The 10 Snowiest Cities In Illinois For 2022


We looked at the data to see which cities in Illinois have the most snow every year.

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Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our first time ranking the snowiest cities in Illinois.

Sure, a Saturday morning right after a foot of fluffy snow is the best thing ever. But that same amount of snow on Tuesday in Illinois can make a commute last forever. So just imagine it's the dead of winter, and the time of year when the ground is frozen, the air is bone chilling, and there are piles of dirty, nasty ice encrusted snow all over the place.

This is about the time of year when you're just about ready for spring -- especially in Mundelein, the snowiest place in Illinois.

So, put on your parkas, snow boots and your gloves and let's go outside to see which Illinois cities get dumped on the most every year. After analyzing all the cities in Illinois with a decent amount of people in them, we came up with this list as the 10 snowiest cities in Prairie State.

What's the snowiest place in Illinois with more than 5,000 people? That would be Mundelein with an average annual snowfall of 41.8 inches.

Read on below to see where your town ranked, you snow angels.

And if you already knew these places were snowy, check out the best places to live in Illinois or the cheapest places in Illinois.

The 10 Snowiest Cities In Illinois For 2022

1. Mundelein

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 31,624
Average Annual Snowfall: 41.8 inches
More on Mundelein: Real Estate |  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

2. Fox Lake

Fox Lake, IL

Source: Wikipedia User |
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 10,539
Average Annual Snowfall: 40.2 inches
More on Fox Lake: Real Estate |  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

3. Spring Grove

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 5,510
Average Annual Snowfall: 40.1 inches
More on Spring Grove: Real Estate |  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

4. Zion

Zion, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Original uploader was Dha | CC-BY-SA-3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 24,251
Average Annual Snowfall: 39.7 inches
More on Zion: Real Estate |  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

5. Gurnee

Gurnee, IL

Source: Wikipedia User B Garrett | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 31,136
Average Annual Snowfall: 39.5 inches
More on Gurnee: Real Estate |  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

6. Round Lake Beach

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 27,966
Average Annual Snowfall: 39.5 inches
More on Round Lake Beach: Real Estate |  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

7. Grayslake

Grayslake, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Richie Diesterheft from C | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 21,117
Average Annual Snowfall: 39.5 inches
More on Grayslake: Real Estate |  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

8. Libertyville

Libertyville, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Teemu008 from Palatine, I | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 20,395
Average Annual Snowfall: 39.5 inches
More on Libertyville: Real Estate |  Cost Of Living

9. Lake Zurich

Lake Zurich, IL

Source: Wikipedia User MinimalRM | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 19,923
Average Annual Snowfall: 39.5 inches
More on Lake Zurich: Real Estate |  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

10. Deerfield

Deerfield, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Shsilver at English Wikip | CC BY 3.0 us
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 18,588
Average Annual Snowfall: 39.5 inches
More on Deerfield: Real Estate |  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

How We Determined The Cities In Illinois With The Most Snow

In order to rank the snowiest cities in Illinois, we only had to scrape the database of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to see which cities in the Prairie State get the most annual snowfall.

Before we get too far, here are the annual snowfall rates for major cities:

  • Chicago -- 35.2 inches
  • Aurora -- 28.1 inches
  • Rockford -- 35.7 inches

There's a complete chart at the bottom.

If you're curious, here are the places that get the least amount of snow in Illinois with at least snow snowfall:

  1. Harrisburg -- 7.0 inches
  2. Metropolis -- 7.1 inches
  3. Benton -- 7.3 inches

For more Illinois reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Snowiest Places In Illinois

Rank City Snow (Inches) Population
1 Mundelein 41.8 31,624
2 Fox Lake 40.2 10,539
3 Spring Grove 40.1 5,510
4 Zion 39.7 24,251
5 Gurnee 39.5 31,136
6 Round Lake Beach 39.5 27,966
7 Grayslake 39.5 21,117
8 Libertyville 39.5 20,395
9 Lake Zurich 39.5 19,923
10 Deerfield 39.5 18,588
11 Round Lake 39.5 18,446
12 Lindenhurst 39.5 14,414
13 Antioch 39.5 14,386
14 Beach Park 39.5 13,833
15 Wauconda 39.5 13,140
16 Gages Lake 39.5 10,025
17 Lake Villa 39.5 8,878
18 Long Grove 39.5 8,086
19 Round Lake Park 39.5 7,957
20 Hawthorn Woods 39.5 7,634
21 Park City 39.5 7,432
22 Lincolnshire 39.5 7,271
23 Winthrop Harbor 39.5 6,849
24 Lakemoor 39.5 6,535
25 Lake Bluff 39.5 5,813
26 Grandwood Park 39.5 5,757
27 Highwood 39.5 5,391
28 Buffalo Grove 39.4 41,591
29 Vernon Hills 39.4 25,768
30 Waukegan 39.2 88,570
31 North Chicago 38.8 29,925
32 Arlington Heights 37.7 75,802
33 Lake Forest 37.3 18,951
34 Elmwood Park 37.2 24,971
35 Glenview 37.1 45,969
36 Melrose Park 37.1 25,491
37 River Forest 37.1 11,233
38 Island Lake 36.7 8,041
39 Niles 36.6 29,955
40 Park Ridge 36.5 37,608
41 Des Plaines 36.4 58,930
42 Morton Grove 36.4 23,472
43 Mount Prospect 36.3 54,710
44 Skokie 36.0 65,061
45 Lincolnwood 36.0 12,666
46 Evanston 35.8 75,603
47 Rockford 35.7 150,283
48 Oak Park 35.7 52,080
49 Wilmette 35.7 27,420
50 Mchenry 35.7 26,739
51 Elk Grove Village 35.5 33,333
52 Cicero 35.3 84,361
53 Rolling Meadows 35.3 23,401
54 Chicago 35.2 2,717,534
55 Berwyn 35.1 56,706
56 Highland Park 35.0 29,789
57 Loves Park 35.0 24,494
58 Roselle 35.0 22,979
59 Forest Park 34.8 14,194
60 Machesney Park 34.7 23,037
61 Roscoe 34.7 10,536
62 Glencoe 34.7 8,881
63 Rockton 34.7 7,567
64 Schaumburg 34.6 74,559
65 Bellwood 34.6 19,190
66 Cary 34.6 18,038
67 Johnsburg 34.6 6,321
68 Lyons 34.5 10,668
69 Palatine 34.2 69,188
70 Oak Lawn 34.2 56,980
71 Wheeling 34.2 37,982
72 Calumet City 34.2 37,184
73 Northbrook 34.2 33,572
74 Chicago Heights 34.2 30,428
75 Burbank 34.2 29,157
76 Oak Forest 34.2 28,134
77 Harvey 34.2 25,773
78 Woodstock 34.2 25,247
79 Maywood 34.2 24,138
80 South Holland 34.2 22,124
81 Alsip 34.2 19,396
82 Matteson 34.2 19,159
83 Franklin Park 34.2 18,410
84 Palos Hills 34.2 17,596
85 Westchester 34.2 16,783
86 Lemont 34.2 16,513
87 Prospect Heights 34.2 16,370
88 La Grange 34.2 15,709
89 Midlothian 34.2 14,906
90 Norridge 34.2 14,856
91 Chicago Ridge 34.2 14,407
92 Richton Park 34.2 13,744
93 La Grange Park 34.2 13,649
94 Justice 34.2 13,015
95 Winnetka 34.2 12,407
96 Northlake 34.2 12,353
97 Schiller Park 34.2 11,834
98 Summit 34.2 11,447
99 Crestwood 34.2 11,027
100 Barrington 34.2 10,576
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About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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