Cold, 'Very Dry' May Could Give Way To Big Weather Change This Summer For IL

ILLINOIS — The National Weather Service has shared that overall May 2025 was "very dry" and on the cooler side of normal temps.

Chicago only received 1.35 inches of rain, which is 3.14 inches below normal, the weather service said. This contributed to an overall drier-than-normal spring.

May 2025 was also a bit cooler than normal, with an average temperature of 58 degrees, which is 2.6 degrees below normal, according to the weather service.

Summer could reverse that trend, with both the Farmers' Almanac and Old Farmer's Almanac predicting a hot — "sultry," even — and rainy summer, with the potential for more severe weather than average for Illinois.

Looking overall at spring 2025, the weather service noted that the season was overall mild temperature-wise, but again with less precipitation than normal.

Chicago received 7 inches of precipitation, which is 3.69 inches below normal. The average temperature was 51.1 degrees, which is 1.4 above normal, the weather service said.

Looking ahead to mid-June, the Climate Prediction Center has shared that Illinois will have a leaning above chance of above normal temperatures. There is also a near normal probability of average precipitation for most of Illinois.

Normal temperature highs for this time of year are usually in the upper 70s; with a high of 77.4 degrees on June 5, 77.7 degrees on June 6, and 78 degrees on June 7, according to historical data from the weather service.

The current forecast calls for slightly cooler temperatures than the norm with a high of 73 is expected Thursday, 75 on Friday and 75 on Saturday.