Prospect Heights, IL climate
Prospect Heights has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Prospect Heights feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Prospect Heights weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 16° | 1.9" | 11.3" | 11 | 20 | 14° – 35° |
| February | 35° | 19° | 1.8" | 7.7" | 9 | 14 | 15° – 38° |
| March | 46° | 28° | 2.3" | 5.6" | 10 | 7 | 30° – 52° |
| April | 58° | 38° | 3.8" | 1.1" | 13 | 1 | 40° – 54° |
| May | 70° | 48° | 4.4" | 0 | 13 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 79° | 58° | 4.6" | 0 | 12 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 64° | 3.9" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 68° – 80° |
| August | 82° | 62° | 3.9" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| September | 75° | 55° | 3.3" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 59° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 43° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| November | 48° | 32° | 2.4" | 1.9" | 10 | 2 | 32° – 48° |
| December | 36° | 22° | 2.1" | 5.9" | 11 | 10 | 16° – 39° |
| Year | 59° | 40° | 37.7" | 33.6" | 130 | 53 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in Prospect Heights
Prospect Heights gets 38 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 130 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 53 days of the year.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first one by October 21. That leaves about 176 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 53% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Prospect Heights
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Prospect Heights, 89% of that work is heating and 11% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
Prospect Heights and its neighbors
Prospect Heights borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.3°. Arlington Heights has the coldest January nights (16°) and Mount Prospect the hottest July afternoons (84°). Prospect Heights’s January low is 16° and its July high 84°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Prospect Heights compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Prospect Heights averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.6°). The shift is larger than in 62% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Prospect Heights’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 15° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Common questions about Prospect Heights’s climate
What is the coldest month in Prospect Heights?
January, with a typical high of 31° and a low of 16°.
What is the hottest month in Prospect Heights?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 64°. About 17 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Prospect Heights get?
About 34 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Prospect Heights?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 21, and the last spring frost by April 26.
What is the rainiest month in Prospect Heights?
June, with 4.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 38 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Prospect Heights itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Chicago Botanic Garden, IL (8 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.