Daily records
Page built 2026-10-19
Data as of 2026-10-17
Search
Built 2026-10-19 (19 October 2026)

Days with 50 mm (1.97 in) or more of precipitation in Chicago

Chicago has had days with 50 mm (1.97 in) or more of precipitation in 51 years, most in 2002 with 5. Days per year, season span, streaks and every date.

Key Facts for Chicago

  • Chicago has had days with 50 mm (1.97 in) or more of precipitation in 51 years, 90 days in all.
  • The most in one year was 5 days in 2002.
  • In 2026, the latest year on file, there were 1 such days.
  • The earliest first date in a year was 12 January 1960.
  • The latest last date in a year was 2 December 1982.
  • The longest run inside a single year was 2 days in 1987.
  • 2 years with under 90 percent of days observed are left out of these rankings.

Days per Year

51 years, 90 days
Days with 50 mm (1.97 in) or more of precipitation per year in Chicago Days per year in Chicago with 50 mm (1.97 in) or more of precipitation. The line is the decade average. The most was 5 in 2002. Grey bars are years with under 90 percent of days observed, left out of rankings. 02461960: 11961: 21962: 11963: 11964: 11966: 11967: 11968: 11969: 11970: 11971: 11972: 31973: 11975: 11976: 11978: 31979: 11981: 21982: 41983: 21985: 21987: 41988: 11989: 31990: 31991: 11993: 11994: 21995: 11996: 11997: 21998: 22000: 22001: 22002: 52003: 22006: 12007: 12008: 32009: 12010: 22011: 22013: 22014: 32015: 22017: 12018: 22019: 22020: 22023: 12026: 1196019711985199720102026
Days per year in Chicago with 50 mm (1.97 in) or more of precipitation. The line is the decade average. The most was 5 in 2002. Grey bars are years with under 90 percent of days observed, left out of rankings.
Days with 50 mm (1.97 in) or more of precipitation per year in Chicago
YearDaysDecade average
196011.1
196121.1
196211.1
196311.1
196411.1
196611.1
196711.1
196811.1
196911.1
197011.5
197111.5
197231.5
197311.5
197511.5
197611.5
197831.5
197911.5
198122.6
198242.6
198322.6
198522.6
198742.6
198812.6
198932.6
199031.6
199111.6
199311.6
199421.6
199511.6
199611.6
199721.6
199821.6
200022.1
200122.1
200252.1
200322.1
200612.1
200712.1
200832.1
200912.1
201022
201122
201322
201432
201522
201712
201822
201922
202021.3
202311.3
202611.3

Season Span

earliest 12 January, latest 2 December
First to last qualifying date each year in Chicago For each year, a bar from the first to the last day in Chicago meeting 50 mm (1.97 in). Long bars mean a long season. 1960: 12 January 1960 to 12 January 19601961: 13 September 1961 to 25 September 19611962: 2 July 1962 to 2 July 19621963: 13 July 1963 to 13 July 19631964: 18 July 1964 to 18 July 19641966: 11 May 1966 to 11 May 19661967: 10 June 1967 to 10 June 19671968: 16 August 1968 to 16 August 19681969: 10 October 1969 to 10 October 19691970: 12 May 1970 to 12 May 19701971: 24 August 1971 to 24 August 19711972: 16 April 1972 to 17 September 19721973: 24 September 1973 to 24 September 19731975: 30 August 1975 to 30 August 19751976: 25 April 1976 to 25 April 19761978: 17 June 1978 to 17 September 19781979: 29 August 1979 to 29 August 19791981: 28 April 1981 to 29 May 19811982: 2 July 1982 to 2 December 19821983: 22 October 1983 to 27 November 19831985: 18 October 1985 to 1 November 19851987: 13 August 1987 to 26 August 19871988: 17 October 1988 to 17 October 19881989: 18 July 1989 to 1 September 19891990: 9 May 1990 to 27 November 19901991: 4 October 1991 to 4 October 19911993: 18 July 1993 to 18 July 19931994: 23 June 1994 to 31 October 19941995: 10 November 1995 to 10 November 19951996: 9 May 1996 to 9 May 19961997: 21 February 1997 to 18 July 19971998: 7 May 1998 to 17 October 19982000: 20 April 2000 to 11 September 20002001: 30 August 2001 to 13 October 20012002: 11 May 2002 to 22 August 20022003: 30 April 2003 to 1 August 20032006: 20 July 2006 to 20 July 20062007: 23 August 2007 to 23 August 20072008: 4 August 2008 to 13 September 20082009: 19 June 2009 to 19 June 20092010: 23 July 2010 to 24 July 20102011: 25 May 2011 to 23 July 20112013: 17 April 2013 to 18 April 20132014: 12 May 2014 to 4 August 20142015: 15 June 2015 to 18 September 20152017: 14 October 2017 to 14 October 20172018: 20 February 2018 to 7 August 20182019: 27 September 2019 to 26 October 20192020: 14 May 2020 to 17 May 20202023: 2 July 2023 to 2 July 20232026: 14 April 2026 to 14 April 202619601968197619871995200320132023JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
For each year, a bar from the first to the last day in Chicago meeting 50 mm (1.97 in). Long bars mean a long season.
First to last qualifying date each year in Chicago
YearFirst dateLast date
19601960-01-121960-01-12
19611961-09-131961-09-25
19621962-07-021962-07-02
19631963-07-131963-07-13
19641964-07-181964-07-18
19661966-05-111966-05-11
19671967-06-101967-06-10
19681968-08-161968-08-16
19691969-10-101969-10-10
19701970-05-121970-05-12
19711971-08-241971-08-24
19721972-04-161972-09-17
19731973-09-241973-09-24
19751975-08-301975-08-30
19761976-04-251976-04-25
19781978-06-171978-09-17
19791979-08-291979-08-29
19811981-04-281981-05-29
19821982-07-021982-12-02
19831983-10-221983-11-27
19851985-10-181985-11-01
19871987-08-131987-08-26
19881988-10-171988-10-17
19891989-07-181989-09-01
19901990-05-091990-11-27
19911991-10-041991-10-04
19931993-07-181993-07-18
19941994-06-231994-10-31
19951995-11-101995-11-10
19961996-05-091996-05-09
19971997-02-211997-07-18
19981998-05-071998-10-17
20002000-04-202000-09-11
20012001-08-302001-10-13
20022002-05-112002-08-22
20032003-04-302003-08-01
20062006-07-202006-07-20
20072007-08-232007-08-23
20082008-08-042008-09-13
20092009-06-192009-06-19
20102010-07-232010-07-24
20112011-05-252011-07-23
20132013-04-172013-04-18
20142014-05-122014-08-04
20152015-06-152015-09-18
20172017-10-142017-10-14
20182018-02-202018-08-07
20192019-09-272019-10-26
20202020-05-142020-05-17
20232023-07-022023-07-02
20262026-04-142026-04-14

Every Year

Days with 50 mm (1.97 in) or more of precipitation per year in Chicago
YearDaysFirst dateLast dateLongest streak in yearCoverage
2026114 April 202614 April 20261 daysIncomplete, not ranked
202312 July 20232 July 20231 daysComplete
2020214 May 202017 May 20201 daysComplete
2019227 September 201926 October 20191 daysComplete
2018220 February 20187 August 20181 daysComplete
2017114 October 201714 October 20171 daysComplete
2015215 June 201518 September 20151 daysComplete
2014312 May 20144 August 20141 daysComplete
2013217 April 201318 April 20132 daysComplete
2011225 May 201123 July 20111 daysComplete
2010223 July 201024 July 20102 daysComplete
2009119 June 200919 June 20091 daysComplete
200834 August 200813 September 20081 daysComplete
2007123 August 200723 August 20071 daysComplete
2006120 July 200620 July 20061 daysComplete
2003230 April 20031 August 20031 daysComplete
2002511 May 200222 August 20021 daysComplete
2001230 August 200113 October 20011 daysComplete
2000220 April 200011 September 20001 daysComplete
199827 May 199817 October 19981 daysComplete
1997221 February 199718 July 19971 daysComplete
199619 May 19969 May 19961 daysComplete
1995110 November 199510 November 19951 daysComplete
1994223 June 199431 October 19941 daysComplete
1993118 July 199318 July 19931 daysComplete
199114 October 19914 October 19911 daysComplete
199039 May 199027 November 19901 daysComplete
1989318 July 19891 September 19891 daysComplete
1988117 October 198817 October 19881 daysComplete
1987413 August 198726 August 19872 daysComplete
1985218 October 19851 November 19851 daysComplete
1983222 October 198327 November 19831 daysComplete
198242 July 19822 December 19821 daysComplete
1981228 April 198129 May 19811 daysComplete
1979129 August 197929 August 19791 daysComplete
1978317 June 197817 September 19781 daysComplete
1976125 April 197625 April 19761 daysComplete
1975130 August 197530 August 19751 daysComplete
1973124 September 197324 September 19731 daysComplete
1972316 April 197217 September 19721 daysComplete
1971124 August 197124 August 19711 daysComplete
1970112 May 197012 May 19701 daysComplete
1969110 October 196910 October 19691 daysComplete
1968116 August 196816 August 19681 daysComplete
1967110 June 196710 June 19671 daysComplete
1966111 May 196611 May 19661 daysComplete
1964118 July 196418 July 19641 daysComplete
1963113 July 196313 July 19631 daysComplete
196212 July 19622 July 19621 daysComplete
1961213 September 196125 September 19611 daysComplete
1960112 January 196012 January 19601 daysComplete
Decade averages for Days with 50 mm (1.97 in) or more of precipitation in Chicago
DecadeAverage days per yearYears counted
1960s1.19
1970s1.58
1980s2.67
1990s1.68
2000s2.18
2010s2.08
2020s1.52

Compare with your own threshold in the threshold explorer. Fahrenheit thresholds are converted to tenths of a degree Celsius once, rounding half up.

Download the Data

  • Data for Days with 50 mm (1.97 in) or more of precipitation in Chicago, by year: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-17 (17 October 2026). Threshold counts are computed by this site from the threaded city record.

Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-17).