Climate and average weather in Lake in the Hills

In Lake in the Hills, the summers are warm, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, and mostly cloudy.

Best: mid May to mid October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Lake in the Hills typically varies from 17°F to 82°F, and is rarely below -3°F or above 90°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Lake in the Hills for warm-weather activities is from mid May to mid October.

Hottest
Jul
82°
Coldest
Jan
17°
Wettest
May
4.3 in
Driest
Feb
1.9 in
Rain / yr
36.3 in
115 wet days
Daylight
8.9–15.1 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
866 ft
42.2°N
Clearest
Sep
51% cloud

Lake in the Hills is village in Illinois, United States.

Density
1,056/km²
people per km²
Founded
1952

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Lake in the Hills weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid May to mid October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Lake in the Hills, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.3 months, from May 19 to September 26, with daily high temperatures above 69°F. The hottest month of the year in Lake in the Hills is July, with an average high of 82°F and low of 65°F.

The cool season lasts 3.1 months, from December 1 to March 4, with daily high temperatures below 39°F. The coldest month of the year in Lake in the Hills is January, with an average low of 17°F and high of 30°F.

Days typically run about 16°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 18°F) in May.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan3017
Feb3420
Mar4529
Apr5739
May6850
Jun7861
Jul8265
Aug8063
Sep7355
Oct6044
Nov4633
Dec3522

How hot and cold Lake in the Hills really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 4°F (around January 18), with roughly 163 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F) 80 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan3030517
Feb3434920
Mar45452129
Apr57573339
May68684850
Jun78786161
Jul83826565
Aug80806363
Sep73735555
Oct60603944
Nov46462533
Dec35351322

Average hourly temperature in Lake in the Hills

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 82°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 17°F.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Lake in the Hills weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 17°2.07.969.30.0
Feb34° / 20°1.975.210.30.0
Mar45° / 29°2.59.73.311.61.1
Apr57° / 39°4.312.31.113.13.7
May68° / 50°4.312.2014.45.9
Jun78° / 61°3.811.80156.4
Jul82° / 65°3.410.4014.86.4
Aug80° / 63°3.610.6013.76.6
Sep73° / 55°3.08.8012.37.0
Oct60° / 44°3.08.70.210.85.0
Nov46° / 33°2.47.81.69.61.4
Dec35° / 22°2.184.690.0

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Lake in the Hills gets about 36.3 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 5.2 months, from around Mar 22 to Aug 26, peaking in April at about 42% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Feb 2.

May is the wettest month by volume, with 4.3 in over about 12 wet days; February is the driest, with 1.9 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetApr 19 · 42%Feb 2 · 22%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan258
Feb257
Mar3110
Apr4012
May4012
Jun3912
Jul3410
Aug3311
Sep309
Oct289
Nov268
Dec268

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Lake in the Hills collects about 36.3 in of rain across 115 wet days — roughly 3.0 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. May is the wettest month with 4.3 in, while February is the driest at just 1.9 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 34% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

012345JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2.01.92.54.34.33.83.43.63.03.02.42.1
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan2.086
Feb1.975
Mar2.5103
Apr4.3121
May4.3120
Jun3.8120
Jul3.4100
Aug3.6110
Sep3.090
Oct3.090
Nov2.482
Dec2.185

Snow in Lake in the Hills

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Lake in the Hills averages about 22 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 29 to Apr 24 — about 5.9 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 6 days of snow and an estimated 12 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 41 in of snow.

02468JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 21
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan612
Feb59
Mar35
Apr13
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov23
Dec59

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Lake in the Hills, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around May 21 and lasts for 5.1 months, ending around October 22. The clearest month is September, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 56% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 23 and lasts for 6.9 months, ending around May 20. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 68% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecSep 6 · 59%Jan 6 · 31%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan3268
Feb3565
Mar3763
Apr3565
May4060
Jun4852
Jul5446
Aug5446
Sep5644
Oct4654
Nov3664
Dec3466

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 15, brings about 15 h 06 min of light; the shortest, around December 15, only 8 h 54 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 12 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.37:254:40
Feb10.36:595:17
Mar11.66:145:52
Apr13.15:196:28
May14.44:387:01
Jun15.04:227:25
Jul14.84:357:23
Aug13.75:066:49
Sep12.35:395:56
Oct10.86:135:03
Nov9.66:524:26
Dec9.07:214:18

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Lake in the Hills averages about 9 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 6 and 13 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 5.0 months, from around May 24 to Oct 23. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 12 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is April, down near 7 sunny days — about 45% fewer than the September peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedSep 813 daysApr 26 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan7Gloomy
Feb7Gloomy
Mar7Gloomy
Apr7Gloomy
May8Gloomy
Jun9Mixed
Jul10Mixed
Aug11Mixed
Sep12Mixed
Oct10Mixed
Nov7Gloomy
Dec7Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Lake in the Hills, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.0 months, from around May 25 to September 22. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 64% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 23 to May 24, and March is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMar 8 · 100%Jul 18 · 32%oppressivemuggyhumiddrycomfortablecomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
Jan10000000
Feb10000000
Mar9910000
Apr9630000
May77117400
Jun3523202030
Jul14212527111
Aug1526252490
Sep5022151020
Oct8973100
Nov9910000
Dec10000000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Lake in the Hills is typically light breeze, near 8 mph, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 7.6 months, from around Oct 1 to May 18. The windiest month is April, averaging about 9 mph (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 19 to Sep 30, with August the calmest month at about 6 mph.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezebreezyApr 12 · 9 mphAug 9 · 6 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan9light breeze
Feb9light breeze
Mar9light breeze
Apr9light breeze
May8light breeze
Jun7calm
Jul6calm
Aug6calm
Sep7calm
Oct8light breeze
Nov9light breeze
Dec9light breeze

Best time to visit Lake in the Hills

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Lake in the Hills throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around late May, Lake in the Hills is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Lake in the Hills for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid May to mid October, with a peak score in the first week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 7 · 7.2

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar1.1poor
Apr3.7fair
May5.8good
Jun6.4good
Jul6.4good
Aug6.6good
Sep6.9good
Oct5.0fair
Nov1.4poor
Dec0.0poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Lake in the Hills for hot-weather activities is from early June to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of July.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 11 · 6.7

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Lake in the Hills, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 82°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 30°F), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Lake in the Hills sees daytime highs around 82°F and nights near 65°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Lake in the Hills

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 27 mi away) is warmest in August at about 71°F and coldest in March near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 18 to Sep 8 — about 1.7 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar36Bracing
Apr38Bracing
May43Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul68Refreshing
Aug71Refreshing
Sep67Cool
Oct57Bracing
Nov47Bracing
Dec42Bracing

UV index (midday) in Lake in the Hills by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lake in the Hills peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Average hourly UV index in Lake in the Hills

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar4.50
Apr60
May7.54
Jun8.55
Jul8.55
Aug7.54
Sep60
Oct2.50
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Lake in the Hills by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Lake in the Hills 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
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Lake in the Hills typically lasts about 238 days, from around March 24 to November 16 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 21 to October 20.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 2450%Apr 2190%Oct 2090%Nov 1650%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1231
Feb1528
Mar4031
Apr8218
May980
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct919
Nov5330
Dec2131

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 50°F)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Lake in the Hills banks about 2,773 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

01,0002,0003,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr15
May277
Jun576
Jul727
Aug667
Sep426
Oct85
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Lake in the Hills receives about 4.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.6 and 6.4 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Mar 17 to Sep 23. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.3 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.6 kWh/m² — roughly 74% less than the June peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJun 286.4 kWhDec 211.6 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan1.9Dim
Feb2.9Moderate
Mar4.0Bright
Apr4.9Bright
May5.7Bright
Jun6.3Intense
Jul6.2Intense
Aug5.4Bright
Sep4.4Bright
Oct3.0Moderate
Nov2.0Moderate
Dec1.6Dim

Where is Lake in the Hills?

Lake in the Hills sits at 42.2°N, 88.3°W, 866 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Algonquin, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Lake in the Hills

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lake in the Hills has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft around an average of 869 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 787 ft.

The land around Lake in the Hills is covered by trees (34%), grassland (32%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, trees (38%), grassland (26%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (40%) and trees (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
190 ft
10 miles
377 ft
50 miles
787 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Algonquin 1.9 mi · Crystal Lake 4.3 mi · Huntley 5.0 mi · Cary 5.0 mi · Carpentersville 5.6 mi · Elgin 11 mi · McHenry 11 mi · Woodstock 11 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 Lake in the Hills (42.1817°, -88.3304°, elevation 866 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).