Since Thanksgiving doesn’t occur on the same date each year, the temperature and precipitation values can vary dramatically.
Here’s a look back at the warmest, coldest, wettest and snowiest Thanksgiving holidays in Chicago, going back to 1872. Data is from the National Weather Service and was measured at the city’s official recording site, which has been O’Hare International Airport since Jan. 17, 1980. For almost a century prior to that, sites around downtown Chicago, the University of Chicago and Midway International Airport were used to gather definitive weather data.
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Warmest
Chicago experienced its warmest Thanksgiving on Nov. 24, 1966, when it was 69 degrees.
In 2023, the high was 48 degrees.
Coldest
Chicago experienced its lowest low Thanksgiving temperature on Nov. 23, 1950, when it was -1 degrees.
In 2023, the low was 32 degrees.
Wettest
Rain accumulating in more than 1 inch of precipitation has occurred once since 1872, according to the National Weather Service.
But at least a little bit of rain tends to fall on Thanksgiving — precipitation ranging from a trace to more than an inch has fallen in more than half of the almost 150 years on record.
Snowiest
Since 1872, snowfall of more than a trace has been recorded just 17 times on Thanksgiving.
A record snowfall of 3 inches fell at O’Hare airport on Nov. 27, 1980.
Sources: National Weather Service Chicago; Tribune archives and reporting
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