Champaign, Illinois Weather
Sun climbs to its northern throne. Day 88 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Champaign weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 15Mostly Clear——74°55°—
- TuesdayJun 16Drizzle38%0.03″75°55°+1°
- WednesdayJun 17T-storm w/ Hvy Hail96%—81°54°+6°
- ThursdayJun 18Light Drizzle96%—74°56°-7°
- FridayJun 19Light Drizzle——72°55°-2°
- SaturdayJun 20Overcast14%—70°55°-2°
- SundayJun 21Light Drizzle45%0.09″66°61°-4°
AQI 28 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). Ozone at AQI 35 now. With UV 6.8 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 32 around 1 PM.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion during the projected peak around 9 PM.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 35 now. With UV 6.8 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 32 around 1 PM.
- Present
- AQI 35
- UV peak
- 6.8 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 32
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 5.0 µg/m³ (AQI 28) with a 0.91 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in calm air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.91
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).








































A summer fog for fair, a winter fog for rain.
- Moonrise
- 5:26 AM
- Moonset
- 8:40 PM
- In sign
- ♋︎ Cancer
Sun climbs to its northern throne
Champaign at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 9°F below the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: April 17 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jun 11–15
- Planting window: Stake and prune tomato suckers. Watch for squash vine borers.
16-Day Forecast — Champaign
- Mon74°55°0%
- Tue75°55°38%
- Wed81°54°96%
- Thu74°56°96%
- Fri72°55°2%
- Sat70°55°14%
- Sun66°61°45%
- Mon72°57°45%
- Tue72°52°18%
- Wed75°56°10%
- Thu80°60°9%
- Fri86°69°23%
- Sat89°74°46%
- Sun88°73°26%
- Mon80°67°35%
- Tue81°64°45%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Champaign
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of June 15, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Champaign
SPC has placed Champaign in the Enhanced Risk category for severe thunderstorms day after tomorrow.
- TODAYNONENo severe risk
- TOMORROWMRGLMarginal Risk
- DAY 3ENHEnhanced Risk
Numerous severe storms likely. Tornadoes, large hail, and damaging wind gusts possible across the area. Track NWS warnings if storms develop.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook. Outlooks are re-issued multiple times per day; this page reflects the most recent SPC polygons covering the city’s coordinates.
Microseason · June 11–15
Sun climbs to its northern throne
Days lengthen toward solstice; longest light lingers until after 8 PM, heat building steadily.
Day 166 of 365 · Wedge 33 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Champaign's warmest month is July (~75°F mean) and its coldest is January (~26°F). Rainfall peaks in May (4.8 inches) and bottoms out in February (2.2 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 2.3″ | 5 |
| February | 30° | 2.2″ | 5 |
| March | 41° | 2.8″ | 6 |
| April | 52° | 3.9″ | 8 |
| May | 63° | 4.8″ | 9 |
| June | 72° | 4.6″ | 7 |
| July | 75° | 4.5″ | 7 |
| August | 74° | 3.5″ | 6 |
| September | 67° | 3.4″ | 5 |
| October | 55° | 3.4″ | 6 |
| November | 41° | 3.2″ | 6 |
| December | 31° | 2.4″ | 5 |
Regional context
Champaign swings from 26°F in January to 75°F in July (50°F) per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals; precipitation in Champaign runs about 40.9 inches on roughly 74 measurable days.
Summer convection drives Champaign's precipitation: May logs 4.8 inches on 8.6 rainy days, against February's 2.2 inches on 4.6 — warm-season storms carry Champaign's moisture. That summer-storm rhythm groups Champaign with places like Savoy, IL, Urbana, IL and Bondville, IL.
Around mid-April, Champaign sheds its freezing nights — kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips go into Champaign's beds. Heat-demanding starts go out a fortnight on in Champaign, after the soil warms and cold snaps clear. Frost returns to Champaign near mid-November, ending the tender-crop season. Champaign's low ground holds frost later into spring than Champaign's benches, which run 3-5 days ahead.
Similar climates: Savoy, IL, Urbana, IL, Bondville, IL, Mahomet, IL, Seymour, IL.
Naturalist notes
Red-winged blackbirds return to cattail marshes around Champaign in mid-March, their territorial calls marking spring's arrival.
Wild bergamot begins blooming in late May, attracting native bees to prairie remnants throughout the area.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Champaign?
- Champaign's last spring frost lands near mid-April, and in Champaign the first fall frost follows around mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Champaign?
- May is the wettest month in Champaign, about 4.8 inches on average; the year totals roughly 41 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Champaign?
- On average July tops the year in Champaign at about 75°F.
- What is the coldest month in Champaign?
- The coldest stretch in Champaign falls in January, around 26°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Champaign?
- In Champaign, sow peas and hardy greens around mid-April; Champaign's tomatoes and peppers wait two weeks more.
- How many rainy days does Champaign get?
- Expect roughly 74 wet days a year in Champaign.
- What hardiness zone is Champaign?
- Because Champaign bottoms near 26°F in January, that winter low sets Champaign's USDA zone — verify by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Champaign?
- Champaign's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Champaign?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Champaign in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Champaign?
- Current conditions for Champaign and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Champaign forecast updated?
- The Champaign forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Champaign?
- Day length in Champaign peaks around the June solstice — earliest sunrise and latest sunset — and is shortest near the December solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Champaign?
- The next few days in Champaign's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
The humid subtropical climate of Champaign, Illinois carries typical Januarys near 26°F and Julys around 75°F — 49°F of seasonal travel.
Yearly precipitation in Champaign totals around 41 inches, spread over about 74 days of rain or snow.
From 40.1°N, Champaign sees a 49°F seasonal swing that governs Champaign's planting and frost windows.
ZIP codes in Champaign
- 61822
- 61820
- 61821
- 61824
- 61825
- 61826