Chicago Weather, and What to Pack

Since many of you may not have visited Chicago at the end of May, we thought it would be helpful to provide some information on what kinds of clothes to pack for our weather. To help with planning, you can go here for a 10-day forecast. If you check back before packing you can be well-prepared.

Casual and comfortable (not grubby) will be fine. Jeans, skirts, or even nice shorts are perfectly appropriate. For the restaurants we've chosen, a light cardigan or jacket can be added for a little more polish, and to keep you from getting chilled in the air conditioning.

Average high temperatures in late May are in the low 70's, with average lows in the low 50's. It's not unusual though, to have high temperatures in the upper-50's to low 60's, especially if there's rain, or even low-to-mid 80's sometimes.

A compact umbrella might be a good thing to have handy in case of light rain. Fortunately most of our events will include indoor components in case of thunderstorms, (not unusual this time of year.) Sun screen and/or a hat might be advisable too.

Light layers are suggested, including a light sweater and/or jacket . Morning temperatures are usually several degrees cooler than afternoon highs, and it will be cooler again in the evenings. In the shadows of tall buildings downtown, it can often feel much cooler than being in a more open area in full sun. And they don't call Chicago 'The Windy City' for nothing! The lake and the tall buildings tend to increase wind velocity.

Comfortable footwear is advisable since we'll be doing some walking.

We hope this information will help you prepare for your trip. If you have more questions about the weather or what to wear, please feel free to post them here.