Weekly note

Chicago or Seattle?

2,762 km apart, both in United States. Each is scored month by month on the same ten years of climate readings, the public holidays that crowd it, and what the flight costs. This is where they part, and when.

Chicago is the better pick in March to May and September to November; Seattle in July to August; either in June. December to February are best avoided at both.

Month by month

Month JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Chicago 0° 8d 3° 7d 9° 9d 14° 12d 20° 11d 27° 10d 28° 11d 27° 10d 24° 8d 17° 10d 8° 6d 4° 7d
Seattle 8° 16d 7° 13d 11° 14d 14° 12d 18° 9d 21° 7d 25° 2d 25° 4d 21° 8d 15° 11d 10° 16d 8° 17d
Pick neitherneitherChicagoChicagoChicagoeitherSeattleSeattleChicagoChicagoChicagoneither

Each cell is that destination's own verdict for the month — sweet spot, ok or avoid — with its typical daily high and its rainy days ("11d"). The pick goes to the better verdict; with the same verdict, to the higher score, unless the two are within a whisker of each other, when it is either. A month both would avoid is neither. A dot marks a busy month.

Before you go

Both are in United States, so the currency, the plugs and the travel advice are the same: type A and B plugs, driving on the right, paying in the United states dollar. Everything for United States.

Between them

2,762 km as the crow flies, about 4h 17m in the air.

The flight time is estimated from the distance. A road, train or bus is named only where it was measured — flights from AeroDataBox, roads from OpenRouteService, timetables via Transitous — and none of it is a fare; the searches on each destination's page are where prices live.

Also compared

Every verdict here is the destination's own: ten years of climate readings, the public holidays that crowd it, and what the flight costs. The comparison is the difference between two pages, not a third opinion.