Dear Tom,
Has there ever been an October that was colder than the following November in Chicago, or a November that was colder than the following December, or a December that was colder than the following January?
— Jim Altic
Dear Jim,
Chicago’s average temperatures in October, November, December and January are, respectively, 52.5 degrees, 40.3, 27.7 and 23.7.
In 147 years of official Chicago temperature records (1871-2017), October has never been colder than November in any given year. However, November has been colder than December in four years. Those years and their November/December temperatures: 1877 (40.0/43.4); 1889 (38.6/40.7); 1891 (33.8/35.4); and 1959 (33.4/35.8).
In the winter, when temperatures are rather uniformly cold, December has been colder than January 33 times, most recently 2016-17.
