Lake Zurich in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Lake Zurich sees average daytime highs around 53°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 11.1 in of precipitation over about 34 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 37°F in early March to 69°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Lake Zurich's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Lake Zurich's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
53°F
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
40°F
Precipitation
11.1 in
34 wet days
Avg wind
10 mph
Travel score
2.9
3rd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Lake Zurich in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 37°F in early March to 69°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Lake Zurich reaches about 53°F and drops to 40°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

20°40°60°80°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Lake Zurich

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 44 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
44
1 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Lake Zurich weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 19°2.39.16.49.30.0
Feb33° / 20°2.07.25.310.30.0
Mar42° / 29°2.69.73.211.60.6
Apr53° / 40°4.412.21.213.12.9
May64° / 51°4.112.3014.45.3
Jun76° / 62°3.611.40156.5
Jul80° / 67°3.310.8014.86.4
Aug79° / 66°3.610.7013.76.7
Sep72° / 58°2.99012.36.9
Oct60° / 46°3.39.50.110.84.8
Nov46° / 35°2.68.51.49.61.4
Dec35° / 25°2.48.84.590.0

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Lake Zurich gets around 11.1 in of rain and snow over 34 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Spring

Winds average 10 mph across spring.

051015MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min in early March to 14 h 48 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.0 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in spring

Is spring a good time to visit Lake Zurich?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lake Zurich.

What to pack for Lake Zurich in Spring

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

In spring, Lake Zurich sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 40°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat, rain gear and sun protection. About 34 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Lake Zurich in Spring

The nearest coast averages about 39°F across spring — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 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 in Lake Zurich in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lake Zurich 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Lake Zurich in Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Lake Zurich 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).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJul 921 µg/m³Oct 2410 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr19Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lake Zurich?

Lake Zurich sits at 42.2°N, 88.1°W, 876 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Vernon Hills, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Lake Zurich

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lake Zurich has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 ft around an average of 856 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 381 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 892 ft.

The land around Lake Zurich is covered by trees (45%), artificial surfaces (26%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (44%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and cropland (29%) and water (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
138 ft
10 miles
381 ft
50 miles
892 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Spring weather nearby: Vernon Hills 6.2 mi · Mundelein 6.2 mi · Palatine 6.8 mi · Cary 7.5 mi · Buffalo Grove 7.5 mi · Rolling Meadows 8.7 mi · Wheeling 9.3 mi · Libertyville 9.3 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 Zurich (42.197°, -88.0934°, elevation 876 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.