Wednesday, November 28, 2012

November 21: ORD

Today is November 21st. It's the 326th day of the year. 40 days remain. It's week 47 of the year.
 

Unless noted, the following data is based upon observations collected by the National Weather Service, Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) between November 1978 and last year. ORD has been the official site of record for Chicago since Thursday, January 17, 1980. Before this, the official site was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before that, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 45 and the normal low is 30. I've calculated the 34-year averages at 45 and 30.


On the warm side, in 1990 (O'Hare's warmest November 21st) the high was 66 (O'Hare's warmest high of the date) with a low of 49 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). In 1979 (O'Hare's second warmest November 21st) the high was 60 with a low of 47 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). Two years ago, in 2010, the high was 60 with a low of 41. The other warm highs were 61 degrees in 1973 and 57 degrees in 1992.
The record high of 72 degrees and record warmest low of 62 degrees were set on the same warm day back in 1913, at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 29 of the past 34 highs (85%) were in the: 30s (9), 40s (10) and 50s (10). There have been no highs in the 30s following the high of 37 degrees in 1996, but both 20s highs occurred after 1996! Three highs were in the warm 60s. Two highs were in the cold 20s. The other warm day was in 1963 as the high was 62 (O'Hare's second warmest high of the date) with a low of 43. There have been no highs of 70 degrees or higher or lows of 50 degrees or higher on November 21st in O'Hare's history.

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 36 with a low of 29, a seven degree spread. In 1975 the high was 39 with a low of 33, a six degree spread. In 1974 the high was 38 with a low of 31, a seven degree spread. In 1973 the high was a warm 61 degrees. In 1972 the high was 37 with a low of 31, a six degree spread. In 1970 the high was 55, then a cold front came through and by the 23rd, the low was 10, a 45 degree drop! In 1967 the high was 40 with a low of 33, a seven degree spread. In 1964 the high was just 15 with a low of 5, a cold day. In 1963 the high was 62 with a low of 43, a warm day.


More recently, there were no
large spreads. There were small spreads of four degrees in 1988 (35/31), five degrees in 1978 (31/26), six degrees last year, in 2011 (47/41) and seven degrees in 1996 (37/30). 

On the cool side, in 2000 (O'Hare's second coolest November 21st) the high was 24 (O'Hare's second coolest high of the date) with a low of 14 (O'Hare's third coldest low of the date). In 2008 the high was 29 with a low of 17. In 1985 the high was 35 with a low of 13 (O'Hare's second coldest low of the date). In 1981 the high was 30 with a low of 20. In 1987 the high was 35 with a low of 16. The other cold low was 16 degrees in 1984. The other cool high was 31 degrees in 1978. The record low of 1 degree and record coolest high of 11 degrees were set on the same cold day way back in 1880, at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 16 of the last 34 lows (47%) were in the 30s. 13 lows (38%) were in the cold: 10s (a.k.a. teens) (5) and 20s (8). Five lows (15%) were in the warm 40s. O'Hare's coolest November 21st was in 1964 as the high was 15 (O'Hare's coolest high and only 10s (a.k.a. teens) high and low of 5 (O'Hare's coldest and only single digit low of the date), overall 28 degrees below normal. The high is 30 degrees below normal and the low is 25 degrees below normal!

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:21 and sunrise is at 6:52. Sunset is at 16:27 and twilight ends at 16:57. There's a total of 9 hours, 35 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 36 minutes between twilights. We lost one minute of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:22 and sunrise is at 6:53. The moon is waxing gibbous, having reached first quarter yesterday at 8:31. Illumination was 57% at midnight, will be 62% at noon and 67% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 0:03 this morning. Moonrise is at 12:48 this afternoon. Moonset is at 1:06 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 15 minutes which is 25 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Cool Fall began on November 2nd and runs for 29 days through November 30th. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Highs in the 20s, 60s and 70s occur infrequently. Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Pearl Harbor Day is in 16 days.

Monday, November 26, 2012

November 20: ORD

Today is November 20th. It's the 325th day of the year. 41 days remain. It's week 47 of the year.  
 

Unless noted, the following data is based upon observations collected by the National Weather Service, Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) between November 1978 and last year. ORD has been the official site of record for Chicago since Thursday, January 17, 1980. Before this, the official site was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before that, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 46 and the normal low is 31. I've calculated the 34-year averages at 47 and 31.

On the warm side, in 1982 (O'Hare's warmest November 20th) the high was 66 (O'Hare's warmest high of the date) with a low of 42. A decade later, in 1992, the high was 63 with a low of 40. Two years later, in 1994, the high was 59 with a low of 44 (with 1963, O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). 1992 and 1994 are O'Hare's second warmest November 20ths. In 2007 the high was 55 with a low of 45 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). In 2003 the high was 65 (O'Hare's second warmest high of the date) with a low of 34, a 31 degree spread. The other warm highs were 60 degrees in 1975, 60 degrees in 1977, 60 degrees in 1979 and 58 degrees in: 1983 and the back-to-back years of 1989 and 1990. The
other warm lows were 44 degrees in 1963 (with 1994, O'Hare's second warmest low of the date) and 43 degrees in 2004. The record high of 68 degrees was originally set back in 1913 adjacent to Lake Michigan and then again in 1930 at the University of Chicago. The record warmest low of 62 degrees occurred back in 1913 adjacent to Lake Michigan. 28 of the past 34 highs (82%) were in the: 30s (8), 40s (10) and 50s (10). Four highs were in the warm 60s. Two highs were in the cold 20s. The other warm 11/20 day was in 1973 as the high was 58 with a low of 42. 

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable: in 1977 the high was a warm 60 degrees. In 1975 the high was a warm 60 degrees. In 1973 the high was a warm 58 with a low of 42, a warm day. In 1969 the high was 28 with a low of 15, a cold day. In 1968 the high was a cold 30 degrees with a low of 22, a cold day. In 1967 the high was a cold 34 with a low of 32, a mere two degree spread. In 1964 the high was 32 with a low of 13, a cold day. In 1963 low was a warm 44 degrees. 


More recently, there were no other large spreads. There were small spreads of four degrees in 1986 (37/33), seven degrees in 1978 (32/25), and seven degrees in 1998 (34/27). 

On the cool side, in 1985 (O'Hare's second coolest November 20th) the high was 27 with a low of 17 (O'Hare's third coldest low of the date). In 2000 the high was 29 (O'Hare's third coolest high of the date) with a low of 18 (tied with 1984 as O'Hare's fourth coldest low of the date). The other cool highs were 32 degrees in 1978, 33 degrees in 1987, 34 degrees in 1967, 34 degrees in 1996 and 34 degrees in 1998. The other cold low, as just mentioned, was 18 degrees in 1984. Note that back-to-back 10s (a.k.a. teens) lows occurred in 1984 and 1985. The record low of 8 degrees was set way back in 1873. The record coolest high of 20 degrees occurred way back in 1887. Both records occurred at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 24 of the last 34 lows (71%) were in the: 20s (12) and 30s (12). Six consecutive 20s and 30s lows occurred from 1986 through 1991. Three lows (9%) were in the cold 10s (a.k.a. teens). Seven lows (20%) were in the warm 40s. O'Hare's coolest November 20th was in 1969 as the high was 28 (O'Hare's second coolest high of the date) with a low of 15 (O'Hare's second coldest low of the date). The other cool 11/20 days were in: 1964 (high of 32, low of 13 (O'Hare's coldest low of the date)) and 1968 (high of 30, low of 22).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:20 and sunrise is at 6:51. Sunset is at 16:27 and twilight ends at 16:58. There's a total of 9 hours, 36 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 38 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:21 and sunrise is at 6:52. The moon reaches first quarter today at 8:31. Illumination was 46% at midnight, will be 52% at noon and 57% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 12:20 this afternoon. Moonset is at 0:03 tomorrow. Moonrise is at 12:48 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 40 minutes which is 31 minutes longer than yesterday.

Cool Fall began on November 2nd and runs for 29 days through November 30th. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Highs in the 20s, 60s and 70s occur infrequently. Thanksgiving is in two days. Pearl Harbor Day is in 17 days.

November 19: ORD

Today is November 19th. It's the 324th day of the year. 42 days remain. It's week 47 of the year.
 

Unless noted, the following data is based upon observations collected by the National Weather Service, Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) between November 1978 and last year. ORD has been the official site of record for Chicago since Thursday, January 17, 1980. Before this, the official site was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before that, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.  

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 46 and the normal low is 31. I've calculated the 34-year averages at 50 and 33.


On the warm side, in 1983 the high was 63 with a low of 51 (O'Hare's warmest and only 50s low of the date). In 1991 the high was 70 (O'Hare's warmest and only 70s high of the date) with a low of 44. 1983 and 1991 are O'Hare's co-warmest November 19ths. In 1979 (O'Hare's second warmest November 19th) the high was 65 (O'Hare's second warmest high of the date) with a low of 47. Three years later, in 1982, the high was 60 with a low of 48. In 2004 the high was 55 with a low of 49 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date), a six degree spread. Last year, in 2011, the high was 58 with a low of 44. The other warm highs were 63 degrees in 1985, 59 degrees in 1999 and 59 degrees in 2007.
The other warm low of 44 degrees occurred in 1974. The record high of 75 degrees was set back in 1930 and the record warmest low of 61 degrees occurred back in 1934. Both records occurred at the University of Chicago. 25 of last 34 highs (73%) were in the: 40s (13) and 50s (12). There were 14 consecutive 40s and 50s highs from 1998 through last year, 2011. Five highs (15%) were in the warm: 60s (4) and 70s (1). All of the post 1977 60s and 70s highs occurred from 1979 through 1991. Four highs (12%) were in the cold 30s. The other warm day was in 1975 as the high was 65 with a low of 39.  

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable: in 1975 the high was a warm 65 with a low of 39, a warm day. In 1974 the low was a warm 44 degrees. In 1972 the high was 39 with a low of 33, a six degree spread. In 1971 the high was 43 with a low of 37, a six degree spread. In 1969 the high was 32 with a low of 19, a cold day. In 1968 the high was a cold 34 with a low of 27, a seven degree spread. In 1964 the high was a cold 32 with a low of 19, a cold day. In 1961 the high was a cold 33 with a low of 30, a mere three degree spread.


More recently, there was a large spread of 37 degrees in 1985 (63/26). There were additional small spreads of three degrees in 1992 (42/39), six degrees two years ago, in 2009 (47/41), seven degrees in 1986 (34/27) and seven degrees in 1988 (48/41). 

On the cool side, in 1997 (O'Hare's second coolest November 19th) the high was 33 (with 1961, O'Hare's second coolest high of the date) with a low of 22. In the previous year of 1996, the high was 32 with a low of 26, a six degree spread. The other cool highs were 33 degrees in 1961 (with 1997, O'Hare's second coolest high of the date), 34 degrees in 1968 and 34 degrees in 1986. The record low of 10 degrees and record coolest high of 22 degrees were set on the same cold day way back in 1894, at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 26 of the last 34 lows (76%) were in the: 20s (15) and 30s (11). O'Hare recorded 12 consecutive lows in the 20s and 30s from 1992 through 2003. Eight lows (24%) were in the warm: 40s (7) and 50s (1). O'Hare's coolest November 19ths were in: 1964 (high of 32, low of 19) and 1969 (high of 32, low of 19). Those lows of 19 degrees are also O'Hare's coldest lows of the date. To recap, O'Hare's coolest highs of 32 degrees occurred in 1964, 1969 and 1996.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:19 and sunrise is at 6:49. Sunset is at 16:28 and twilight ends at 16:59. There's a total of 9 hours, 39 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 40 minutes between twilights. We lost two minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:20 and sunrise is at 6:51. The moon is waxing crescent, heading towards first quarter tomorrow at 8:31. Illumination was 36% at midnight, will be 41% at noon and 46% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 11:49 this morning. Moonset is at 22:58 tonight. Moonrise is at 12:20 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 9 minutes which is 32 minutes longer than yesterday.

Cool Fall began on November 2nd and runs for 29 days through November 30th. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Highs in the 20s, 60s and 70s occur infrequently. Thanksgiving is in three days. Pearl Harbor Day is in 18 days.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

November 18: ORD

Today is November 18th. It's the 323rd day of the year. 43 days remain. It's week 47 of the year.   
 

Unless noted, the following data is based upon observations collected by the National Weather Service, Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) between November 1978 and last year. ORD has been the official site of record for Chicago since Thursday, January 17, 1980. Before this, the official site was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before that, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 47 and the normal low is 32. I've calculated the 34-year averages at 48 and 33.


On the warm side, in 1979 the high was 71 with a low of 44. Two decades later, in 1999, history repeated as the high was again 71 with a low of 44. 1979 and 1999 are O'Hare's co-warmest November 18th days and the highs of 71 degrees are O'Hare's co-warmest highs of the date. In 1991 the high was 67 (O'Hare's third warmest high of the date) with a low of 44. A decade after that, in 2001, the high was 63 with a low of 48. In 1985 the high was 60 with a low of 50 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). In 2004 the high was 61 with a low of 49 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). The year prior, in 2003, the high was 61 with a low of 48. The other warm high was 60 degrees in 1998.
The record high of 72 degrees was set in 1953 at Midway. The record warmest low of 55 degrees occurred back in 1941 at the University of Chicago. 25 of the past 34 highs (74%) were in the: 30s (7), 40s (10) and 50s (8). Eight highs (23%) were in the warm: 60s (6) and 70s (2). Our most recent 60s highs were 61 degrees in both 2003 and 2004. One high (3%) was in the cold 20s. O'Hare's second warmest November 18th was in 1975 as the high was 68 (O'Hare's second warmest high of the date) and low of 44. The other warm days were in: 1971 (high of 61, low of 43) and 1973 (high of 60, low of 43).

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 58 with a low of 26, a 32 degree spread. In 1975 the high was 68 with a low of 44, a warm day. In 1973 the high was a warm 60 with a low of 43, a warm day. In 1972 the high was a cold 35 with a low of 32, a three degree spread. In 1971 the high was 61 with a low of 43, a warm day. In 1969 the high was 55, then the temperature began falling to a low of 15 degrees on the 20th, a 40 degree plunge. In 1968 the high was 39 with a low of 34, a five degree spread. In 1965 the low was a cold 20 degrees. In 1959 the high was 32 with a low of 13, a cold day. 


More recently, there were no large spreads. There were small spreads of four degrees two years ago in 2009 (47/43), five degrees in 1995 (39/34), six degrees in 1992 (41/35), six degrees in 1996 (34/28) and six degrees in 2007 (43/37).

On the cool side, in 1989 (O'Hare's coolest November 18th) the high was 26 (O'Hare's coolest high and only 20s high of the date) with a low of 15 (O'Hare's second coldest low of the date). In 2000 the high was 32 (with 1959, O'Hare's second coolest high of the date) with a low of 21. In 2008 the high was 34 with a low of 21. The other cold low of 20 degrees occurred in 1965. The other cool highs were 34 degrees in 1996 and 35 degrees in 1972. The record low of 8 degrees was set way back in 1880. The record coolest high of 22 degrees occurred way back in 1903. Both records occurred at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 25 of the last 34 lows (74%) were in the: 20s (13) and 30s (12). One low (3%) was in the cold 10s (a.k.a. teens). Eight lows (23%) were in the warm: 40s (7) and 50s (1).  O'Hare's second coolest November 18th was in 1959 as the high was 32 (with 2000, O'Hare's second coolest high of the date) and low of 13 (O'Hare's coldest low of the date).

There was an instance of a warm year followed by a cold year and then back to a warm year. In 1999 the high was 71 with a low of 44, overall 18.5 degrees ABOVE normal. Then in 2000 the high was 32 with a low of 21, overall 12.5 degrees BELOW normal. Then in 2001 the high was 63 with a low of 48, overall 16.5 degrees ABOVE normal. We had back to back very warm years. In 2003 it was 15.5 degrees above normal (61/48) and in 2004 it was 16 degrees above normal (61/49).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:18 and sunrise is at 6:48. Sunset is at 16:29 and twilight ends at 16:59. There's a total of 9 hours, 41 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 41 minutes between twilights. We lost two minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:19 and sunrise is at 6:49. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 25% at midnight, will be 30% at noon and 36% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 11:13 this morning. Moonset is at 21:50 tonight. Moonrise is at 11:49 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 37 minutes which is 28 minutes longer than yesterday.

Cool Fall began on November 2nd and runs for 29 days through November 30th. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Highs in the 20s, 60s and 70s occur infrequently. Thanksgiving is in four days. Pearl Harbor Day is in 19 days.     

Thursday, November 22, 2012

November 17: ORD

Today is November 17th. It's the 322nd day of the year. 44 days remain. It's week 46 of the year. 
 

Unless noted, the following data is based upon observations collected by the National Weather Service, Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) between November 1978 and last year. ORD has been the official site of record for Chicago since Thursday, January 17, 1980. Before this, the official site was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before that, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 47 and the normal low is 32. I've calculated the 34-year averages at 47 and 31.


On the warm side, in 2004 the high was 63 with a low of 54 (with 1958, O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). In 1979 the high was 69 with a low of 41. In 2001 the high was 66 with a low of 38. The other warm high of 64 degrees occurred in 1987. The
other warm lows were 46 degrees in 1969 and 44 degrees three years ago in 2009. The record high of 74 degrees was originally set in 1952 and tied in 1971 and then again in 1975, all at Midway. The record warmest low of 60 degrees occurred in 1952 at Midway. 22 of the past 34 highs (65%) were in the: 40s (13) and 50s (9). There were seven consecutive 40s and 50s highs from 1980 through 1986. Our most recent 50s high was 54 degrees in 2003. Four highs (12%) were in the warm 60s. Eight highs (23%) were in the cold: 20s (1) and 30s (7). O'Hare's warmest November 17th was in 1958 as the high was 71 (with 1971, O'Hare's warmest high of the date) and low of 54 (with 2004, O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). The second warmest 11/17 was in 1963 as the high was 69 with a low of 55 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). The third warmest 11/17 was in 1971 as the high was 71 (with 1958, O'Hare's warmest high of the date) and low of 54. 1958 and 2004 had lows of 54 degrees, O'Hare's second warmest lows of the date. The other warm days were in: 1975 (high of 69, low of 49) and 1966 (high of 66, low of 45). The second warmest highs of 69 degrees occurred in 1963, 1975 and 1979.

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable: in 1975 the high was 69 with a low of 49, a warm day and year of the record high of 74 at Midway. In 1972 the high was 36 with a low of 31, a five degree spread. In 1971 the high was 71 with a low of 50, a warm day. In 1969 the high was 51 with a warm low of 46, a five degree spread. In 1968 the high was 42 with a low of 39, a mere three degree spread. In 1966 the high was 66 with a low of 45, a warm day. In 1963 the high was 69 with a low of 55, a warm day. In 1961 the high was 36 with a low of 31, a five degree spread. In 1959 the high was 13 with a low of 2, a cold day and year of both the record low of 3 degrees and record coldest high of 14 at Midway.
In 1958 the high was 71 with a low of 54, a warm day.

More recently, there were no large spreads. There were small spreads of three degrees three years ago in 2009 (47/44), five degrees in 2000 (32/27), six degrees in 1995 (38/32) and six degrees in 2006 (40/34).

On the cool side, in 2005 (O'Hare's second coolest November 17th) the high was 28 (O'Hare's second coolest high and only 20s high in its history for the date) with a low of 15. In 1989 the high was 34 with a low of 15. Those lows of 15 degrees are O'Hare's second coldest of the date. In 1997 the high was 34 with a low of 17 (O'Hare's third coldest low of the date). The other cold high was 32 degrees occurred in 2000. The record low of 3 degrees and record coolest high of 14 degrees were set on the same cold day in 1959 at Midway. 28 of the last 34 lows (82%) were in the: 20s (11) and 30s (17). Three lows were in the cold 10s (a.k.a. teens). These 10s lows occurred between 1989 and 2005. Three lows were in the warm: 40s (2) and 50s (1). O'Hare's coolest November 17th was in 1959 as the high was 13 (O'Hare's only 10s (a.k.a. teens) high of the date)) and low of 2 (O'Hare's only single digit low of the date). 

There was an instance of back-to-back years in which temperatures were just about as opposite as they can be. In 2004 the high was 63 with a low of 54, overall 18.5 degrees ABOVE normal. Then in 2005 the high was 28 with a low of 15, overall 18.5 degrees BELOW normal.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:17 and sunrise is at 6:47. Sunset is at 16:30 and twilight ends at 17:00. There's a total of 9 hours, 43 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 43 minutes between twilights. We lost a minute of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:18 and sunrise is at 6:48. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 16% at midnight, will be 20% at noon and 25% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 10:31 this morning. Moonset is at 20:40 tonight. Moonrise is at 11:13 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 9 minutes which is 20 minutes longer than yesterday.

Cool Fall began on November 2nd and runs for 29 days through November 30th. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Highs in the 20s, 60s and 70s occur infrequently. Thanksgiving is in five days. Pearl Harbor Day is in 20 days.    

November 16: ORD

Today is November 16th. It's the 321st day of the year. 45 days remain. It's week 46 of the year. 
 

Unless noted, the following data is based upon observations collected by the National Weather Service, Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) between November 1978 and last year. ORD has been the official site of record for Chicago since Thursday, January 17, 1980. Before this, the official site was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before that, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.
 
According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 48 and the normal low is 32. I've calculated the 34-year averages at 46 and 32.


On the warm side, in 1987 (along with 1958 and 1966, O'Hare's warmest November 16ths) the high was 61 with a low of 50 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date and the only 50s low in its history for the date). In 2004 the high was 56 with a low of 46. The other warm highs were 65 degrees in 1975 (O'Hare's second warmest high of the date), 64 degrees in 1988 (O'Hare's third warmest high of the date) and 60 degrees in 2001. The other warm low is 44 degrees three years ago in 2009. The record high of 73 degrees was set in 1952 at Midway. The record warmest low of 53 degrees occurred back in 1931
at the University of Chicago. 16 of the past 34 highs (47%) were in the 40s. 11 highs (32%) were in the warm: 50s (8) and 60s (3). Seven highs (21%) were in the cold: 20s (1) and 30s (6). There have been no 70s highs in O'Hare's history on November 16. The two years that are tied with 1987 as O'Hare's warmest November 16ths are: 1958 (high of 63, low of 48 (O'Hare's third warmest low of the date)) and 1966 (high of 62, low of 49 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date)). The other warm 11/16 days are in: 1971 (high of 68 (O'Hare's warmest high of the date), low of 40) and 1963 (high of 62, low of 42).

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable: in 1975 the high was a warm 65 degrees. In 1971 the high was a warm 68 with a low of 40, a warm day. In 1969 the high was 51 with a cold low of 20, a 31 degree spread. In 1968 the high was 46 with a low of 42, a mere four degree spread. In 1966 the high was 62 with a low of 49, a warm day. In 1963 the high was a warm 62 with a low of 42, a warm day. In 1962 the high was 48 with a low of 43, a five degree spread. In 1959 the high was 36 with a low of 6, a 30 degree spread, cold day and year of the record low, also of 6 at Midway. This was the only 0s low ever for the date at O'Hare.
In 1958 the high was 63 with a low of 48, a warm day.

More recently, there was a large spread of 32 degrees in 1988 (64/32). There were small spreads of four degrees two years ago (in 2009) (48/44), five degrees in 1993 (43/38), five degrees in 2002 (36/31), five degrees in 2003 (47/42) and six degrees in 2006 (43/37). 

On the cool side, in 1997 (O'Hare's second coolest November 16th) the high was 27 (O'Hare's only 20s high for the date) with a low of 17 (O'Hare's second coldest low of the date). In 1989 the high was 34 (O'Hare's second coolest high of the date) with a low of 18 (O'Hare's third coldest low of the date). These 10s (a.k.a. teens) lows were the only 10s lows in ORD history for the date. The other cool high of 36 degrees occurred in 2002. The record low of 6 degrees was set in 1959 at Midway. The record coolest high of 21 degrees was set back in 1933 at the University of Chicago. 25 of the last 34 lows (74%) were in the: 20s (10) and 30s (15). There were six consecutive 20s and 30s lows from 1990 through 1995. Two lows (6%) were in the cold 10s (a.k.a. teens). Seven lows (20%) were in the warm: 40s (6) and 50s (1). O'Hare's coolest November 16th was in 1959 as the high was 36 with a low of 6 (O'Hare's coldest low of the date and a low that equals the record low which was set at Midway).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:15 and sunrise is at 6:46. Sunset is at 16:30 and twilight ends at 17:01. There's a total of 9 hours, 44 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 46 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:17 and sunrise is at 6:47. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 8% at midnight, will be 12% at noon and 16% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 9:41 this morning. Moonset is at 19:30 tonight. Moonrise is at 10:31 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 49 minutes which is nine minutes longer than yesterday.

Cool Fall began on November 2nd and runs for 29 days through November 30th. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Highs in the 20s, 60s and 70s occur infrequently. Thanksgiving is in six days. Pearl Harbor Day is in 21 days.    

November 15: ORD

Today is November 15th. It's the 320th day of the year. 46 days remain. It's week 46 of the year.  
 

Unless noted, the following data is based upon observations collected by the National Weather Service, Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) between November 1978 and last year. ORD has been the official site of record for Chicago since Thursday, January 17, 1980. Before this, the official site was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before that, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.    

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 49 and the normal low is 33. I've calculated the 34-year averages at 48 and 34.


On the warm side, in 1990 the high was 70 (O'Hare's warmest high of the date and its only 70s high of the date) with a low of 52. In 2001 the high was 68 (with 1971, O'Hare's second warmest high of the date) with a low of 54 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). 1990 and 2001 are O'Hare's co-warmest November 15th days. In 1988 the high was 65 with a low of 47. The other warm highs were 64 degrees last year (in 2011), 63 degrees in 1987 and 62 degrees in 1981.
The other warm low was 45 degrees in 1962. The record high of 71 degrees was set in 1971 at Midway. The record high of 71 was originally set in 1953 and two years later in 1955, both at Midway. The record warmest low of 60 degrees occurred in 1960 at Midway. 16 of the past 34 highs (47%) were in the 40s. 13 highs (38%) were in the warm: 50s (7), 60s (5) and 70s (1). Five highs (15%) were in the cold 30s, most recently 39 degrees in 2000. O'Hare's second warmest November 15th was in 1960 as the high was 65 with a low of 55 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). The other warm 11/15 days were in: 1964 (high of 62, low of 53), 1971 (high of 68 (with 2001, O'Hare's second warmest high of the date), low of 41) and 1958 (high of 61, low of 46).

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the low was a cold 17 degrees. In 1972 the high was 38 with a low of 32, a mere six degree spread. In 1971 the high was a warm 68 with a low of 41, a warm day and year of the record high of 71 at Midway. In 1969 the high was 32 with a low of 20, a cold day. In 1968 the high was 46 with a low of 43, a mere three degree spread. In 1967 the high was 38 with a cold low of 20, a cold day. In 1964 the high was 62 with a low of 53, a warm day. In 1962 the low was a warm 45 degrees. In 1960 the high was 65 with a low of 55, a warm day and year of the record warmest low of 60 at Midway. In 1959 the high was 38 with a cold low of 13 degrees, a cold day.
In 1958 the high was 61 with a low of 46, a warm day.

More recently, there was a large spread of 30 degrees last year, in 2011 (64/34). There were small spreads of four degrees in 2002 (40/36), four degrees in 2003 (42/38), four degrees in 2006 (47/43), six degrees in 1993 (44/38), seven degrees in 1979 (47/40), seven degrees in 1985 (42/35), seven degrees in 1998 (46/39) and seven degrees in 2008 (42/35). 

On the cool side, in 1982 (O'Hare's coolest November 15th) the high was 34 with a low of 13 (with 1959, O'Hare's coldest low of the date). In 1995 the high was 34 with a low of 20. Three years earlier, in 1992, the high was 36 with a low of 21. Five years later, in 1997, the high was 34 with a low of 24. The highs of 34 degrees just mentioned are O'Hare's second coolest highs of the date. O'Hare's second coldest low of 17 degrees occurred in 1976. The record low of 10 degrees and record coolest high of 18 degrees were set on the same cold day back in 1933 at the University of Chicago. 20 of the last 34 lows (59%) were in the 30s. Eight lows (23%) were in the cold: 10s (1) and 20s (7). Six lows (18%) were in the warm: 40s (4) and 50s (2). O'Hare's second coolest November 15th was in 1959 as the high was 38 with a low of 13 (with 1982, O'Hare's coldest low of the date). The other cool days were in: 1969 (high of 32 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date), low of 20) and 1967 (high of 38, low of 20). 


The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:14 and sunrise is at 6:44. Sunset is at 16:31 and twilight ends at 17:01. There's a total of 9 hours, 47 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 47 minutes between twilights. We lost two minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:15 and sunrise is at 6:46. The moon is waxing crescent, having reached new two days ago at 16:08. Illumination was 3% at midnight, will be 5% at noon and 8% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 8:42 this morning. Moonset is at 18:22 tonight. Moonrise is at 9:41 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 40 minutes which is six minutes shorter than yesterday. Moonlight time is at its least today for the next several days.

Cool Fall began on November 2nd and runs for 29 days through November 30th. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Highs in the 20s, 60s and 70s occur infrequently. Thanksgiving is in seven days. Pearl Harbor Day is in 22 days.  

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

November 14: ORD

Today is November 14th. It's the 319th day of the year. 47 days remain. It's week 46 of the year. 
 

Unless noted, the following data is based upon observations collected by the National Weather Service, Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) between November 1978 and last year. ORD has been the official site of record for Chicago since Thursday, January 17, 1980. Before this, the official site was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before that, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.
 

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 49 and the normal low is 33. I've calculated the 34-year averages at 50 and 33.

On the warm side, in 2001 the high was 62 with a low of 51 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). In 1989 the high was 62 with a low of 46. Three years ago, in 2009, the high was 63 with a low of 43. The other warm highs were 66 degrees in 1990, 65 degrees in 1973 and 62 degrees in 1994.
The record high of 78 degrees was set in 1971 at Midway. The record warmest low of 59 degrees occurred in 1958 at Midway. The past 34 highs have been fairly evenly distributed: 30s (7 for 21%), 40s (10 for 29%), 50s (9 for 26%) and 60s (8 for 24%). Our most recent 30s high was 36 degrees in 2000. There were three consecutive 30s highs (1995-1997) and three consecutive 40s highs (1978-1980). O'Hare's warmest November 14th was in 1958 as the high was 71 (O'Hare's second warmest high of the date) with a low of 57 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). O'Hare's second warmest 11/14 was in 1971 as the high was 77 (O'Hare's warmest high of the date) with a low of 48. The third warmest 11/14 was in 1960 as the high was 69 with a low of 48. The other warm 11/14 day was in 1964 as the high was 70 (O'Hare's third warmest high and last of the 70s highs) with a low of 37.

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 39 with a cold low of 15, a cold day. In 1974 the high was a cold 30 with a low of 23, a cold day with a small seven degree spread. In 1973 the high was a warm 65 degrees. In 1971 the high was 77 with a low of 48, a warm day and year of the record high of 78 at Midway. In 1969 the high as 28 with a low of 20, a cold day. In 1965 the low was a cold 20 degrees. In 1964 the high was a warm 70 with a low of 37, a 33 degree spread and warm day. In 1962 the high was a warm 61 with a low of 27, a 34 degree spread. In 1960 the high was 69 with a low of 48, a warm day. In 1959 the high was 26 with a low of 13, a cold day.
That high of 26 is near the record coldest high of 24. The low of 13 is actually colder than the record low of 14. In 1958 the high was 71 with a low of 57, a warm day and year of the record warmest low of 59 at Midway.

More recently, there were large spreads of 35 degrees in 1981 (61/26), 31 degrees in 1990 (66/35) and 31 degrees in 1999 (60/29). There were small spreads of three degrees in 1993 (46/43) and five degrees in 1997 (38/33). 

On the cool side, in 1986 (O'Hare's third coolest November 14th) the high was 34 with a low of 15 (with 1976, O'Hare's second coldest low of the date). A decade later, in 1996, the high was 33 with a low of 17. In 1982 the high was 30 with a low of 20. In 1995 the high was 37 with a low of 18. As you can see, the back to back years of 1995 and 1996 had lows in the 10s (a.k.a. teens). These are our most recent 10s lows for the date. In 1992 the high was 35 with a low of 20. The other cold low is 20 degrees in 1965. The other cool high is 36 degrees in 2000 (our most recent 30s high). The record low of 14 degrees and record coolest high of 24 degrees were set on the same cold day back in 1916. The record low of 14 degrees first occurred 16 years earlier in 1900. All of the records were set at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 24 of the last 34 lows (71%) were in the: 20s (10) and 30s (14). There were consecutive 20s and 30s lows as follows: nine from 1977 through 1985 and six from 2002 through 2007. Three lows (9%) were in the cold 10s (a.k.a. teens). Seven lows (20%) were in the warm: 40s (6) and 50s (1). O'Hare's coolest November 14th was in 1959 as the high was 26 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with a low of 13 (O'Hare's coldest low of the date). O'Hare's second coolest 11/14 was in 1969 as the high was 28 (O'Hare's second coolest high of the date) with a low of 20. O'Hare's other cool 11/14 days were in: 1974 (high of 30, low of 23) and 1976 (high of 39, low of 15 (with 1986, O'Hare's second coldest low of the date)).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:13 and sunrise is at 6:43. Sunset is at 16:32 and twilight ends at 17:02. There's a total of 9 hours, 49 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 49 minutes between twilights. We lost two minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:14 and sunrise is at 6:44. The moon is waxing crescent, having reached new yesterday at 16:08. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 1% at noon and 3% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 7:34 this morning. Moonset is at 17:20 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 8:42 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 46 minutes which is 19 minutes shorter than yesterday. 

Cool Fall began on November 2nd and runs for 29 days through November 30th. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Highs in the 20s, 60s and 70s occur infrequently. Thanksgiving is in eight days. Pearl Harbor Day is in 23 days.