Wind Chill in Illinois

Illinois sits in the classic mid-latitude winter belt — enough snow to regularly close schools, not enough to build infrastructure for it. Across the 15 Illinois cities covered by SnowSense™, average annual snowfall is 31 inches. Chicago receive up to 37 inches in a typical winter; lower-latitude cities like Decatur see closer to 22.

School-closure decisions in Illinois often hinge on precipitation type as much as accumulation. Storms that cross the region frequently transition from snow to sleet to freezing rain and back, and the difference between a four-inch snow event and a one-inch ice-glaze event is invisible until the storm arrives. Districts tend to close preemptively when ice risk is in the forecast.

Pick a city above to see live snow day probability for your specific Illinois location. SnowSense™ refreshes every 30 minutes with live NWS forecast data, ice-risk modeling, and Illinois-calibrated closure thresholds.

Schools in Illinois typically close for cold alone when wind chills drop below dangerous thresholds. The exact threshold varies by district — urban districts with walking students tend to close at warmer wind chills than rural districts where all students ride buses.