Zion in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Zion sees average daytime highs around 45°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 11.0 in of precipitation over about 33 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 33°F in early March to 61°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 Zion's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Zion's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
45°F
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
38°F
Precipitation
11.0 in
33 wet days
Avg wind
13 mph
Travel score
1.4
3rd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Zion in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 33°F in early March to 61°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Zion reaches about 45°F and drops to 38°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

20°40°60°80°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Zion

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 52 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
52
8 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Zion 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° / 22°2.79.679.20.0
Feb30° / 21°2.27.55.410.30.0
Mar36° / 28°2.79.63.611.60.0
Apr44° / 38°4.511.81.513.10.8
May55° / 49°3.811.2014.43.5
Jun69° / 62°3.210.10156.3
Jul77° / 70°2.89.9014.87.0
Aug76° / 70°3.710.6013.77.0
Sep70° / 64°3.19.7012.36.7
Oct58° / 51°3.810.80.110.84.3
Nov46° / 39°3.29.71.39.61.1
Dec36° / 29°2.89.84.98.90.0

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Zion gets around 11.0 in of rain and snow over 33 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 13 mph across spring.

05101520MarAprMay

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 Zion?

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.

1.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Zion.

What to pack for Zion in Spring

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

In spring, Zion sees daytime highs around 45°F and nights near 38°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 33 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Zion 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 offshore 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 Zion 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 Zion peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 22UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Zion 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 Zion is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (October, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1017 µg/m³Oct 249 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Zion?

Zion sits at 42.4°N, 87.8°W, 650 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Waukegan, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Zion

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Zion has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 233 ft around an average of 650 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 295 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 804 ft.

The land around Zion is covered by trees (47%), grassland (24%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 2 miles, water (44%) and trees (20%) within 10 miles, and water (47%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
233 ft
10 miles
295 ft
50 miles
804 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Spring weather nearby: Waukegan 5.6 mi · Gurnee 6.2 mi · North Chicago 8.1 mi · Pleasant Prairie 8.7 mi · Kenosha 9.3 mi · Grayslake 13 mi · Libertyville 13 mi · Lake Forest 13 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 Zion (42.4461°, -87.8328°, elevation 650 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.