DeKalb in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), DeKalb sees average daytime highs around 60°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 8.8 in of precipitation over about 25 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 78°F in early September to 41°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is DeKalb's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see DeKalb's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
60°F
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
43°F
Precipitation
8.8 in
25 wet days
Avg wind
9 mph
Travel score
4.6
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in DeKalb in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 78°F in early September to 41°F by late November.

A typical fall day in DeKalb reaches about 60°F and drops to 43°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.

20°40°60°80°SepOctNov

How fall really feels in DeKalb

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 33 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
33
wind chill below the day's low

The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

DeKalb weather by month

How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 16°2.07.65.79.30.0
Feb34° / 19°1.86.94.910.30.0
Mar46° / 29°2.69.32.911.71.3
Apr59° / 40°4.4120.913.14.1
May69° / 50°4.812.8014.35.9
Jun78° / 60°4.212.20156.3
Jul82° / 64°3.510.7014.76.4
Aug80° / 62°3.510.4013.76.6
Sep74° / 54°3.28.7012.37.0
Oct61° / 43°3.19.10.110.95.2
Nov47° / 32°2.47.71.69.61.5
Dec35° / 22°2.27.84.590.0

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitationSnow

DeKalb gets around 8.8 in of rain and snow over 25 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%SepOctNov

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Fall

Winds average 9 mph across fall.

051015SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours in early September to 9 h 12 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 3.2 kWh/m².

024SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Is fall a good time to visit DeKalb?

Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

4.6
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.2
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is a reasonable time to visit DeKalb for sightseeing.

What to pack for DeKalb in Fall

From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In fall, DeKalb sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 43°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 25 days see rain.

a warm layerlight clothesrain gear

UV index in DeKalb in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in DeKalb peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in DeKalb in Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in DeKalb is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 9 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJul 1817 µg/m³Oct 229 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov10Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is DeKalb?

DeKalb sits at 41.9°N, 88.8°W, 879 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sycamore, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around DeKalb

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of DeKalb.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around DeKalb has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 ft around an average of 883 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 308 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 850 ft.

The land around DeKalb is covered by artificial surfaces (35%), trees (23%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, cropland (84%) within 10 miles, and cropland (59%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
102 ft
10 miles
308 ft
50 miles
850 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Fall weather nearby: Sycamore 5.0 mi · Wasco 18 mi · St. Charles 23 mi · Geneva 23 mi · Batavia 23 mi · Huntley 24 mi · North Aurora 24 mi · Belvidere 24 mi

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
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

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 DeKalb (41.9295°, -88.7504°, elevation 879 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.