Chicago · Month comparison
March vs October
October ranks #1 overall vs March at #5. Chicago Marathon weekend (second Sun in Oct) — 50,000 runners through every neighbourhood.
March
#5 of 12 months
Strong option
St Patrick's Day weekend — Chicago River dyed green, every Irish bar in Bridgeport packed.
- ↑Chicago River Dyeing (Sat closest to 17 March) — 45 minutes of fluorescent green river
- ↑St Patrick's Parade 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
| Factor | March | October |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 4 | 9 |
| Value score | 8 | 7 |
| Crowd score | 8 | 7 |
| Events score | 8 | 9 |
| Atmosphere | 9 | 10 |
| Avg high temp | 7°C | 17°C |
| Monthly rain | 60mm | 80mm |
| Daily sunshine | 6hrs | 7hrs |
March trade-offs
- ↓St Pat's weekend hotel rates spike 50%+
- ↓Lake-effect snowstorms still possible early month
October trade-offs
- ↓Marathon weekend hotel rates double; Loop streets closed
- ↓First frost and possible early snow late month
Scores compare months within Chicago. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →