Chicago experiences higher temperatures longer than outlying suburbs due to the urban heat-island effect . Its location next to Lake Michigan’s warm waters explains why the city and nearby suburbs freeze later in the year than their farther-out counterparts.

Here’s a look back at when our area typically experiences its first freeze and first snowfall of fall.

First fall freeze

The earliest first freeze on record occurred Sept. 22, 1995, at O’Hare International airport. The latest was Nov. 24, 1931.

The first freeze in 2025 happened on Nov. 9. In 2024, it was Nov. 20. It happened on Oct. 31 in 2023.

“The first freeze , which is when the temperature drops at or below 32 degrees, typically occurs between Oct. 11 and Oct. 12 across the Chicago suburbs and Oct. 21 to Oct. 30 in the cit

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