Home › Springfield

Climate in Springfield, Illinois: Monthly Weather Averages

By the AverageClimate Editorial Team · Last updated: October 2026

Springfield sits at 594 feet above sea level, and its climate, as recorded at the Springfield Capital Airport, IL station, runs to a yearly mean of 54.0°F. The warmest month is July, averaging 76.5°F with typical highs of 86.8°F; the coldest is January, averaging 27.9°F with lows around 19.9°F. Across a normal year the city receives 38.0 in of precipitation and 21.8 in of snow. The full month-by-month picture below comes from the official 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals — the 30-year averages the National Weather Service itself uses — so it describes the Springfield climate you should actually plan around, whether you are timing a visit, weighing a move, or just settling an argument about which month is best.

Springfield climate month by month

The table below is the complete 1991–2020 normals profile for Springfield: average high, average low and mean temperature, rainfall, and snowfall for every month. Read down the Mean column to feel the year's rhythm — Springfield's temperature range runs from 27.9°F in January to 76.5°F in July.

How to read the colors:below freezingcoldcoolmildwarmhot. Bands are colored by each cell's own temperature, so a whole year reads at a glance.

Springfield through the seasons

Winter in Springfield averages highs of 35.9–41.1°F and lows of 19.9–25.2°F, a seasonal mean of 31.1°F. The three months together bring 6.1 in of precipitation — about 16% of the city's yearly total — with December the wettest of the three at 2.15 in. Snowfall averages 17.1 in over the season, most of it in January (6.7 in). Average temperatures sit below freezing, so this is the heart of the heating season: expect snow-covered ground, icy mornings, and short, cold days as the local norm rather than the exception.

Spring in Springfield averages highs of 53.1–75.7°F and lows of 33.2–54.4°F, a seasonal mean of 54.2°F. The three months together bring 11.2 in of precipitation — about 30% of the city's yearly total — with May the wettest of the three at 4.52 in. Snowfall averages 3.4 in over the season, most of it in March (3.1 in). The season is a transition: the average temperature climbs 21.9°F from March to May, and by late spring Springfield is firmly into warm territory, with May rainfall of 4.52 in to plan around.

Summer in Springfield averages highs of 84.0–86.8°F and lows of 63.3–66.2°F, a seasonal mean of 75.0°F. The three months together bring 11.8 in of precipitation — about 31% of the city's yearly total — with June the wettest of the three at 4.61 in. It is a warm, usable summer: afternoons are hot enough for swimming and lake or coast time, while evenings usually cool off comfortably.

Fall in Springfield averages highs of 52.7–80.2°F and lows of 34.2–55.8°F, a seasonal mean of 55.8°F. The three months together bring 8.8 in of precipitation — about 23% of the city's yearly total — with October the wettest of the three at 3.26 in. Snowfall averages 1.3 in over the season, most of it in November (1.2 in). Temperatures ease off through the season — the monthly mean drops 24.5°F from September to November — and fall is when Springfield's weather turns crisp and dry, while nights stay mostly frost-free into December.

Best and worst months to visit Springfield

Ranking every month by its normals — mild mean temperatures score best, heavy rain and snow count against — the most comfortable months to visit Springfield are:

JuneAugustSeptember

June leads the list: average highs of 84.0°F, lows of 63.3°F, and 4.61 in of rain, with snow a non-factor at 0.0 in. The other picks, August and September, offer the same balance in Springfield's mild stretch of the year. At the other end, January is usually the month to avoid — deep-winter cold, with a mean temperature of 27.9°F and 2.03 in of precipitation plus 6.7 in of snow.

How Springfield compares

Across the 114 cities in our dataset, the typical city averages 57.8°F for the year and 35.7 in of precipitation. Springfield runs 3.7°F cooler than that typical city and wetter by 2.4 in a year, ranking #69 of 114 for annual warmth and #58 of 114 for precipitation (wettest first). Its year-round temperature swing — warmest month minus coldest — is 48.6°F, which puts it in the strongly continental, four-real-seasons camp.

Planning notes for Springfield

For anyone relocating: average overnight lows drop below freezing in 3 months (January, February, December), so heating, winter tires, and pipe protection are real seasonal concerns; highs reach the 80s on average in 4 months, but 90°F average highs never arrive; days and nights differ by 20.0°F on average — a big desert-style swing that rewards dressing in layers year-round; 6 months of the year average between 55°F and 80°F, the band most people find comfortable without heating or cooling. Those four facts, all straight from the normals table above, shape everything from a Springfield wardrobe to its utility bills.

Springfield climate FAQ

Source: 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) — ncei.noaa.gov. Station: Springfield Capital Airport, IL (USW00093822), elevation 594 ft. Figures checked October 2026.