Chicago weather early-mid April?
 

I am contemplating taking a trip to Chicago in early April and was wondering on average, what the weather is like that time of year? I'm hoping to go to the Brookfield Zoo-- is there a good chance it will be warm enough and dry enough to be outdoors or would mid May be a better choice? Thanks

Both of those times are dicey. You could experience 60-75 degrees or it could be sleeting. We have seen miserable weather on Memorial Day in some years. Very hard to predict.

Spring here is pretty unpredictable but mid-May would be safer IMO. According to Weather.com, they have about the same amount of rain but May is 15 degrees warmer on average.

YET, the Brookfield Zoo especially, IMHO, is terrific in spring- regardless of weather. You are outside, but also inside quite a bit. Primate house, desert, swamp, bird etc. houses are all very large and indoors. Actually we go about 3 times a year and never in the summer. In summer some of the houses get so hot that it is like a sauna.

I'm a Brookfield Zoo member and have been a docent. Don't get me started on this zoo. If you have children there is a play / interactive area beyond the Children's Zoo itself. My daughter takes her boys there about 6 or 7 times a year- just to do art, clay, dress-up etc. with the docents and their animals. Do a search on their web site to sign up for activities, if interested.

It depends upon what you consider "good" weather. To me April is terrific for the zoo, at the worst you would need an umbrella. The last few years we have had good April weather.

I would definitely wait until May if you have that option. While there are years that we have decent weather in April, it tends to be a few days here and there. I know that last April was nice enough that a friend and I were able to walk to our school lunch jobs pretty much every day that month. So odds are it won't be that nice this year!

JJ5 and I must have been writing at the same time! She makes some very good points about the zoo and the weather. Guess a lot of it depends on whether you're planning to do anything other than the zoo.

I've been in Chicago in early to mid-April when it was 70 degrees and sunny on Wednesday, and 30 and snowing heavily by Saturday.

Okay, great thanks for the responses. I think the weather at that time will be too unpredictable for me; I'll wait till May or go in the early fall. Thanks

Well, if early fall is an option, you might consider that--I think early fall is Chicago's most gorgeous season!

Absolutely wait untl fall. We have the best weather then, as well as the best chance of having good weather. As for the zoo, honestly I think the outdoor exhibits are some of the worst of any zoo I've been too. The indoor exhibits are spectacular though.