Is Chicago too cold in winter/fall?

Personally, I love Chicago and wouldn't want to have grown up anywhere else. As to it being tolerable or not, it really does depend on you. I mean, I personally don't know how cold it gets in New Jersey, but I mean, the winters get pretty bad in Chicago.

So basically, the fall is pretty okay. Fall isn't the problem, its fine, but the winter is hard. Well, first of all, when it gets really icy the roads become really dangerous. So a half hour drive turns into a two hour drive (and trust me, on a regular day traffic is bad enough) because its so dangerous that everyone has to drive really slow. And you have to brake a few meters before you get to a stop sign because your car will slide.

In addition, everything gets frozen. So in the winter, you'll have to be breaking giant icicles so they don't pop you in the head. And many mornings you'll have to be throwing buckets of hot water on your car so that the doors unfreeze so that you can get in. The city sucks when it comes to clearing the little streets of snow, which is bad because often they are the ultimate thing you want to use when the major streets get too crowded. So because of that, we use a lot of salt, you know the kind that melts snow, here, so if you have a dog you have to get it little mittens or something to protect their pads at the bottom of their feet since the salt can damage them.

Yes. It is always colder by the lake. The closer to the lakefront you get, the colder it gets. I don't know about it being super windy, but there is definitely a breeze there. I remember that when we went to texas and florida and california I was all "there's something funny about here. Why isn't the air moving?" Lol, there is ALWAYS a breeze in Chicago, its usually a great thing in the summer, but HORRIBLE in the winter, because the wind chill makes everything a hundred times worse.

Finally, if you have kids that go to school or if you go to school, let me warn you ahead of time: CPS SCHOOLS NEVER EVER CLOSE DUE TO SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES OR SNOWSTORMS. NEVER! Lol, I've lived here my whole life and I've NEVER had a snow day, not unless my mom called to say there was no way she was sending me, and I still got an unexcused abscence. So yeah, hopefully you don't go to school anymore. I remember it was negative thirty with the wind chill one day, and almost everyone was at school even though we all head to take trains and buses to school. It was funny lol, there were kids all over the place with two pairs of pants on. =D

Personally, I think the winters are fine. I'm only telling you the horror story here lol. Just add in some extra travel time and keep your car in a garage if possible. Basically, if you wear boots, a sweater, scarf, decent coat, earmuffs or hat, and maybe two pairs of gloves you'll be fine. But honestly, GLOVES AND BOOTS ARE SUUUUPPPER IMPORTANT!!! Your feet and hands get really really cold fast lol! And don't fret, everything else in Chicago is worth the winter!!! Summer and spring and fall are lovely here!

It's worse than New Jersey.

The past 2 years have been very bad winters in Chicago, so you may have some subjective answers here.

The biggest difference is that you will experience more bitter cold days in Chicago in the winter.

2 years ago we had record snowfall and last year we had record freezing temperatures.

Normally, between December and March, you will average 20-40 degrees with January/February being more on the lower end.

It does get below freezing at times. Last year we had a few days where the high's were -5.

It does get cold here in the winter, as you'd expect. In Chicago, the temps aren't extremely brutal all the time. In my opinion, it's usually the amount of snow and ice that fall that make the commutes a living hell. I'm actually from northwest Indiana, not too far from Chicago.

Needless to say, Chicago weather, especially in the winter time, is a character builder.

I bought a house in Arizona to get out of the brutal Chicago winters. Yes, the Lake effect and the wind make it worse. I grew up in Chicago, went to school here, and worked here until I retired. Now, I visit in the summers.

No, it is not intolerable. Driving on ice makes one apprehensive, but there is a feeling of accomplishment when you survive another winter. I remember schools closing in 1967, 64º below zero in the eighties, piles of snow, but I am proud to be a Chicagoan. It's just easier and more fun to play golf and tennis outside all year round in Phoenix.

I'm from the suburbs of Minneapolis and it gets pretty cold in the Chicago area because of Lake Michigan. Up here, we mainly get our cold from the Rocky Mountains and Canada. Pretty much in any place North of Chicago, you'll deal with 10's, single digits, or negative 10's. Don't except school to cancel at all. I've went to school with the wind chill down to -36. And when I was in elementary school, I've gone out in single digit temps.

Winter is cold but it hardly gets to 10 degrees. The lake brings wind to the city tho.

It depends on someone's level of tolerance for cold/snowy/windy weather. There will be days when it's probably best not to even leave the house; but those days are few and far between.

The average high and low temps for Chgo are

Nov 31.6°F 47.1°F

Dec 20.4°F 34.4°F

Jan 14.3°F 29.6°F

Feb 19.2°F 34.7°F

Mar 28.5°F 46.1°F

We had a particularly bad winter this 08/09.It snowed ALOT and one night on my way home from work I remember seeing -12 on one of those bank signs.It can get really bad.

chicago could get very cold in winter we have crazy weather thats the beauty about chi-town lol,,,, yes the lake does make it cooler.

It's brutal in Winter. Prepare your car and prepare your dress wardrobe and you'll be fine

Yes.

(Both yes, and no for several reasons.)

It does get extremely cold and intolerable, and it frequently goes below zero. You also have to be very prepared for EVERYTHING. That includes your car and clothing. Depending on where you live, it also could mean the supplies you have in your house. I personally like the snow, but I despise the nose-bleed winters. Driving is a serious pain, and you will have to call in sick thanks to the ice covered roads. Yes, the lake does make it VERY frigid and you get a lot of lake effect snow. If you are prepared for the cold, it will be very easy and enjoyable to play in the snow. If you are not prepared, it will be misery.

The fall is gorgeous here. It can get a little nippy, but it won't slip below freezing every day.