South Shore in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), South Shore sees average daytime highs around 51°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 12.7 in of precipitation over about 35 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 35°F in early March to 68°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high: 51°F; 3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low: 42°F
Precipitation: 12.7 in; 35 wet days
Avg wind: 13 mph
Travel score: 2.5; 3rd-best season
Months: Mar · Apr · May

← Winter South Shore year-round climate Summer →

Spring Summer Fall Winter

Temperature in South Shore in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 35°F in early March to 68°F by late May.

A typical spring day in South Shore reaches about 51°F and drops to 42°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

How spring really feels in South Shore

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 41 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 32°F

2 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

South Shore 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.

Month	High / Low (°F)	Rainfall (inches)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	31° / 21°	3.3	10	6.4	9.3	0.0
Feb	32° / 22°	2.6	8.2	5	10.3	0.0
Mar	39° / 30°	3.2	10	3.2	11.7	0.1
Apr	50° / 42°	4.9	12.4	1.1	13.1	2.2
May	63° / 54°	4.6	12.1	0	14.3	5.2
Jun	74° / 65°	3.9	11.6	0	15	6.5
Jul	79° / 71°	3.4	11.4	0	14.7	6.5
Aug	78° / 70°	3.8	10.8	0	13.7	6.8
Sep	71° / 63°	3.3	9.1	0	12.3	6.9
Oct	59° / 51°	4.1	10.7	0.1	10.9	4.6
Nov	46° / 39°	3.8	10.3	1.2	9.6	1.3
Dec	36° / 28°	3.2	10.2	4.6	9	0.0

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time across spring.

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

South Shore gets around 12.7 in of rain and snow over 35 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

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.

Wind in Spring

Winds average 13 mph across spring.

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.

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.1 kWh/m².

Planning a trip in spring

Is spring a good time to visit South Shore?

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.

2.5

Sightseeing

3rd-best month of the year

0.5

Beach & pool

3rd-best month of the year

spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in South Shore.

What to pack for South Shore in Spring

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

In spring, South Shore sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 42°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat, rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 35 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near South Shore in Spring

The nearest coast averages about 40°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 8 mi away) is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in February near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 13 to Sep 15 — 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	45	57	70	73	68	58	49	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	45	Bracing
Jun	57	Bracing
Jul	70	Refreshing
Aug	73	Refreshing
Sep	68	Refreshing
Oct	58	Bracing
Nov	49	Bracing
Dec	42	Bracing

UV index in South Shore 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 South Shore peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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	5	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	5	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 South Shore 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 South Shore 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

Location & terrain

Where is South Shore?

South Shore sits at 41.8°N, 87.6°W, 591 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Woodlawn, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around South Shore

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around South Shore has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 66 ft around an average of 591 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 515 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 735 ft.

The land around South Shore is covered by artificial surfaces (60%) and water (20%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (44%) and water (42%) within 10 miles, and water (33%), cropland (25%) and trees (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles

66 ft

artificial surfaces 60%

10 miles

515 ft

artificial surfaces 44%

50 miles

735 ft

water 33%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater

← Winter South Shore year-round climate Summer →

Spring weather nearby: Woodlawn 1.9 mi · Greater Grand Crossing 1.9 mi · South Chicago 1.9 mi · Chatham 2.5 mi · Hyde Park 2.5 mi · Kenwood 3.1 mi · Englewood 3.7 mi · Grand Boulevard 4.3 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

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 South Shore (41.762°, -87.5778°, elevation 591 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.