LOCATION · United States
Chicago Weather Radar & Live Satellite Map
What's the weather doing over Chicago and Lake Michigan right now?
Chicago gets the full menu of mid-continent weather: blazing humid summers, frigid winters, and dramatic transitions in between. With no mountains to slow systems down, weather moves quickly across the region — and Lake Michigan adds its own twist.
Open the live map over Chicago and switch on Precip Radar and Cloud Imagery.
What to watch over Chicago
- Severe thunderstorms & squall lines — in the warm season, long arcs of storms race in from the west. On radar a solid line of yellows and reds often means sudden strong wind, not just rain.
- Lake-effect snow — in winter, cold air crossing Lake Michigan throws down narrow, intense snow bands. They show as streamers on radar and can dump heavy snow on one neighborhood while another stays clear.
- Lake breezes — in summer the lake can hold the shoreline 10–15°F cooler than inland, sometimes shifting where storms fire.
Reading the map for Chicago
The prevailing flow is from the west and northwest, so storms generally approach from the left of the map. With nothing to block them, they can cover ground fast — pressing play on the time bar quickly reveals how soon a line will arrive.
Why radar sometimes lies here
Distant or shallow snow can sit below the radar beam, so a quiet-looking map during light lake-effect snow is common. Our explainer on why radar looks empty when it's raining covers this.
Open the live map over Chicago to track current conditions.
Frequently asked questions
What is lake-effect snow?
Lake-effect snow forms when cold air moves across the relatively warm water of Lake Michigan, picking up moisture that falls as intense, localized snow downwind. On radar it appears as long streamers lined up with the wind, and totals can vary enormously over short distances.
When is Chicago's severe weather season?
Severe thunderstorms are most common from late spring through summer, when warm, humid Gulf air collides with cooler air from the north. Watch for fast-moving lines of storms — squall lines — sweeping in from the west and northwest.
SEE IT LIVE
Everything in this guide is on one real-time map.