July 24: ORD

Today is July 24th. It's the 206th day of the year. 160 days remain.

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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 84 and the normal low is 64. The 29-year averages are 85 and 64.

On the hot side, in 2005 the high was 102 with a low of 78. In 1987 the high was 92 with a low of 75. In 1999 the high was 94 with a low of 70. In 1986 the high was 91 with a low of 72. In 1979 the high was 90 with a low of 71. Other highs of 90 occurred in 1985 and 2001. Another low of 70 occurred in 1995. There was a string of ten years without a 90-degree high from 1989 through 1998. The record high (and hottest ever in Chicago) was 105 degrees in 1934 and the record warmest low of 78 occurred in 1940. 17 of the 29 highs have been 80s.

On the cool side, in 2004 the high was 71 with a low of 55. In 2000 the high was 79 with a low of 53. Other cool highs were 74 in 1992 and 79 in 2002. The near-record low of 54 occurred in 2003 (the record stands at 53 in 2000). The record coolest high of 66 occurred way back in 1896. 16 of the 29 lows so far have been in the 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:06 and sunrise is at 5:39. Tomorrow morning twilight begins at 5:07 and sunrise is at 5:40. Sunset today is at 20:20 and twilight ends at 20:53. There's a total of 14 hours, 41 minutes of sunlight and 15 hours, 47 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous with 67% visible at midnight, 62% visible at noon and 56% visible at midnight tonight. The last quarter moon is tomorrow at 13:42. Moonset is at 12:25 this afternoon and moonrise is at 23:13 tonight. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 12 minutes today.

Parent's Day is in three days. -Bernie-