Arlington Heights in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Arlington Heights sees average daytime highs around 34°F and overnight lows near 21°F, with 6.1 in of precipitation over about 23 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 34°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Arlington Heights's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Arlington Heights's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 34°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 21°F
- Precipitation
- 6.1 in
- 23 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Arlington Heights in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 34°F.
A typical winter day in Arlington Heights reaches about 34°F and drops to 21°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Arlington Heights
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Arlington Heights weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31° / 18° | 2.1 | 8.1 | 6.1 | 9.3 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 35° / 20° | 1.9 | 6.9 | 4.8 | 10.3 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 46° / 30° | 2.5 | 9.7 | 3.2 | 11.7 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 57° / 40° | 4.3 | 12.3 | 1 | 13.1 | 3.8 |
| May | 68° / 50° | 4.3 | 12.5 | 0 | 14.4 | 5.9 |
| Jun | 78° / 61° | 3.9 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 6.3 |
| Jul | 82° / 66° | 3.6 | 11.4 | 0 | 14.8 | 6.0 |
| Aug | 80° / 64° | 3.7 | 10.5 | 0 | 13.7 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 74° / 56° | 2.9 | 8.5 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.1 |
| Oct | 61° / 44° | 3.1 | 9.1 | 0.1 | 10.8 | 5.2 |
| Nov | 47° / 33° | 2.4 | 8.1 | 1.3 | 9.6 | 1.6 |
| Dec | 36° / 24° | 2.1 | 8.2 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Arlington Heights gets around 6.1 in of rain and snow over 23 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 9 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min in early December to 10 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.1 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Arlington Heights?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Arlington Heights.
What to pack for Arlington Heights in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Arlington Heights sees daytime highs around 34°F and nights near 21°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 23 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Arlington Heights in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 39°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 19 mi away) is warmest in August at about 72°F and coldest in February near 36°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 14 to Sep 14 — about 2.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 38 | 36 | 36 | 39 | 44 | 56 | 69 | 72 | 68 | 58 | 48 | 42 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | Bracing |
| Feb | 36 | Bracing |
| Mar | 36 | Bracing |
| Apr | 39 | Bracing |
| May | 44 | Bracing |
| Jun | 56 | Bracing |
| Jul | 69 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 72 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 68 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 58 | Bracing |
| Nov | 48 | Bracing |
| Dec | 42 | Bracing |
UV index in Arlington Heights in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Arlington Heights peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Air quality in Arlington Heights in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Arlington Heights is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 10 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 12 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Moderate |
| Feb | 15 | Moderate |
| Mar | 18 | Moderate |
| Apr | 19 | Moderate |
| May | 20 | Moderate |
| Jun | 21 | Moderate |
| Jul | 21 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 15 | Moderate |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 11 | Good |
Where is Arlington Heights?
Arlington Heights sits at 42.1°N, 88.0°W, 702 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rolling Meadows, 1.9 mi away.
Topography around Arlington Heights
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Arlington Heights.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Arlington Heights has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 705 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 892 ft.
The land around Arlington Heights is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (43%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (40%) and trees (39%) within 10 miles, and water (31%) and cropland (26%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Arlington Heights (42.0884°, -87.9806°, elevation 702 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.