Chicago · Month comparison

December vs October

October ranks #1 overall vs December at #9. Chicago Marathon weekend (second Sun in Oct) — 50,000 runners through every neighbourhood.

Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza Chicago

December

#9 of 12 months

Worth considering

Christkindlmarket fills Daley Plaza, Macy's windows on State Street, ice rink at Maggie Daley Park.

  • ↑Christkindlmarket runs all month — bratwurst, glühwein, Erzgebirge ornaments
  • ↑Maggie Daley ice ribbon and Millennium Park rink free with own skates
Chicago Marathon runners through downtown

October

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Chicago Marathon weekend (second Sun in Oct) — 50,000 runners through every neighbourhood.

  • ↑Chicago Marathon — World Marathon Majors event, the entire city stops to watch
  • ↑Lincoln Park and the lakefront in red-and-gold maple
FactorDecemberOctober
Weather score
3
9
Value score
8
7
Crowd score
8
7
Events score
8
9
Atmosphere
9
10
Avg high temp2°C17°C
Monthly rain60mm80mm
Daily sunshine4hrs7hrs

December trade-offs

  • ↓-5°C nights and Hawk wind off the lake
  • ↓Christmas/NYE week hotel rates spike

October trade-offs

  • ↓Marathon weekend hotel rates double; Loop streets closed
  • ↓First frost and possible early snow late month
See all 12 months for Chicago →December in detail →October in detail →
Scores compare months within Chicago. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →