Time to have your car, truck or SUV’s AC checked before McHenry summer rolls in

Summer is rolling into McHenry. That means

hot days are ahead. Now is the time to have
your car, truck or SUV's AC checked.

What kind of summer can we expect this year in McHenry? Will we have a blistering-hot summer or a milder version of the season in the summer of 2026? Yes, it’s still more than a month away. But it’s still coming.

Not only is summer coming to McHenry, it’ll be here before you know it. In fact, summer-like weather is likely to come our way before the official first-day of summer arrives Sunday, June 21. And when summer weather arrives, there’s something you want from your car, truck and SUV that you don’t so much need the rest of the year. AIR-CONDITIONING!!!

Many people turn on the AC when the outside temperature tops 70 degrees. Some roll down the windows until the temperature approaches 80 degrees. Wherever you fall in that scale, when it gets hot outside, you’re probably going to want the air conditioning to do its job when you call upon it.

The average temperature in May of 2025 was 66.4 degrees, according to the Waukegan National Airport Station. That included 86 degrees on May 16 last year, keeping in mind that Waukegan probably had some lake-effect keeping the temperature there down a little.

The average temperature in June of 2025 was 75.6 degrees. That included 6 days that topped 90 degrees. In July, the average temperature was 79.7 degrees with only four days above 90 degrees, but there were more days in the upper 80s, too. And in August the average temperature was 78.1 degrees with four days in the 90s. In September, the average temperature was 72.3 degrees with several days that came close to 90.

In other words, we had two weeks where temperatures were in the 90s and a number of those in the upper 90s. From May through September, we had 33 days over 80 degrees.

What this all comes down to is that, regardless of the kind of summer we have this year, you can be assured there will be days when you’ll probably want the comfort your car, truck or SUV’s air conditioning offers, assuming it operates efficiently.

Checking your car, truck or SUV’s air conditioning

One way to check your car, truck or SUV’s AC is to turn the thermostat down low, turn the fan and the AC on and hold your hand in front of a vent. You should feel cool air. But that may not be a proper test of your air conditioning.

The problem is that, when it’s not very hot out, the AC doesn’t have to work as hard to do the job. The real test is when the temperature outside spikes in the 80- and 90-degree range.

A trusted auto repair shop in the McHenry area can put your air conditioner on a load to see how it will do in all kinds of heat. And this is a good time for that test considering that summer is definitely coming.

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