Tuesday, September 30, 2008

September 30: ORD

Today is September 30th. It's the 274th day of the year. 92 days remain. It's week 40 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 69 and the normal low is 48. The 29-year averages are 73 and 48.

On the warm side, in 2002 the high was 85 with the near-record warmest low of 68. The record warmest low remains 69 degrees, set in 1971. In 1995 the high was 84 with a low of 65. In 1982 the high was 85 with a low of 58. Last year the high was 83 with a low of 59. Other warm highs were 83 in both 1981 and 1994. It was 82 in 1991 and 81 in 1983. Another warm low was 58 in 1988. The record high of 92 was set in 1971. 28 of the 29 highs have been in the 60s (9), 70s (11) and 80s (8).

The large spreads were 36 degrees in 2004 (72/36), 34 degrees in 1989 (77/43), 33 degrees in 1983 (81/48), 31 degrees in 1984 (60/29), 31 degrees in 1994 (83/52), 31 degrees in 1996 (78/47), 30 degrees in 1991 (82/52) and 30 degrees in 1993 (61/31).

On the cool side, in 1984 the high was 60 with the record low of 29. In 1993 the high was 61 with a low of 31. In 2003 the lone 50s high of 56 occurred with a low of 39. Another cool high of 61 occurred in 1985. Other cool lows were 36 in 2004 and 39 in 1992. The record coolest high of 44 was set way back in 1899. 22 of the 29 lows have been 40s (11) and 50s (11).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:22 and sunrise is at 6:50. Sunset is at 18:36 and twilight ends at 19:04. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:23 and sunrise is at 6:51. There's a total of 11 hours, 46 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 42 minutes between twilights. The moon was new yesterday morning at 3:12. Illumination was 1% at midnight, will be 2% at noon and 4% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 8:18 this morning and moonset is at 18:51 tonight. Moonrise is at 9:24 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 33 minutes today.

The following events are all 13 days away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

Monday, September 29, 2008

September 29: ORD

Today is September 29th. It's the 273rd day of the year. 93 days remain. It's week 40 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 69 and the normal low is 49. The 29-year averages are 70 and 49.

On the warm side, in 1982 the high was 83 with a low of 63. In 2002 the high was 84 with a low of 60. In 1979 the high was 85 with a low of 58. In 1986 the high was 77 with a low of 64. In 1995 the high was 80 with a low of 58. Other warm highs were 81 in 1983 and 80 last year. Another warm low was 57 in 1988. The record high of 99 was set in 1953 and the record warmest low of 69 was set in 1904. 25 of the last 29 highs have been in the 60s (10), 70s (9) and 80s (6).

The large spreads were 31 degrees in 1983 (81/50) and 30 degrees last year (80/50).

On the cool side, in 1984 the high was 55 with the record low of 32. In 1993 the high was 54 with a low of 37. Two years ago the high was 59 with a low of 37. In 1992 the high was 62 with a low of 36. Another cool high was 58 in 2003. Another cool low was 39 in 1991. The record coolest high of 44 was set way back in 1899. 21 of the last 29 lows have been 40s (9) and 50s (12). Today is also the runner-up date of the first freeze. This happened back in 1984. The earliest first freeze was on September 22 in 1995.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:21 and sunrise is at 6:49. Sunset is at 18:37 and twilight ends at 19:05. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:22 and sunrise is at 6:50. There's a total of 11 hours, 48 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 44 minutes between twilights. The moon is new this morning at 3:12. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 0% at noon and 1% at midnight tonight. Moonrise (of what you can see) is at 7:11 this morning. Moonset is at 18:28 (you won't see this) tonight and moonrise is at 8:18 tomorrow morning (again, not visible). Moonlight time is 11 hours, 17 minutes today. The autumnal equinox was a week ago at 10:44.

The following events are all two weeks away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

Sunday, September 28, 2008

September 28: ORD

Today is September 28th. It's the 272nd day of the year. 94 days remain. It's week 40 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 69 and the normal low is 49. The 29-year averages are 69 and 49.

On the warm side, in 1986 the high was 82 with the only 60s low of 65. In 1987 the high was 82 with a low of 56. Other warm highs were 83 in 1979 and 81 in both 1983 and 1995. Other warm lows were 58 in both 1988 and 1997. There have been no 80s highs since 1995 so I think we are due one! However, the forecast this morning does not look favorable for this. The record high of 92 was set in 1953 and the record warmest low of 71 was set in 1971. There's quite an interesting spread of highs over the last 29 years: 60s (10), 70s (8), 50s (6) and 80s (5). The last nine years (1999-2007) have been a microcosm of the day: three occurrences of highs in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

The largest spread of 32 degrees happened in two years: 1979 (83/51) and 1989 (74/42). The spread was 31 degrees in 1985 (76/45). A small spread of 4 degrees occurred in 2001 as the high was 56 with a low of 52.

On the cool side, in 1984 the high was 56 with a low of 36. Two years ago the high was 59 with a low of 40. In 1991 the high was 64 with a low of 36. In 1992 the high was 59 with a low of 41. In 1993 the high was 59 with a low of 42. Another cool high was 56 in 2001. Anther cool low was 39 in 1981. The record low of 29 was set in 1942. The record coolest high of 50 was set way back in 1893. 25 of the last 29 lows have been 40s (10) and 50s (15).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:20 and sunrise is at 6:48. Sunset is at 18:39 and twilight ends at 19:07. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:21 and sunrise is at 6:49. There's a total of 11 hours, 51 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 47 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, in fact, nearly new. The new moon is tomorrow morning at 3:12. Illumination was 1% at midnight, will be 0% at noon and 0% at midnight tonight. Moonrise (of what you can see) was at 6:04 this morning. Moonset is at 18:06 (you won't see this) this afternoon and moonrise is at 7:11 tomorrow morning (again, not visible). Moonlight time is 12 hours, 2 minutes today. The autumnal equinox was six days ago at 10:44.

The following events are all 15 days away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

September 27: ORD

Today is September 27th. It's the 271st day of the year. 95 days remain. It's week 39 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 70 and the normal low is 49. The 29-year averages are 71 and 50.

On the warm side, in 1986 the high was 86 with a low of 68. In 1987 the high was 89 with a low of 61. In 1998 the high was 86 with a low of 60. In 1979 the high was 83 with a low of 59. In 1988 the high was 81 with a low of 60. Other warm highs were 84 in 1990 and 81 in 1995. Another warm low was 58 in 1999. The record high of 91 and record warmest low of 71 were both set in 1971. 25 of the 29 highs have been in the 60s (11), 70s (7) and 80s (7). Just four highs have been in the 50s.

The largest spread of 37 degrees happened in 1990 as the high was 84 with a low of 47. The spread was 31 degrees in both 1985 (68/37) and 2004 (76/45). The spread was 30 degrees in 1983 as the high was 79 with a low of 49.

On the cool side, in 1984 the high was the near record coolest of 50 (the record is 49 set in 1942) with a low of 36. In 1991 the high was 58 with a low of 34. Other cool highs were 53 in 1993 and 58 in 1994. Other cool lows were 37 in both 1985 and 1989. The record coolest high of 49 was set in 1942. There have been no lows below 45 for 16 years running (since 34 in 1991). 21 of the last 29 lows have been 40s (13) and 50s (8).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:19 and sunrise is at 6:46. Sunset is at 18:41 and twilight ends at 19:09. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:20 and sunrise is at 6:48. There's a total of 11 hours, 55 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 50 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 5% at midnight, will be 3% at noon and 1% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 4:55 this morning. Moonset is at 17:45 this afternoon and moonrise is at 6:04 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 50 minutes today. The autumnal equinox was five days ago at 10:44.

The following events are all 16 days away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

Friday, September 26, 2008

September 26: ORD

Today is September 26th. It's the 270th day of the year. 96 days remain. It's week 39 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 70 and the normal low is 50. The 29-year averages are 70 and 50.

On the warm side, in 1998 the high was the record high of 90 with a low of 68. In 1986 the high was 78 with a low of 69. In 1999 the high was 86 with a low of 57. Other warm highs were 85 in 1987 and 83 in 1979. For 13 years running, there have been no highs failing to reach at least 65 degrees. The last time the high was below 65 was in 1994 when it was 58. The record warmest low of 71 was set in 1973. There have been 21 highs in the 60s (13) and 70s (8).

The largest spread of 39 degrees happened in 1987 as the high was 85 with a low of 46. Based upon the day before (in 1987), this must've been a warm front. On 9/25/87 the high and low were 69 and 44. There was a 32 degree spread in 1979 with a high of 83 and low of 51. The spread was 31 degrees in 1995 (76/45).

On the cool side, in 1984 the high was 53 with the near record low of 36 (the record is 35 set in 1928). In 1980 the high was 58 with a low of 42. In 1991 the high was 60 with a low of 40. Other cool highs were 58 degrees in 1989 and 1994. Other cool lows were 42 degrees in 1985 and 2000. The record coolest high of 47 was set in 1942. 26 of the last 29 lows have been 40s (12) and 50s (14).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:17 and sunrise is at 6:45. Sunset is at 18:43 and twilight ends at 19:11. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:19 and sunrise is at 6:46. There's a total of 11 hours, 58 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 54 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 11% at midnight, will be 8% at noon and 5% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 3:45 this morning. Moonset is at 17:23 this afternoon and moonrise is at 4:55 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 38 minutes today. The autumnal equinox was four days ago at 10:44.

The following events are all 17 days away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

Thursday, September 25, 2008

September 25: ORD

Today is September 25th. It's the 269th day of the year. 97 days remain. It's week 39 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 71 and the normal low is 50. The 29-year averages are 71 and 48.

On the warm side, in 1986 the high was 88 with a low of 68. Last year the high was 85 with a low of 63. Other warm highs were 81 in both 1990 and 1998. It was 80 in both 1979 and 1999. Another warm low was 67 in 2005. The record high of 90 was set in 1933 and the record warmest low of 72 was set in 1920. Although the 70s have 11 occurrences over the last 29 years, the three other categories are nearly even: the 50s with five, the 60s with seven and the 80s with six.

The largest spread of 37 degrees happened in 1999 as the high was 80 with a low of 43. There was a 34 degree spread in 1984 with a high of 74 and low of 40. The spread was 32 degrees in 1988 (77/45). Two spreads of 31 degrees: the first in 1989 (70/39) and then in 2002 (74/43). A 30 degree spread in 1998 (81/51). A small spread of three degrees in 1983 (58/55) and five degrees in 1982 (52/47).

On the cool side, in 1985 the high was 58 with a low of 35. In 2000 the high was 55 with a low of 43. In 2001 the high was 58 with a low of 40. In 1982 the high was 52 with a low of 47. Another cool high was 58 in 1983. Other cool lows were 39 in 1989, 40 in 1984 and 41 in both 1991 and 1996. The record low of 30 was set in 1942 and the record coolest high of 46 was set the same year (1942). 15 of the last 29 lows have been 40s and nine have been 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:16 and sunrise is at 6:44. Sunset is at 18:44 and twilight ends at 19:12. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:17 and sunrise is at 6:45. There's a total of 12 hours of daylight today and 12 hours, 56 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 18% at midnight, will be 14% at noon and 11% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 2:32 this morning. Moonset is at 16:59 this afternoon and moonrise is at 3:45 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 27 minutes today. The autumnal equinox was three days ago at 10:44.

The following events are all 18 days away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

September 24: ORD

Today is September 24th. It's the 268th day of the year. 98 days remain. It's week 39 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 71 and the normal low is 51. The 29-year averages are 68 and 48.

On the warm side, last year the high was the near-record high of 90 degrees (the record high is 91, set way back in 1891) with a low of 68. In 1984 the high was 84 with a low of 61. Other warm highs were 82 in 2004 and 77 in 1981. Other warm lows were 64 in 1986 and 63 in 2005. The record warmest low of 71 was set in 1930. 16 of the 29 highs have been in the 60s and seven have been in the 70s.

On the cool side, in 1985 the high was 61 with the co-record low of 35. In 1989 the high was 61 with the other co-record low of 35. In 1991 the high was 57 with a low of 40. In 1995 the high was 62 with a low of 37. In 2001 the high was 55 with a low of 45. In 1983 the high was 66 with a low of 36 (a 30 degree spread). In 2002 the high was 61 with a low of 42. Another cool high was 56 in 2000. Another cool low was 38 in 1993 (spread of 31 as the high was 69). The record coolest high of 51 was set in 1942. 15 of the last 29 lows have been 40s. Five lows each in the 30s and 50s. Four lows have been in the 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:15 and sunrise is at 6:43. Sunset is at 18:46 and twilight ends at 19:14. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:16 and sunrise is at 6:44. There's a total of 12 hours, 3 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 59 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 28% at midnight, will be 23% at noon and 18% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 1:17 this morning. Moonset is at 16:30 this afternoon and moonrise is at 2:32 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 13 minutes today. The autumnal equinox was two days ago at 10:44.

The following events are all 19 days away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

September 23: ORD

Today is September 23rd. It's the 267th day of the year. 99 days remain. It's week 39 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 71 and the normal low is 51. The 29-year averages are 68 and 47.

On the warm side, in 2004 the high was 85 with a low of 54 (a 31 degree spread). In 1986 the high was 73 with a low of 64. Last year the high was 84 with a low of 50 (a 34 degree spread). Other warm highs were 80 in 1999 and 77 in 1987. Other warm lows were 62 in 2005 and 59 in 1984. The record high of 91 was set in 1937 and the record warmest low of 71 was set way back in 1891. 21 of the 29 highs have been in the 60s (13) and 70s (8). There have been no highs below 65 degrees (from 1996 onward): the last 12 years running.

Other large spreads (differences of 30 degrees or more between the daily high and low) were: 30 degrees in both 1979 (73/43) and 2002 (69/39). A small spread of five degrees occurred in 2005 when the high was 67 and the low was 62.

On the cool side, in 1995 the high was 58 with the record low of 29. In 1983 the high was 56 with a low of 35. In 1989 the high was 54 with a low of 37. In 1981 the high was 63 with a low of 35. In 1992 the high was 59 with a low of 40. In 1990 the high was 59 with a low of 41. Another cool low was 39 in 2002. The record coolest high of 51 was set in 1928. 22 of the last 29 lows have been 40s (13) and 50s (9).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:14 and sunrise is at 6:42. Sunset is at 18:48 and twilight ends at 19:16. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:15 and sunrise is at 6:43. There's a total of 12 hours, 6 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 2 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, having passed last quarter yesterday at 4 minutes past midnight. Illumination was 38% at midnight, will be 33% at noon and 28% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 2 minutes past midnight. Moonset is at 15:54 this afternoon and moonrise is at 1:17 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 52 minutes today. The autumnal equinox was yesterday at 10:44.

The following events are all 20 days away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

Monday, September 22, 2008

September 22: ORD

Today is September 22nd. It's the 266th day of the year. 100 days remain. It's week 39 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 72 and the normal low is 51. The 29-year averages are 71 and 50.

On the warm side, in 1986 the high was the only 90s high of 90 with a low of 65. In 2005 the high was 87 with a low of 63. Other warm highs were 84 in 1980 and 82 in 2004. Other warm lows were 60 (1984 and 1985) and 61 in 1988. The record high of 92 was set in 1956 and the record warmest low of 73 was set way back in 1895. 23 of the 29 highs have been in the 60s (11) and 70s (12).

The large spreads (differences of 30 degrees or more between the daily high and low) were: 35 degrees in 1989 (78/43), 32 degrees in 2004 (82/50) and 31 degrees in 1999 (72/41).

On the cool side, in 1995 the high was 52 with the record low of 32. In 1983 the high was 54 with a low of 37. In 1981 the high was 61 with a low of 41. In 1992 the high was 62 with a low of 41. In 1982 the high was 61 with a low of 43. Another cool low was 41 in 1999. The record coolest high of 49 occurred in 1974. 22 of the last 29 lows have been 40s (12) and 50s (10).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:13 and sunrise is at 6:41. Sunset is at 18:50 and twilight ends at 19:18. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:14 and sunrise is at 6:42. There's a total of 12 hours, 9 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 5 minutes between twilights. The moon is at the last quarter and reached it at 4 minutes past midnight. Illumination was 50% at midnight, will be 44% at noon and 38% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 15:09 this afternoon and moonrise is at 2 minutes past midnight tonight. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 9 minutes today. The autumnal equinox is today at 10:44.

The following events are all three weeks away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

Sunday, September 21, 2008

September 21: ORD

Today is September 21st. It's the 265th day of the year. 101 days remain. It's week 39 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 72 and the normal low is 52. The 29-year averages are 71 and 51.

On the hot side, last year the high was 88 with a low of 64. In 1980 the high was 79 with a low of 69. In 1986 the high was 82 with a low of 60. Another hot high was 87 in 2005. The record high of 92 was set in 1970 and the record warmest low of 76 was set in 1931. Quite a line-up of high temperatures over the last 29 years: 13 have been 60s and there have been seven in the 70s and seven in the 80s.

The large spreads (differences of 30 degrees or more between the daily high and low) were: 34 degrees in 2005 (87/53), 32 degrees in 1984 (80/48) and 31 degrees in 1994 (82/51).

On the cool side, in 1995 the high was the record coolest high of just 50 degrees along with a low of 41. In 1983 the high was another 50s high of 53 with the co-record low of 39. The other co-record low of 39 occurred in 1991 and yet another way back in 1889. In 1982 the high was 61 with a low of 41. In 1999 the was also 61 with a low of 41. Another cool high was 62 in 1987. Another cool low was 40 two years ago. 15 of the last 29 lows have been 50s and nine have been 40s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:12 and sunrise is at 6:40. Sunset is at 18:51 and twilight ends at 19:19. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:13 and sunrise is at 6:41. There's a total of 12 hours, 11 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 7 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous and will reach the last quarter tonight at 4 minutes past midnight. Illumination was 61% at midnight, will be 55% at noon and 50% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 14:13 this afternoon and moonrise is at 22:52 tonight. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 21 minutes today. The autumnal equinox is tomorrow at 10:44.

The following events are all 22 days away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

Saturday, September 20, 2008

September 20: ORD

Today is September 20th. It's the 264th day of the year. 102 days remain. It's week 38 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 72 and the normal low is 52. The 29-year averages are 72 and 51.

On the hot side, in 1980 the high was the only 90s and near-record high of 90 (record is 91 set in 1931) with a low of 67. In 1998 the high was 86 with a low of 65. Other warm highs include 85 in 1994, 84 in 1985 and 83 in 2005. Other warm lows were 62 in 2002 and 60 last year. The record warmest low of 73 was set the same year as the record high: 1931. 23 of the 29 highs have been 60s (12) and 70s (11).

The large spreads (differences of 30 degrees or more between the daily high and low) were: 34 degrees in 1983 (78/44), 33 degrees in 1980 (90/67), 31 degrees in 1979 (79/48) and 30 degrees in 2003 (71/41).

On the cool side, in 1991 the high was 60 with the only 30s and record low of 36. In 1982 the only 50s high of 55 with a low of 43 occurred. Two years ago the high was 62 with a low of 42. Another cool high was 60 in 1995. Another cool low was 41 in 2003. The record coolest high of 52 occurred in 1901. 24 of the last 29 lows have been in the 50s (15) and 40s (9).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:11 and sunrise is at 6:39. Sunset is at 18:53 and twilight ends at 19:21. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:12 and sunrise is at 6:40. There's a total of 12 hours, 14 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 10 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 72% at midnight, will be 67% at noon and 61% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 13:05 this afternoon and moonrise is at 21:51 tonight. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 14 minutes today.

The following events are all 23 days away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

Thursday, September 18, 2008

September 19: ORD

Today is September 19th. It's the 263rd day of the year. 103 days remain. It's week 38 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 73 and the normal low is 53. The 29-year averages are 75 and 55.

On the hot side, in 1985 the high was 87 with a low of 66. In 2002 the high was 80 with a low of 72. In 2000 the high was 87 with a low of 62. In 2005 the high was 84 with a low of 65. Last year the high was 84 with a low of 65. In 1983 the high was 85 with a low of 61. In 1997 the high was 84 with a low of 62. Other hot highs include 87 in 1984, 85 in 1994 and 84 in 1998. The record high of 93 was set in 1955 and the record warmest low of 74 was set in 1908. 13 highs have been 80s, eight have been 70s and six have been 60s.

The large spreads (differences of 30 degrees or more between the daily high and low) were: 34 degrees in 1984 (87/53), 33 degrees in 1999 (80/47) and 30 degrees in 1994 (85/55).

On the cool side, in 1991 the high was 56 with the record low of 40. Two years ago the high was just 55 with a low of 47. In 1992 the high was 65 with a low of 42. Another cool high was 62 in 1990. The record coolest high of 52 occurred in 1938. 13 of the last 29 lows have been in the 50s, eight have been in the 40s and seven have been in the 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:10 and sunrise is at 6:38. Sunset is at 18:55 and twilight ends at 19:23. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:11 and sunrise is at 6:39. There's a total of 12 hours, 17 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 13 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 82% at midnight, will be 77% at noon and 72% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 11:50 this morning. Moonrise is at 21:00 tonight. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 50 minutes today.

The following events are all 24 days away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

September 18: ORD

Today is September 18th. It's the 262nd day of the year. 104 days remain. It's week 38 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 73 and the normal low is 54. The 29-year averages are 75 and 53.

On the hot side, in 1985 the high was 87 with a low of 67. In 1988 the high was 86 with a low of 67. Last year the high was 88 with a low of 63. In 1983 the high was 84 with a low of 65. Another hot high was 86 in 2000. The record high of 94 was set in 1955 and the record warmest low of 71 was set in 1965. There's almost a parity of highs. 11 have been 80s. Nine have been in the 60s and nine have been in the 70s.

There were several large spreads (differences of 30 degrees or more between the daily high and low). In 2000, the spread was 35 degrees (86/51). 1984 had a spread of 31 degrees (74/43). 1980 had a spread of 31 degrees (75/54). In 1997 the spread was 30 degrees (83/53). In 1986 the spread was a small one of four degrees as the high was 65 with a low of 61.

On the cool side, in 1981 the high was 60 with a low of 40. In 1991 the high was 69 with a low of 42. In 1990 the high was 63 with a low of 49. In 1982 the high was 68 with a low of 45. In 1995 the high was 69 with a low of 44. Other cool lows were 43 in 1984 and 45 in 1980. The record low of 40 was set in 1903 and the record coolest high of 54 was set in 1901. 14 of the last 29 lows have been in the 50s, nine have been in the 40s and six have been in the 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:09 and sunrise is at 6:37. Sunset is at 18:57 and twilight ends at 19:25. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:10 and sunrise is at 6:38. There's a total of 12 hours, 20 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 16 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 90% at midnight, will be 86% at noon and 82% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 10:33 this morning. Moonrise is at 20:21 tonight and moonset is at 11:50 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 12 minutes today.

The following events are all 25 days away on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

September 17: ORD

Today is September 17th. It's the 261st day of the year. 105 days remain. It's week 38 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 73 and the normal low is 54. The 29-year averages are 73 and 53.

On the warm side, in 1988 the high was 90 with a low of 67. Other warm highs were 82 (1997, 2003 and two years ago) and 80 (2000, last year). The other warm lows were 66 in 1992 and 64 in 1987. The record high of 93 was set in 1955 and the record warmest low of 71 was set in 1906. 22 of the 29 highs have been 60s (9) and 70s (13). There were also five highs in the 80s and one each in the 50s and 90s.

On the cool side, in 1981 the record coolest high of 51 occurred (the only 50s high so far) with a low of 46 (just a five degree difference with the high). In 1984 the high was 69 with the record low of 37 (a 32 degree spread between the high and low). In 1980 the high was 62 with a low of 45. Other 40s lows were 44 (1983, 1995), 47 in 1999 and 48 in 1990. 19 of the last 29 lows have been in the 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:08 and sunrise is at 6:36. Sunset is at 18:59 and twilight ends at 19:27. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:09 and sunrise is at 6:37. There's a total of 12 hours, 23 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 19 minutes between twilights. The moon reached full Harvest Monday at 4:13. Illumination was 96% at midnight, will be 93% at noon and 90% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 9:16 this morning. Moonrise is at 19:49 tonight and moonset is at 10:33 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 27 minutes today.

Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is today. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago. The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

September 16: ORD

Today is September 16th. It's the 260th day of the year. 106 days remain. It's week 38 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 74 and the normal low is 54. The 29-year averages are 72 and 53.

On the warm side, in 1992 the high was 84 with a low of 70. In 1997 the high was 85 with a low of 65. In 1994 the high was 86 with a low of 63. In 1995 the high was 85 with a low of 61. The record high of 92 was set in 1955 and the record warmest low of 72 was set in 1907. Another warm high was 82 in 2003. Other warm lows were 66 in both 1987 and 1998. There have been 14 highs in the 70s, eight highs in the 60s and five highs in the 80s. Four of the six years from 1992-97 were warm days.

The biggest difference between a daily high and low was 34 degrees in 1985 (high of 76, low of 42). In 2003 the difference was 32 degrees (82/50). In 1997 the difference was 30 degrees (77/47).

On the cool side, in 1984 the high was 64 with the record low of 37. In 1981 the high was 59 (the runner-up earliest 50s high of fall) with a low of 46. In 1982 the high was 61 with a low of 47. In 1993 the high was 59 with a low of 51. In 2000 the high was 67 with a low of 44. The record coolest high of 56 was set in 1959. 22 of the last 29 lows have been in the 40s (11) and 50s (11).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:07 and sunrise is at 6:35. Sunset is at 19:00 and twilight ends at 19:28. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:08 and sunrise is at 6:36. There's a total of 12 hours, 25 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 21 minutes between twilights. The moon reached full Harvest yesterday at 4:13. Illumination was 99% at midnight, will be 98% at noon and 96% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 8:02 this morning. Moonrise is at 19:22 tonight and moonset is at 9:16 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 40 minutes today.

Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is tomorrow. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago. The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

Monday, September 15, 2008

September 15: ORD

Today is September 15th. It's the 259th day of the year. 107 days remain. It's week 38 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 74 and the normal low is 54. The 29-year averages are 72 and 54.

On the hot side, in 1994 the high was 91 with a low of 71. In 1991 the high was 91 with a low of 68. In 2004 the high was 86 with a low of 68. In 1992 the high was 85 with a low of 68. In 1987 the high was 81 with a low of 64. Other warm highs were 82 in 1997 and 80 in 1986. Another warm low was 67 in 1998. 4 of the 8 years from 1987 to 1994 comprised 4 of the 5 warmest days. The record high of 99 was set in 1939 and the record warmest low of 75 was set in 1927. 21 of the 29 highs have been 60s (10) and 70s (11).

The biggest difference between a daily high and low was 31 degrees in 1985 (high of 71, low of 40). One small difference was five degrees in 1998 (high of 72, low of 67). The other small difference is listed below on the cool side.

On the cool side, last year the high was 61 with the record low of 39 (the former record low was 40 in 1985). In 1984 the high was 62 with a low of 41. In 1993 the high was 55 (the earliest 50s high of fall and record-tying coolest high) with a low of 51 (just a 4 degree difference between the high and low). The other cool lows were 40 in 1985, 43 in 1999, 47 (1979, 1989) and 49 in 2000. The other record coolest high of 55 was set in 1916. 16 of the 29 lows since 1979 have been 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:06 and sunrise is at 6:34. Sunset is at 19:02 and twilight ends at 19:30. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:07 and sunrise is at 6:35. There's a total of 12 hours, 28 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 24 minutes between twilights. The moon reached full Harvest today at 4:13. Illumination was 100% at midnight, will be 100% at noon and 99% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 6:50 this morning. Moonrise is at 18:58 tonight and moonset is at 8:02 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 52 minutes today.

Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is in two days. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago. The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

Sunday, September 14, 2008

September 14: ORD

Today is September 14th. It's the 258th day of the year. 108 days remain. It's week 38 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 75 and the normal low is 54. The 29-year averages are 74 and 55.

On the hot side, in 1994 the high was 90 with a low of 73. In 1991 the high was 90 with a low of 67. In 2004 the high was 85 with a low of 64. In 1992 the high was 82 with a low of 63. Other warm highs were 83 in 2002 and 81 in 1988. Other warm lows were 68 in 1988 and 61 in 1982. The record high of 99 was set in 1939 as well as the record warmest low of 76. 23 of the 29 highs have been 60s (9) and 70s (14).

Big differences between the high and low were 31 degrees in 1988 (81/50) and 30 degrees in 2002 (83/53). A small difference between the high and low occurred in 1998 (75/68).

On the cool side, in 1996 the high was 60 with a low of 46. In 1985 the high was 69 with a low of 40. Last year the high was 66 with a low of 45. The other cool highs were 63 in 2001 and 65 in both 1984 and 1989. The other cool lows were 44 in 1983, 46 in 1987 and 48 in 1999. The record coolest high of 54 was set in 1923. 15 of the 29 lows have been 50s, eight have been 40s, five have been 60s and one 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:05 and sunrise is at 6:33. Sunset is at 19:04 and twilight ends at 19:32. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:06 and sunrise is at 6:34. There's a total of 12 hours, 31 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 27 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous and will reach full Harvest moon tomorrow at 4:13. Illumination was 98% at midnight, will be 99% at noon and 100% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 5:40 this morning. Moonrise is at 18:36 and moonset is at 6:50 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 4 minutes today.

My sister, Maria, and her husband Buddy are celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary today. They reside in Tampa, home to those amazing Rays.


Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is in three days. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago.
The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

Saturday, September 13, 2008

September 13: ORD

Today is September 13th. It's the 257th day of the year. 109 days remain. It's week 37 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 75 and the normal low is 55. The 29-year averages are 77 and 57.

On the hot side, in 2005 the high was 94 with a low of 71. In 1994 the high was 88 with a low of 66. Another hot high was 90 in 1998. Other warm lows were 70 in 1982, 68 (1993,2003) and 67 in 1980. The record high of 98 was set in 1939 and the record warmest low of 75 was set in 1927. 27 of the 29 highs have been 60s (7), 70s (10) and 80s (10).

Big differences between the high and low were 33 degrees in 1998 (90/57) and 32 degrees in 2000 (79/47). A small difference between the high and low occurred two years ago (65/60).

On the cool side, in 1985 the high was 64 with a low of 42. In 1996 the high was 64 with a low of 48. In 1989 the high was 60 with a low of 53. In 1983 the high was 67 with a low of 48. The other cool highs were 65 two years ago, 66 in 1999 and 68 in 2001. The other cool lows were 47 in 2000 and 48 in 1987. The record low of 39 was set way back in 1890 and the record coolest high of 55 was set way back in 1880. 22 of the 29 lows have been 50s (11) and 60s (11).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:03 and sunrise is at 6:32.
Sunset is at 19:06 and twilight ends at 19:34. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:05 and sunrise is at 6:33.
There's a total of 12 hours, 34 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 31 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous and will reach full Harvest moon stage Monday at 4:13. Illumination was 95% at midnight, will be 97% at noon and 98% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 4:31 this morning. Moonrise is at 18:14 and moonset is at 5:40 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 17 minutes today.

My eldest sister Mary Ann, and her husband, William, are celebrating their sixth wedding annniversary today. Another sister, Maria, and her huband Buddy will be celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary tomorrow. Both couples currently reside in Tampa, home to those amazing Rays.


Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is in four days. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago.
The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

September 12: ORD

Today is September 12th. It's the 256th day of the year. 110 days remain. It's week 37 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 75 and the normal low is 55. The 29-year averages are 79 and 57.

On the hot side, in 2005 the high was our first and only 90s high (since 1979) of 90 degrees with a low of 68. In 1988 the high was 85 with a low of 67. In 1994 the high was 87 with a low of 65. In 1979 the high was 87 with a low of 64. The other hot high was 88 in 1998. The record high of 96 was set in 1952 and the record warmest low of 72 was set in 1931. 24 of the 29 highs have been in the 70s (11) and 80s (13).

On the cool side, in 1985 the high was 66 with a low of 46. Last year the high was 67 with a low of 46. The other cool highs were 67 in both 1989 and 1996. The other cool lows were 48 (1992 and 1997) and 49 in 2002. The record low of 44 was set in 1955 and the record coolest high of 53 was set in 1902. 24 of the 29 lows have been 50s (12) and 60s (12).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:02 and sunrise is at 6:31.
Sunset is at 19:07 and twilight ends at 19:36. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:03 and sunrise is at 6:32.
There's a total of 12 hours, 36 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 34 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 89% at midnight, will be 92% at noon and 95% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 17:51 and moonset is at 4:31 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 31 minutes today.

My eldest sister Mary Ann, and her husband, William, will be celebrating their sixth wedding annniversary tomorrow. Another sister, Maria, and her huband Buddy will be celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary in two days. Both couples currently reside in Tampa, home to those amazing Rays.


Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is in five days. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago.
The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

Thursday, September 11, 2008

September 11: ORD

Today is September 11th. It's the 255th day of the year. 111 days remain. It's week 37 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 75 and the normal low is 56. The 29-year averages are 78 and 56.

On the hot side, in 2005 the high was 90 with a low of 69. In 1979 the high was 87 with a low of 65. In 1982 the high was 88 with a low of 64. In 2000 the high was 87 with a low of 63. The other hot highs were 87 in both 1988 and 1994. The record high of 95 was set in 1952 and the record warmest low of 73 was set in 1961. 24 of the 29 highs have been in the 70s (12) and 80s (12). In 1999 there was a 35 degree difference between the high of 81 and low of 46.

On the cool side, in 1993 the high was 69 with the record low of 42. In 1992 the high was 68 with a low of 47. In 1985 the high was 67 with a low of 49. The other cool high was 67 two years ago. The other cool lows were 45 in 1995 and 46 in 1999. The record coolest high of 61 was set in 1940. 24 of the 29 lows have been 50s (14) and 60s (10).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:01 and sunrise is at 6:30.
Sunset is at 19:09 and twilight ends at 19:37. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:02 and sunrise is at 6:31.
There's a total of 12 hours, 39 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 36 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 82% at midnight, will be 86% at noon and 89% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 17:25 and moonset is at 3:22 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 50 minutes today.

Patriot Day is today. The day
is designated in memory of the nearly three thousand who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks. A moment of silence beginning at 7:46 AM Central Time is observed marking the first plane crash into the World Trade Center complex.

My eldest sister Mary Ann, and her husband, William, will be celebrating their sixth wedding annniversary in two days. Another sister, Maria, and her huband Buddy will be celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary in three days. Both couples currently reside in Tampa, home to those amazing Rays.

Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is in six days. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago.
The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

September 10: ORD

Today is September 10th. It's the 254th day of the year. 112 days remain. It's week 37 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 76 and the normal low is 56. The 29-year averages are 79 and 58.

On the hot side, in 1983 the high was the record high of 95 with a low of 67. In 1986 the high was 90 with a low of 70. In 2005 the high was 92 with a low of 67. In 2000 the high was 84 with a low of 72. The other hot highs were 89 in 2002 and 87 in 1990. The record warmest low of 75 was set in 1912. 21 of the 29 highs have been in the 70s (9) and 80s (12). In 1988, there was a 36 degree difference between the high and low (high of 86, low of 50).

On the cool side, in 1995 the high was 64 with a low of 46. In 1993 the high was 65 with a low of 47. The other cool highs were 64 two years ago, 68 in 1992 and 69 in 1985. The other cool lows were 48 in back to back years of 1998 and 1999. The record low of 44 was set in 1943 and the record coolest high of 53 was set in 1917. 23 of the 29 lows have been 50s (10) and 60s (13).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:00 and sunrise is at 6:29.
Sunset is at 19:11 and twilight ends at 19:39. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:01 and sunrise is at 6:30. There's a total of 12 hours, 42 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 39 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 74% at midnight, will be 79% at noon and 82% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 16:54 and moonset is at 2:15 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 16 minutes today.

Patriot Day is tomorrow. My eldest sister, Mary Ann, and her husband William, will be celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary in three days. Another sister, Maria, and her husband Buddy will be celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary in four days. Both couples currently reside in Tampa, home of those amazing Rays. Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is in seven days. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago.
The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

September 9: ORD

Today is September 9th. It's the 253rd day of the year. 113 days remain. It's week 37 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 76 and the normal low is 56. The 29-year averages are 79 and 59.

On the hot side, in 1983 the high was the record high of 95 with a low of 70. In 1991 the high was 94 with a low of 70. In 2002 the high was 90 with a low of 66. The other hot high of 87 occurred in 2005. The other warm low was 67 in 2000. The record warmest low of 75 was set in 1912. 24 of the 29 highs have been in the 70s (14) and 80s (10). The record high and record low were set within three years of each other (95 in 1983 and 43 in 1986), In 1982, there was a 34 degree difference between the high and low (high of 81, low of 47).

On the cool side, in 1986 the high was 73 with the record low of 43. In 1995 the high was 69 with a low of 48. The other cool high was 67 in 1992. The other cool lows were 45 in 1981, 47 in 1982 and 48 in 1979. The record coolest high of 56 was set way back in 1883. 22 of the 29 lows have been 50s (10) and 60s (12). The most recent 40s low was 48 in 1995.

Yesterday was just the third day since 1979 that the high was in the 60s.
The high of 67 tied the same high as in 1992. These two highs of 67 have been the coolest highs for the period of 1979-2008. The low of 52 produced a mean of 59.5 which proved to be the third coolest day overall from 1979-2008. The high occurred at ORD at 10:07, before the rain hit and the low occurred at 19:27. In Rockford the high of 63 occurred at 8:23 and the low of 50 occurred at 23:59. Some other cool highs from around the area were 63 in DeKalb, 65 in Aurora, 68 at Romeoville and West Chicago, 70 at Midway International and 71 at Northerly Island.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:59 and sunrise is at 6:27.
Sunset is at 19:13 and twilight ends at 19:41. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:00 and sunrise is at 6:29. There's a total of 12 hours, 46 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 42 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous, having reached first quarter last Sunday at 9:04. Illumination was 66% at midnight, will be 70% at noon and 74% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 16:18 and moonset is at 1:10 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 7 hours, 51 minutes today.

Patriot Day is in two days. My eldest sister, Mary Ann, and her husband William, will be celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary in four days. Another sister, Maria, and her husband Buddy will be celebrating their eighth wedding anniversary in five days. Both couples currently reside in Tampa, home of those amazing Rays. Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is in eight days. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago.
The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

Monday, September 8, 2008

September 8: ORD

Today is September 8th. It's the 252nd day of the year. 114 days remain. It's week 37 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 76 and the normal low is 56. The 29-year averages are 79 and 59.

On the hot side, in 1985 the high was 94 with a low of 67. In 1991 the high was 88 with a low of 67. Other hot highs were 92 in 2002 and 90 in 1983. The other warm low was 67 in 2000. The record high of 96 was set in 1960 and the record warmest low of 76 was set in 1922. 24 of the 29 highs have been in the 70s (11) and 80s (13). In 2002 the difference between the high and low was 32 degrees (92/60) and 30 degrees in 1986 (73/43).

For yesterday, September 7, I reported that for the past ten years there have been no highs below 74 degrees (since 1998). In 1997 the high was 72 and two years before that it was 68 degrees. According to the Weather Channel, the high was expected to be right at 74. The high did reach 74 at 14:09, so the streak continues. The high at Rockford was also 74 degrees, occurring at 15:07. The high was also 74 at Midway and DuPage airports. It was slightly warmer on the lakefront (76 degrees).

Now back to September 8th. On the cool side, in 1986 the high was 73 with the record low of 43. In 1979 the high was 66 with a low of 51. The other cool high was 65 in 1995. The other cool lows were 47 in 1982, 50 in 1981 and 52 in 1983. The record coolest high of 54 was set way back in 1883. 27 of the 29 lows have been 50s (11) and 60s (16). 1983 was a dual day: high of 90 with a low of 52, a 38 degree difference. By dual day, I mean that both the high and low were notable, but putting the high and low together, the mean is near normal.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:58 and sunrise is at 6:26.
Sunset is at 19:14 and twilight ends at 19:43. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:59 and sunrise is at 6:27. There's a total of 12 hours, 48 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 45 minutes between twilights. The moon reached first quarter yesterday at 9:04. Illumination was 56% at midnight, will be 61% at noon and 66% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 15:35 and moonset is at 0:09 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 25 minutes today.

Patriot Day is in three days. My eldest sister, Mary Ann, and her husband William, will be celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary in five days. Another sister, Maria, and her husband Buddy will be celebrating their 7th wedding anniversary in six days. Both couples currently reside in Tampa, home of those amazing Rays. Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is in nine days. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago.
The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

Sunday, September 7, 2008

September 7: ORD

Today is September 7th. It's the 251st day of the year. 115 days remain. It's week 37 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 77 and the normal low is 57. The 29-year averages are 80 and 59.

On the hot side, in 1985 the high was the near-record high of 99 (record high is 100 set in 1960) with a low of 73. In 2001 the high was 87 with a low of 68. In 2005 the high was 88 with a low of 67. Other hot highs were 90 (1984, 1991), 89 in 2002 and 88 in 2000. Other warm lows were 67 in 1989 and 70 last year. The record warmest low of 78 was set in 1922. 22 of the 29 highs have been in the 70s (11) and 70s (11). For the past ten years there have been no highs below 74 degrees (since 1998). In 1997 the high was 72 and two years before that it was 68 degrees. According to the Weather Channel, the high is expected to be right at 74 today.

I reported that for yesterday, for 14 years in a row, no highs had failed to reach 75 degrees at O'Hare (from 1994 onward). As of 9:00 yesterday morning, the National Weather Service and The Weather Channel had forecast a high of 72 degrees. If this held, it would be the coolest high since 1993 when it had hit just 68. The outcome was that the high at O'Hare was 74 at 14:02. So, the 14 year streak of at least 75 degrees has been broken! Other highs around the area were 73 at Rockford at 14:24, 74 at Midway, 77 at Northerly Island, 74 at the weather service in Romeoville and 75 at the airport in West Chicago.

Now back to September 7th. On the cool side, in 1986 the high was 66 with the record low of 42. Other cool highs were 66 in 1979, 68 in 1995 and 69 in 1982. Other cool lows were 44 in 1988, 49 in 1993, 50 in 1999 and 52 in 1981. The record coolest high of 61 was set in 1924. 24 of the 29 lows have been 50s (12) and 60s (12).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:57 and sunrise is at 6:25.
Sunset is at 19:16 and twilight ends at 19:44. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:58 and sunrise is at 6:26. There's a total of 12 hours, 51 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 47 minutes between twilights. The moon reaches first quarter today at 9:04. Illumination was 47% at midnight, will be 52% at noon and 56% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 14:44 and moonset is at 23:15. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 31 minutes today.

Grandparent's Day is today and Patriot Day is in four days. My eldest sister, Mary Ann, and her husband William, will be celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary in six days. Another sister, Maria, and her husband Buddy will be celebrating their 7th wedding anniversary in a week. Both couples currently reside in Tampa, home of the amazing Rays. Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is in ten days. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago.
The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

Saturday, September 6, 2008

September 6: ORD

Today is September 6th. It's the 250th day of the year. 116 days remain. It's week 36 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 78 and the normal low is 57. The 29-year averages are 80 and 59.

On the hot side, in 1990 the high was the near-record high of 96 (record high is 97 set in 1954 and tied in 1960) with a low of 71. In 1985 the high was 93 with a low of 73. In 1998 the high was 92 with a low of 70. Other hot highs were 88 in 1987 and 87 in 2005. Other warm lows were 73 last year, 68 in 1989 and 67 in 1992. The record warmest low of 78 was set way back in 1881. 22 of the 29 highs have been in the 80s (14) and 70s (8). For 14 years in a row (and running), no highs have been below 75 degrees (from 1994 onward). As of 9:00 this morning, the National Weather Service and The Weather Channel are forecasting a high of 72 degrees. If this holds, it would be the coolest high since 1993 (see below).

On the cool side, in 1988 the high was 66 with a low of 43. In 1984 the high was 73 with the record low of 42. In 1986 the high was 67 with a low of 49. Other cool highs were 68 in both 1982 and 1993. Another cool low was 47 in 2000. The record coolest high of 61 was set way back in 1885. 21 of the 29 lows have been 50s (12) and 60s (9). Four lows a piece have been in the 40s and 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:56 and sunrise is at 6:24.
Sunset is at 19:18 and twilight ends at 19:46. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:57 and sunrise is at 6:25. There's a total of 12 hours, 54 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 50 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent, heading towards the first quarter tomorrow at 9:04. Illumination was 38% at midnight, will be 42% at noon and 47% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 13:47 and moonset is at 22:29. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 42 minutes today.

Grandparent's Day is tomorrow and Patriot Day is in five days. -Bernie-

Friday, September 5, 2008

September 5: ORD

Today is September 5th. It's the 249th day of the year. 117 days remain. It's week 36 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 78 and the normal low is 57. The 29-year averages are 80 and 58.

On the hot side, in 1983 the high was 95 with a low of 68. In 1985 the high was 92 with a low of 71. Last year the high was 90 with a low of 66. Other hot highs were 92 in 1999 and 90 in 1995. Another warm low was 71 in 1990. The record high of 98 was set way back in 1899 and the record warmest low of 77 was set in 1912. 13 of the 29 highs have been in the 80s and seven have been in the 70s.

On the cool side, in 1988 the high was 64 with the co-record low of 44. In 1984 the high was 69 with the other co-record low of 44. Other cool highs include 65 in 1994 and 67 in 2000. Other cool lows were 48 in 1997 and again in 2003. The record coolest high of 62 was set in 1909. 15 of the 29 lows have been 50s and eight have been 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:55 and sunrise is at 6:23.
Sunset is at 19:20 and twilight ends at 19:48. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:56 and sunrise is at 6:24. There's a total of 12 hours, 57 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 53 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent, heading towards the first quarter on Sunday at 9:04. Illumination was 29% at midnight, will be 33% at noon and 38% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 12:45 and moonset is at 21:49. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 4 minutes today.

Grandparent's Day is in two days and Patriot's Day is in six days. -Bernie-

Thursday, September 4, 2008

September 4: ORD

Today is September 4th. It's the 248th day of the year. 118 days remain. It's week 36 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 78 and the normal low is 58. The 29-year averages are 80 and 58.

On the hot side, in 1983 the high was the record high of 95 with a low of 67. In 1990 the high was 91 with a low of 66. In 1999 the high was 92 with a low of 65. Other hot highs were 89 last year and 88 in 1995. Other warm lows were 71 in 1985 and 68 in 1980. The record warmest low of 74 was set in 1971. 16 highs have been in the 70s and nine have been in the 80s (of the past 29).

On the cool side, in 1997 the high was 71 with a co-record low of 45. In 1994 the high was 66 with a low of 53. In 1984 the high was 73 with a low of 47. The other co-record low of 45 occurred in 1982. The record coolest high of 60 was set in 1902. 25 of the 29 lows have been 50s (14) and 60s (11).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:54 and sunrise is at 6:22.
Sunset is at 19:21 and twilight ends at 19:50. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:55 and sunrise is at 6:23. There's a total of 12 hours, 59 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 56 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent, heading towards the first quarter on Sunday at 9:04. Illumination was 20% at midnight, will be 24% at noon and 29% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 11:40 and moonset is at 21:16. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 36 minutes today.

Grandparent's Day is in three days and Patriot's Day is in seven days. Today is the second anniversary of the death of the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin (the defensive act of a sting ray). -Bernie-