 in
- Davenport 207 km · 10 °C51 °F · 924 mm36 in
- Joliet 232 km · 10 °C51 °F · 985 mm39 in
- Aurora 245 km · 10 °C49 °F · 983 mm39 in
- Columbia 250 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,044 mm41 in
- Evansville 272 km · 14 °C56 °F · 1,243 mm49 in
- Elgin 274 km · 10 °C49 °F · 983 mm39 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Springfield?
July is the warmest month in Springfield, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Springfield?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 1 °C (34 °F) and an average low of -8 °C (18 °F).
When does it rain the most in Springfield?
May is the wettest month with about 117 mm (4.6 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 54 mm (2.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Springfield?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.