Climate and average weather in Springfield

In Springfield, the summers are humid, hot, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: late August to late October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Springfield typically varies from 21°F to 85°F, and is rarely below 4°F or above 93°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Springfield for warm-weather activities are from early May to mid June and late August to late October.

Hottest
Jul
85°
Coldest
Jan
21°
Wettest
May
4.6 in
Driest
Feb
2.2 in
Rain / yr
39.9 in
114 wet days
Daylight
9.2–14.8 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
597 ft
39.8°N
Clearest
Sep
45% cloud

Springfield is capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois and county seat of Sangamon County.

Density
665/km²
people per km²
Founded
1821

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

Springfield 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 late August to late October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

The hot season lasts 4.6 months, from May 13 to September 30, with daily high temperatures above 73°F. The hottest month of the year in Springfield is July, with an average high of 85°F and low of 68°F.

The cool season lasts 2.9 months, from December 2 to February 27, with daily high temperatures below 45°F. The coldest month of the year in Springfield is January, with an average low of 21°F and high of 36°F.

Days typically run about 18°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 21°F) in September.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan3621
Feb4024
Mar5234
Apr6444
May7455
Jun8265
Jul8568
Aug8465
Sep7858
Oct6646
Nov5235
Dec4026

How hot and cold Springfield 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 10°F (around January 16), with roughly 143 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F) 46 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)
Jan36361121
Feb41401524
Mar52522634
Apr64643944
May74745555
Jun83826565
Jul87856868
Aug85846565
Sep78785858
Oct66664246
Nov52522835
Dec40401726

Average hourly temperature in Springfield

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 85°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 21°F.

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

Springfield 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
Jan36° / 21°2.483.99.50.0
Feb40° / 24°2.27.53.510.40.2
Mar52° / 34°3.110.11.611.72.7
Apr64° / 44°4.611.90.4135.3
May74° / 55°4.613.4014.26.2
Jun82° / 65°4.311.4014.85.8
Jul85° / 68°3.610.1014.55.4
Aug84° / 65°3.19.4013.65.8
Sep78° / 58°3.27.4012.37.3
Oct66° / 46°3.38.50.110.96.2
Nov52° / 35°3.38.30.99.82.8
Dec40° / 26°2.382.89.20.2

Chance of rain

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

Springfield gets about 39.9 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 4.5 months, from around Mar 13 to Jul 26, peaking in April at about 45% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 30.

May is the wettest month by volume, with 4.6 in over about 13 wet days; February is the driest, with 2.2 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetApr 29 · 45%Jan 30 · 24%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan268
Feb278
Mar3210
Apr4012
May4313
Jun3811
Jul3310
Aug309
Sep257
Oct279
Nov288
Dec268

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Springfield collects about 39.9 in of rain across 114 wet days — roughly 3.3 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. May is the wettest month with 4.6 in, while February is the driest at just 2.2 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 34% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0123456JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2.42.23.14.64.64.33.63.13.23.33.32.3
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan2.484
Feb2.284
Mar3.1102
Apr4.6120
May4.6130
Jun4.3110
Jul3.6100
Aug3.190
Sep3.270
Oct3.390
Nov3.381
Dec2.383

Snow in Springfield

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.

Springfield averages about 13 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 2 to Apr 11 — about 5.3 months.

February is snowiest, with roughly 4 days of snow and an estimated 7 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 24 in of snow.

0246JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonFeb 1
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan47
Feb47
Mar23
Apr01
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov12
Dec35

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

In Springfield, 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 June 6 and lasts for 5.3 months, ending around November 13. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 62% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 14 and lasts for 6.7 months, ending around June 5. The cloudiest month is February, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 64% 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 4 · 64%Jan 9 · 36%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan3763
Feb3664
Mar3961
Apr4159
May4159
Jun5149
Jul5941
Aug6238
Sep6238
Oct5446
Nov4555
Dec3763

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 11, brings about 14 h 48 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 9 h 12 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 36 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.57:244:52
Feb10.47:005:26
Mar11.76:185:58
Apr13.05:276:30
May14.24:497:00
Jun14.84:357:23
Jul14.54:477:21
Aug13.65:156:50
Sep12.35:456:01
Oct10.96:165:12
Nov9.86:514:37
Dec9.27:194:31

Sunny days

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

Springfield averages about 10 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 7 and 15 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 5.2 months, from around Jun 11 to Nov 14. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 15 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is March, down near 8 sunny days — about 48% fewer than the September peak.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedbrightSep 715 daysMar 217 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan8Gloomy
Feb7Mixed
Mar8Gloomy
Apr8Mixed
May8Mixed
Jun10Mixed
Jul12Mixed
Aug13Mixed
Sep14Mixed
Oct13Mixed
Nov10Mixed
Dec8Mixed

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 Springfield, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.3 months, from around May 14 to September 22. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 82% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 23 to May 13, and February 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%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecFeb 17 · 100%Jul 19 · 16%oppressivemuggydrycomfortablehumidcomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
Jan10000000
Feb10000000
Mar9730000
Apr8883000
May5617161010
Jun18182230130
Jul5132129292
Aug8182428211
Sep4320171640
Oct83105200
Nov9630000
Dec9910000

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 Springfield is typically light breeze, near 8 mph, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 7.3 months, from around Oct 9 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 Oct 8, with August the calmest month at about 6 mph.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezebreezyApr 10 · 9 mphAug 5 · 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 Springfield

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

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

Around early September, Springfield 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 times of year to visit Springfield for general outdoor tourist activities run from early May to mid June and again from late August to late October, with a peak score in the last week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 26 · 7.5

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
Feb0.3poor
Mar2.8poor
Apr5.3fair
May6.2good
Jun5.8good
Jul5.4fair
Aug5.9good
Sep7.2good
Oct6.2good
Nov2.8poor
Dec0.2poor

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 Springfield for hot-weather activities is from late May to late September, with a peak score in the last week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 29 · 7.3

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 Springfield, 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 85°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 36°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Springfield sees daytime highs around 85°F and nights near 68°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Springfield 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 Springfield peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Average hourly UV index in Springfield

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 5.5 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
Feb10
Mar4.50
Apr6.50.5
May7.54
Jun8.55.5
Jul85
Aug7.54
Sep62
Oct30
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Springfield 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 Springfield is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1716 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

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

The growing season in Springfield typically lasts about 259 days, from around March 12 to November 25 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 15 to October 22.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 1250%Apr 1590%Oct 2290%Nov 2550%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1831
Feb2428
Mar5731
Apr9014
May990
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct927
Nov6230
Dec2931

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. Springfield banks about 3,567 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

01,0002,0003,0004,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr128
May447
Jun700
Jul817
Aug761
Sep533
Oct181
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.

Springfield receives about 4.2 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.8 and 6.6 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Mar 21 to Sep 27. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.4 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.8 kWh/m² — roughly 71% less than the June peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJun 286.6 kWhDec 181.8 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.1Moderate
Feb3.0Moderate
Mar4.1Bright
Apr5.1Bright
May5.8Bright
Jun6.4Intense
Jul6.4Intense
Aug5.7Bright
Sep4.7Bright
Oct3.4Moderate
Nov2.3Moderate
Dec1.8Dim

Where is Springfield?

Springfield sits at 39.8°N, 89.6°W, 597 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Jacksonville, 32 mi away.

Topography around Springfield

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Springfield has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 604 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 390 ft.

The land around Springfield is covered by trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (43%) within 2 miles, cropland (45%) and trees (31%) within 10 miles, and cropland (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
194 ft
50 miles
390 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Jacksonville 32 mi · Decatur 37 mi · Pekin 53 mi · Morton 57 mi · Bloomington 58 mi · East Peoria 60 mi · Normal 60 mi · Peoria 62 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 Springfield (39.8017°, -89.6437°, elevation 597 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. 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).