Friday, October 31, 2008

October 31: ORD

Today is October 31st. It's the 305th day of the year. 61 days remain. It's week 44 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 55 and the normal low is 37. The 29-year averages are 59 and 42.

On the warm side, in 1979 the high was 75 with a low of 53. Two years later in 1981 the high was 72 with a low of 54. In 1997 the high was 65 with a low of 54. In 2001 the high was 68 with a low of 50. In Y2K the high was 70 with a low of 47. In 2003 the high was 67 with a low of 49. In 1982 the high was 64 with a low of 51. In 1990 the high was 73 with a low of 42 (a 31 degree spread). In 1999 the high was 69 with a low of 46. Another warm high was 65 in 1986. Other warm lows were 54 in 1998 and 50 in 2005. The record high of 84 was set in 1950. The record warmest low of 65 was set in 1974. 22 of the 29 highs have been 50s (12) and 60s (10). There have been three highs only in the 40s (most recently 49 in 2002) and four highs to reach into the 70s (see Y2K above for the most recent).

In looking back through the years to the first October at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable. In 1974 the high was 77 with a low of 65 (the record warmest low). In 1969 the high was 50 with a low of 47 (a three degree spread). In 1968 the high was 79 with a low of 42 (a 37 degree spread). In 1959 the high was 50 with a low of 46 (a four degree spread).

More recently, the small spreads were five degrees in 1998 (59/54) and seven degrees in 2005 (57/50).

On the cool side, in 1996 the high was 40 with a low of 26. In 1993 the high was 44 with a low of 25. Another cool high was 49 in 2002. Another cool low was 26 in 1988. The record low of 23 and record coolest high of 31 were both set in 1873. 26 of the 29 lows have been 30s (8), 40s (11) and 50s (7). There have been three lows in the 20s (see 1996 above for the most recent).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:57 and sunrise is at 7:26. Sunset is at 17:48 and twilight ends at 18:17. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:58 and sunrise is at 7:27. There's a total of 10 hours, 22 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 20 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 5% at midnight, will be 7% at noon and 10% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 10:22 this morning. Moonset is at 19:04 tonight. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 42 minutes today.

Halloween is today. Standard time resumes in two days. Election day is in four days. Veteran's Day is in 11 days. My sister-in-law celebrates a birthday in two weeks. -Bernie-

Thursday, October 30, 2008

October 30: ORD

Today is October 30th. It's the 304th day of the year. 62 days remain. It's week 44 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 55 and the normal low is 37. The 29-year averages are 61 and 40.

On the warm side, in 1999 the high was 76 with a low of 56. Ten years earlier in 1989 the high was 75 with a low of 55. In 2004 the high was 72 with a low of 50. In 1990 the high was 73 with a low of 48. In 1998 the high was 65 with a low of 56 (a nine degree spread). In 1981 the high was 75 with a low of 45 (a 30 degree spread). In 1982 the high was 67 with a low of 50. Other warm highs were 72 in 1987, 70 in 2003, 70 two years ago and 67 in 1979. Another warm low was 47 in 2001. The record high is 85, set in 1950. The record warmest low of 62 was set in 1974. The tally of highs over the last 29 years is quite interesting. There have been five highs in the 40s, seven highs in the 50s, nine highs in the 60s and eight highs in the 70s.

In looking back through the years to the first October at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable. In 1974 the high was 76 with a low of 62 (the record warmest low). In 1971 the high was 80 with a low of 55. That high of 80 has been the only 80s high at O'Hare. In 1966 the spread was 30 degrees as the high was 52 with a low of 22. That low of 22 was just a degree higher than the current record low. In 1959 the spread was nine degrees (49/40).

More recently, the large spreads were 36 degrees in 1987 (72/36), 32 degrees two years ago (70/38) and 30 degrees in 2003 (70/40). The small spreads were four degrees in 1992 (46/42), five degrees in 1995 (45/40), five degrees in 2001 (52/47) and seven degrees in 2002 (48/41).

On the cool side, in 1988 the high was 45 with the record low of 21. In 1993 the high was 40 with a low of 30. Other cool highs were 45 in 1995, 46 in 1992 and 48 in 2002. Other cool lows were 24 in 1980 and 30 in 1996. The record coolest high of 28 was set in 1917. 22 of the 29 lows have been 30s (12) and 40s (10). There have been two lows in the 20s and five lows in the 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:55 and sunrise is at 7:25. Sunset is at 17:49 and twilight ends at 18:18. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:57 and sunrise is at 7:26. There's a total of 10 hours, 24 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 23 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent and was new two days ago at 18:14. Illumination was 2% at midnight, will be 3% at noon and 5% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 9:21 this morning. Moonset is at 18:23 tonight. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 2 minutes today, but such a small amount is visible.

Halloween is tomorrow. Election day is in five days. Veteran's Day is in 12 days. My sister-in-law celebrates a birthday in 15 days. -Bernie-

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

October 29: ORD

Today is October 29th. It's the 303rd day of the year. 63 days remain. It's week 44 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 56 and the normal low is 38. The 29-year averages are 58 and 39.

On the warm side, in 2004 the high was 76 with the record warmest low of 61. The record warmest low also occurred in 1900. In 1989 the high was 74 with a low of 54. In 1991 the high was 70 with a low of 55. In 1999 the high was the record high of 78 with a low of 45 (a 33 degree spread). The record high also occurred in 1901. Another warm high was 69 degrees in 1979. 19 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (9) and 60s (10). Five highs have been in the 40s, four highs have been in the 70s and one high was in the 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first October at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable. In 1974 the spread was seven degrees (64/57). In 1973 the spread was five degrees (49/44). In 1960 the spread was also seven degrees (58/51). In 1962 the spread was nine degrees (50/41). In 1965 the spread was 33 degrees (55/22) and in 1963 the spread was 30 degrees (57/27).

More recently, the large spreads were 33 degrees in 2005 (61/28), 31 degrees in 1984 (61/30) and 30 degrees in 1990 (60/30). The small spreads were four degrees in 2002 (46/42), six degrees in 1992 (48/42) and nine degrees in 2003 (48/39).

On the cool side, in 1988 the high was 41 with a low of 25. In 1993 the high was 39 with a low of 30 (a nine degree spread). In 1980 the high was 47 with a low of 25. Another cool high was 46 in 2002. Other cool lows were 28 in 2005 and 29 in 1997. The record low and record coolest highs were both set on the same day back in 1925: 19 and 29 degrees respectively. 22 of the 29 lows have been 30s (11) and 40s (11). There have been four 20s lows, two 50s lows and one 60s low.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:54 and sunrise is at 7:23. Sunset is at 17:50 and twilight ends at 18:19. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:55 and sunrise is at 7:25. There's a total of 10 hours, 27 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 25 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent and was new yesterday at 18:14. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 1% at noon and 2% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 8:17 this morning. Moonset is at 17:48 this afternoon. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 31 minutes today, but such a small amount is visible.

Halloween is in two days. Election day is in six days. Veteran's Day is in 13 days. My sister-in-law celebrates a birthday in 16 days. -Bernie-

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

October 28: ORD

Today is October 28th. It's the 302nd day of the year. 64 days remain. It's week 44 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 56 and the normal low is 38. The 29-year averages are 59 and 39.

On the warm side, in 1999 the high was the record high of 80 with a low of 48 (a 32 degree spread). In 1989 the high was 74 with a low of 53. In 1982 the high was 70 with a low of 54. In 1986 the high was 71 with a low of 46. In 1983 the high was 73 with a low of 43 (a 30 degree spread). Another warm low was 52 in 1991. In looking back through the years to the first October at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable. In 1974 the high was 73 with a low of 50. In 1968 the high was 44 with a low of 39, a 5 degree spread. In 1966 the high was 73 with a low of 37, a 36 degree spread. The record warmest low of 58 was set way back in 1896. 13 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s. Seven highs have been in the 60s. Four highs made it into the 70s but likewise, four highs were only in the 40s. One high (the record) was in the 80s.

Another large spread was 34 degrees in 1981 (65/31). The small spreads were six degrees in 1991 (58/52) and seven degrees in 2000 (53/46).

On the cool side, in 1980 the high was 44 with a low of 26. In 1988 the high was 44 with a low of 30. In 1997 the high was 53 with a low of 25. In 1987 the high was 47 with a low of 31. Other cool lows were 31 in both 1981 and 2005. The record low and record coolest highs were both set on the same day back in 1925: 19 and 31 degrees respectively. 24 of the 29 lows have been 30s (14) and 40s (10). There have been three 50s lows and two 20s lows.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:53 and sunrise is at 7:22. Sunset is at 17:51 and twilight ends at 18:20. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:54 and sunrise is at 7:23. There's a total of 10 hours, 29 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 27 minutes between twilights. The moon is new today at 18:14. Illumination was 1% at midnight, will be 0% at noon and 0% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 7:11 this morning. Moonset is at 17:19 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 8:17 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 8 minutes today, but such a small percentage is visible.

Halloween is in three days. Election day is in a week. Veteran's Day is in two weeks. My sister-in-law celebrates a birthday in 17 days. -Bernie-

Monday, October 27, 2008

October 27: ORD

Today is October 27th. It's the 301st day of the year. 65 days remain. It's week 44 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 57 and the normal low is 38. The 29-year averages are 58 and 40.

On the warm side, in 1984 the high was 76 with the record warmest low of 63. In 1998 the high was 70 with a low of 56. In 1989 the high was 76 with a low of 49. In 2000 the high was 71 with a low of 51. Other warm lows were 53 in 2004 and 52 in 1996. In looking back through the years to the first October at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable. In 1976 the low was 23 which was a degree lower than the record low, but not official. In 1974 the high was 72 with a low of 38, a 34 degree spread. In 1970 the high was 67 with a low of 60, a seven degree spread. Other seven degree spreads were in 1967 (41/34) and 1959 (40/33). In 1962 the spread was 30 degrees as the high was 64 with a low of 34. The record high of 83 was set in 1927. 24 of the 29 highs have been in the 40s (6), 50s (8) and 60s (10). Four highs made it into the 70s and just one in the 30s.

The large spreads were 33 degrees in 1983 (65/32) and 32 degrees in 1982 (65/33). The small spreads were six degrees in 1991 (53/47), seven degrees two years ago (45/38), eight degrees in 2002 (46/38), nine degrees in 1995 (58/49) and nine degrees in 2004 (62/53).

On the cool side, in 1997 the high was 38 with a low of 26. In 1980 the high was 43 with a low of 27. In 2001 the high was 45 with a low of 30. Other cool highs were 44 in 2003, 45 two years ago and 46 in both 1993 and 2002. The record low of 24 was set in 1942 and the record coolest high of 34 was set in 1925. 15 of the 29 lows have been 30s. Seven lows have been 40s, four lows have been 50s, two in the 20s and one in the 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:52 and sunrise is at 7:21. Sunset is at 17:53 and twilight ends at 18:22. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:53 and sunrise is at 7:22. There's a total of 10 hours, 32 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 30 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, heading towards the new moon tomorrow at 18:14. Illumination was 3% at midnight, will be 2% at noon and 1% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 6:05 this morning. Moonset is at 16:55 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 7:11 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 50 minutes today.

Halloween is in four days. Election day is in eight days. Veteran's Day is in 15 days. My sister-in-law celebrates a birthday in 18 days. -Bernie-

Sunday, October 26, 2008

October 26: ORD

Today is October 26th. It's the 300th day of the year. 66 days remain. It's week 44 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 58 and the normal low is 38. The 29-year averages are 57 and 40.

On the warm side, in 2000 the high was 76 with a low of 59. In 1989 the high was 75 with a low of 50. In 1996 the high was 68 with a low of 56. In 1998 the high was 73 with a low of 50. Another warm high was 70 in 1985. Other warm lows were 53 last year and in 2004. The low was 52 in 1986. In looking back through the years to the first October at O'Hare in 1959, the one low that came close to the 60s was the low of 57 in 1971. The high in 1971 was 78. Therefore, it will be a first when a low in the 60s finally does occur. A pre-1979 warm day at O'Hare was in 1963 when the high was 83 and the low was 45, a 38 degree spread. The record high of 84 was set in 1963 at Midway and record warmest low of 63 was set in 1939. 25 of the 29 highs have been in the 40s (7), 50s (10) and 60s (8). Four highs made it into the 70s.

The lone large spread ('79-'07) was 33 degrees in 1982 (64/31). Back in 1966 the high was 62 with a low of 25, a 37 degree spread. The small spreads were three degrees two years ago (46/43), five degrees in 2001 (41/36), seven degrees in 1986 (59/52), seven degrees in 1991 (54/47), seven degrees in 2004 (60/53) and nine degrees in 2002 (47/38). Back in 1959, the high was 39 with a low of 34, a mere 5 degree spread.

On the cool side, in 1980 the high was 42 with a low of 26. In 1988 the high was 44 with a low of 28. Other cold lows were 27 in 1979 and 28 in 1990. Other cool highs were 41 in 2001, 45 in 2003 and 46 in 1997. The records were set back in 1942: the record low of 22 and record coolest high of 37. The low at O'Hare in 1962 was 19, but O'Hare was not the official station of record until 1980. 12 of the 29 lows have been 30s. Seven lows have been 50s, six lows have been 40s and four in the 20s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:51 and sunrise is at 7:20. Sunset is at 17:54 and twilight ends at 18:23. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:52 and sunrise is at 7:21. There's a total of 10 hours, 34 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 32 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 7% at midnight, will be 5% at noon and 3% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 5:00 this morning. Moonset is at 16:32 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 6:05 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 32 minutes today.

My oldest sister, Mary Ann, is celebrating a birthday today. Halloween is in five days. -Bernie-

Saturday, October 25, 2008

October 25: ORD

Today is October 25th. It's the 299th day of the year. 67 days remain. It's week 43 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 58 and the normal low is 38. The 29-year averages are 57 and 38.

On the warm side, in 1989 the high was 77 with a low of 52. In 2000 the high was 69 with a low of 55. Other warm highs were 75 in 2004 and 70 in 1993. Another warm low was 52 in 1986. In looking back through the years to the first October at O'Hare in 1959, there was one day that came close to a low in the 60s. This was in 1971 when the low was 59. Therefore, it will be a first when a low in the 60s finally does occur. A pre-1979 warm day at O'Hare was in 1963 (77/51). The record high of 79 and record warmest low of 62 were set in 1963 at Midway Airport. 25 of the 29 highs have been in the 40s (7), 50s (9) and 60s (9). One high made it only into the 30s (see below "cool side") and three highs made it into the 70s.

The large spreads were 37 degrees in 2004 (75/38), 36 degrees in 1982 (62/26), 31 degrees in 1985 (67/36), 30 degrees in 1996 (68/38) and 30 degrees in 1999 (65/35). The small spreads were three degrees in 1986 (55/52), four degrees in 1997 (49/45), five degrees in 1994 (46/41), five degrees in 2001 (40/35) and five degrees in 2002 (47/42).

On the cool side, in 1988 the high was 43 with a low of 26. In 1980 the high was 39 with a low of 33 (a six degree spread). Other cool highs were 40 in 2001, 45 in 1981, 46 in 1979 and 46 in 1994. Other cold sub-30 degree lows were 26 in 1982, 27 two years ago and 29 in 1987. The records were set way back in 1887: the record low of 14 and record coolest high of 29. What a cold day for this time of the year! 14 of the 29 lows have been 30s. Eight lows have been 40s, four in the 20s and three in the 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:50 and sunrise is at 7:18. Sunset is at 17:56 and twilight ends at 18:24. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:51 and sunrise is at 7:20. There's a total of 10 hours, 38 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 34 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 14% at midnight, will be 10% at noon and 7% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 3:53 this morning. Moonset is at 16:11 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 5:00 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 18 minutes today.

My oldest sister, Mary Ann, will celebrate a birthday tomorrow. Halloween is in six days. -Bernie-

Friday, October 24, 2008

October 24: ORD

Today is October 24th. It's the 298th day of the year. 68 days remain. It's week 43 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 59 and the normal low is 39. The 29-year averages are 57 and 39.

On the warm side, in 1991 the high was 74 with the record warmest low of 63. In 1989 the high was 76 with a low of 51. In 2000 the high was 67 with a low of 58 (a 9 degree spread). Another warm high was 71 in 1985. Another warm low was 54 in 1986. Pre-1979 warm days at O'Hare were in 1973 (78/53), 1971 (64/61) and 1963 (82/53). The record high of 83 was set in 1963. 26 of the 29 highs have been in the 40s (7), 50s (11) and 60s (8). The exceptions were the three highs in the 70s.

A large spread was 34 degrees in 1982 (57/23). Other small spreads were four degrees in 1983 (51/47), 1986 (58/54) and 2002 (46/42). The spread was six degrees in 1997 (49/43).

On the cool side, in 1981 the high was the co-record coolest high of 40 with the record low of 17. In 1988 the high was the other co-record coolest high of 40 with a low of 26. Five other cool highs were in the 40s: 45 in 1987, 46 in 2002, 47 two years ago and 49 (1995 & 1997). Other cold sub-30 degree lows were 23 in 1982 and 28 (1984, 1999). 20 of the 29 lows have been 30s (8) and 40s (12). Four lows have been in the 20s, three lows have been in the 50s, one low in the 10s (the record low of 17), and one low in the 60s (the record warmest low of 63).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:49 and sunrise is at 7:17. Sunset is at 17:57 and twilight ends at 18:26. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:50 and sunrise is at 7:18. There's a total of 10 hours, 40 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 37 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 22% at midnight, will be 18% at noon and 14% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 2:46 this morning. Moonset is at 15:50 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 3:53 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 4 minutes today.

United Nations Day is today. My oldest sister, Mary Ann, will celebrate a birthday in two days. Halloween is a week away. -Bernie-

Thursday, October 23, 2008

October 23: ORD

Today is October 23rd. It's the 297th day of the year. 69 days remain. It's week 43 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 59 and the normal low is 40. The 29-year averages are 59 and 41.

On the warm side, in 1992 the high was 76 with a low of 58. In 1991 the high was 77 with a low of 55. In 2004 the high was 76 with a low of 55. In 2000 the high was 71 with a low of 58. Other warm highs were 72 in 1989 and 71 in 1995. Other warm lows were 54 in 1985, 55 in 1986 and 58 in 2001. Pre-1979 warm days at O'Hare were in 1975 (78/60), 1967 (78/54) and 1963 (85/55). The record high of 85 was set in 1963. The record warmest low of 64 was set back in 1920. Aside from the lone 30s high, the other categories are close. There have been seven highs in the 40s, eight highs in the 50s, seven highs in the 60s and six highs in the 70s.

Other large spreads were 30 degrees in 1989 (72/42) and 30 degrees in 1993 (68/38). The small spreads were five degrees in 1983 (52/47), six degrees in 1979 (45/39), six degrees in 2002 (46/40), seven degrees in 2001 (65/58) and eight degrees in 1986 (63/55).

On the cool side, in 1981 the high was the record coolest high of 35 with the record low of 20. In 1982 the high was 54 with a low of 23 (a 31 degree spread). In 1987 the high was 49 with a low of 29. In 2005 the high was 48 with a low of 32. Other cool highs were 45 in 1979, 46 in 2002, 48 in 1996 and 49 (1999 & two years ago). Other cool lows were 28 in 1984 and 32 in 1990. 25 of the 29 lows have been 30s (10), 40s (8) and 50s (7). Four lows have been in the 20s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:47 and sunrise is at 7:16. Sunset is at 17:59 and twilight ends at 18:27. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:49 and sunrise is at 7:17. There's a total of 10 hours, 43 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 40 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent and reached last quarter two days ago at 6:55. Illumination was 31% at midnight, will be 26% at noon and 22% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 1:36 this morning. Moonset is at 15:28 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 2:46 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 52 minutes today.

United Nations Day is tomorrow. My oldest sister, Mary Ann, will celebrate a birthday in three days. Halloween is in eight days. -Bernie-

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

October 22: ORD

Today is October 22nd. It's the 296th day of the year. 70 days remain. It's week 43 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 59 and the normal low is 40. The 29-year averages are 60 and 39.

On the warm side, in 1991 the high was 76 with a low of 50. In 1986 the high was 75 with a low of 50. In 1979 the high was 76 with a low of 45 (a 31 degree spread). Other warm highs were 73 in 1992 and 72 in 1994. Looking all the way back to 1959, there have been no low temperatures (at O'Hare) in the 60s. But eventually this will happen and that will be a first! Pre-1979 warm days at O'Hare were in 1975 (80/46) and in 1963 (84/59). The record high of 87 was set in 1953. The record warmest low of 66 was set back in 1920. 21 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (12) and 60s (9). There have been five highs in the 70s and three highs in the 40s.

Other large spreads were 33 degrees in 1989 (64/31) and 31 degrees in 1992 (73/42).

On the cool side, in 1982 the high was 49 with the record low of 22. In 1997 the high was 44 with a low of 29. Another cool high was 49 two years ago. Other cool lows were 31 (1981, 1989 and 1990), 32 in 1988 and 33 in 1998. The record coolest high of 41 was set back in 1913. 25 of the 29 lows have been 30s (13) and 40s (12). Only two lows in the 20s and two lows in the 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:46 and sunrise is at 7:15. Sunset is at 18:00 and twilight ends at 18:29. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:47 and sunrise is at 7:16. There's a total of 10 hours, 45 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 43 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent and reached last quarter yesterday morning at 6:55. Illumination was 42% at midnight, will be 36% at noon and 31% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 0:23 this morning. Moonset is at 15:02 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 1:36 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 39 minutes today.

United Nations Day is in two days. My oldest sister, Mary Ann, will celebrate a birthday in four days. Halloween is in nine days. -Bernie-

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

October 21: ORD

Today is October 21st. It's the 295th day of the year. 71 days remain. It's week 43 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 60 and the normal low is 40. The 29-year averages are 60 and 43.

On the warm side, in 1979 the high was 84 with the record warmest low of 70. Last year the high was 80 with a low of 60. The low of 60 last year was the first low in the 60s since the low of 66 in 1971. In 1986 the high was 77 with a low of 52. Another warm high was 72 in 1994. Other warm lows were 51 in both 1983 and 2001. Pre-1979 warm days at O'Hare were in 1978 (80/53) and in 1971 (73/66). The record high of 87 was set in 1953. 22 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (13) and 60s (9). Three 40s highs, two 70s highs and two 80s highs complete the tally of highs.

Large spreads were 32 degrees in both 1991 (67/35) and 1999 (68/36). In 1994 the spread was 31 degrees (72/41). One of the small spreads was 5 degrees in 1983 (56/51).

On the cool side, in 1987 the high was 42 with a low of 32. In 1995 the high was 43 with a low of 36 (a 7 degree spread). In 1982 the high was 52 with a low of 27. The record low of 26 occurred in 1952 and the record coolest high of 39 was set back in 1913. 23 of the 29 lows have been 30s (12) and 40s (11). Only three lows in the 50s; one each in the 20s, 60s and 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:45 and sunrise is at 7:14. Sunset is at 18:01 and twilight ends at 18:30. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:46 and sunrise is at 7:15. There's a total of 10 hours, 47 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 45 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning and reaches last quarter this morning at 6:55. Illumination was 53% at midnight, will be 47% at noon and 42% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 14:32 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 0:23 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 32 minutes today.

United Nations Day is in three days. My oldest sister, Mary Ann, will celebrate a birthday in five days. Halloween is in ten days. -Bernie-

Monday, October 20, 2008

October 20: ORD

Today is October 20th. It's the 294th day of the year. 72 days remain. It's week 43 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 60 and the normal low is 40. The 29-year averages are 60 and 41.

On the warm side, in 1979 the high was 80 with the record warmest low of 68. In 2000 the high was 77 with a low of 55. In 2003 the high was a near-record high of 85 with a low of 46 (a 39 degree spread). The record high is 86, set in 1953. Other warm highs were 73 last year and 74 in 1986. Another warm low was 51 in 1985. A pre-1979 warm day at O'Hare was in 1971 (81/59). 17 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s.

Another large spread was 35 degrees in 1986 (74/39). Other small spreads were three degrees in 2004 (53/50), four degrees in 1983 (52/48), six degrees in 1985 (57/51) and nine degrees in 1995 (49/40).

On the cool side, in 1989 the high was 41 with a low of 34 (a 7 degree spread). In 2002 the high was 52 with a low of 29. In 1988 the high was 50 with a low of 32. Other cool lows were 29 in 1991, 31 in 1996, 32 two years ago and 33 in 1992. Other cool highs were 49 in 1995 and 52 in three years (1983, 1997 and 1999). The record low of 24 occurred in 1930 and the record coolest high of 36 was set way back in 1895. 23 of the 29 lows have been 30s (11) and 40s (12).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:44 and sunrise is at 7:12. Sunset is at 18:03 and twilight ends at 18:31. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:45 and sunrise is at 7:14. There's a total of 10 hours, 51 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 47 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous and will reach last quarter tomorrow morning at 6:55. Illumination was 64% at midnight, will be 59% at noon and 53% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 13:53 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 23:08 tonight. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 45 minutes today.

United Nations Day is in four days. My oldest sister, Mary Ann, will celebrate a birthday in six days. Halloween is in 11 days. -Bernie-

Sunday, October 19, 2008

October 19: ORD

Today is October 19th. It's the 293rd day of the year. 73 days remain. It's week 43 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 61 and the normal low is 41. The 29-year averages are 59 and 41.

On the warm side, in 1979 the high was 74 with the record warmest low of 65 (a nine degree spread). In 1994 the high was 74 a low of 55. In 1995 the high was 79 with a low of 49 (a 30 degree spread). In 2000 the high was 76 with a low of 47. Pre-1979 warm days at O'Hare were in 1971 (83/64) and in 1965 (77/50). The record high of 84 was set in 1953. 21 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (10) and 60s (11). Four highs have been in the 40s and four have been in the 70s.

Another large spread was 33 degrees in 1997 (66/33). Other small spreads were three degrees in 2004 (52/49), five degrees two years ago (44/39), eight degrees last year (60/52), nine degrees in 1983 (55/46) and nine degrees in 1993 (60/51).

On the cool side, in 1992 the high was 46 with the record low of 21. In 1989 the high was 40 with a low of 33 (a seven degree spread). In 1991 the high was 47 with a low of 29. Other cool lows were 28 degrees in both 1981 and 1990. Another cool high of 44 occurred two years ago. The record coolest high of 36 was set back in 1930. 20 of the 29 lows have been 30s (8) and 40s (12). Four lows have been each in the 20s and in the 50s. The lone 50s low not mentioned was 50 in 1985. See "warm side" for the lone 60s low.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:43 and sunrise is at 7:11. Sunset is at 18:04 and twilight ends at 18:33. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:44 and sunrise is at 7:12. There's a total of 10 hours, 53 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 50 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 75% at midnight, will be 70% at noon and 64% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 13:04 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 21:53 tonight. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 11 minutes today.

United Nations Day is in five days. My oldest sister, Mary Ann, will celebrate a birthday in a week. Halloween is in 12 days. -Bernie-

Saturday, October 18, 2008

October 18: ORD

Today is October 18th. It's the 292nd day of the year. 74 days remain. It's week 42 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 61 and the normal low is 41. The 29-year averages are 62 and 41.

On the warm side, last year the high was 78 with a low of 59. In 1979 the high was 74 a low of 55. In 1994 the high was 68 with a low of 61 (a 7 degree spread). In 1985 the high was 68 with a low of 59 (a 9 degree spread). Another warm high was 73 in 2005. Another warm low was 53 in 1995. A pre-1979 warm day at O'Hare was in 1965 when the high made it all the way up to 80 and the low was 55. The record high of 87 was set in 1950. The record warmest low of 65 was set back in 1910. 21 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (10) and 60s (11). Six 70s highs.

The large spreads were 32 degrees in 2000 (70/38) and 30 degrees in 2005 (73/43). Another small spread was nine degrees in 1988 (54/45).

On the cool side, in 1992 the high was 45 with a low of 25. In 1989 the high was 41 with a low of 32 (a 9 degree spread). Another cool low was 31 degrees in both 1997. The record low of 20 was set in 1948. The record coolest high of 38 was set back in 1930. 23 of the 29 lows have been 30s (14) and 40s (9).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:42 and sunrise is at 7:10. Sunset is at 18:06 and twilight ends at 18:34. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:43 and sunrise is at 7:11. There's a total of 10 hours, 56 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 52 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 84% at midnight, will be 80% at noon and 75% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 12:03 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 20:44 tonight. Moonset is at 13:04 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 19 minutes today.

United Nations Day is in six days. My oldest sister, Mary Ann, will celebrate a birthday in eight days. Halloween is in 13 days. -Bernie-

Friday, October 17, 2008

October 17: ORD

Today is October 17th. It's the 291st day of the year. 75 days remain. It's week 42 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 62 and the normal low is 42. The 29-year averages are 62 and 42.

On the warm side, in 1994 the high was 78 with a low of 61. In 1998 the high was 70 with the record warmest low of 63 (only 7 degrees between the high and low). In 1990 the high was 78 with a low of 51. Other warm highs were 75 in 2005 and 74 in both 1991 and 1995. Other pre-1979 warm days at O'Hare were in 1965 (82/62), 1964 (80/43), 1963 (76/57) and 1961 (78/53). The record high of 86 was set in 1950. An unusual pattern comprises the tally of high temperatures over the last 29 years. There were three highs in the 40s, 11 highs in the 50s, five highs in the 60s and ten highs in the 70s. Usually the two middle groups of highs (50s and 60s) would comprise most of the highs. So in this case the 60s are lagging behind.

The large spreads were 34 degrees in 2005 (75/41) and 30 degrees in 1985 (72/42). The small spreads were eight degrees in 1979 (60/52), 1989 (47/39) and two years ago (58/50).

On the cool side, in 1992 the high was 49 with a low of 28. In 2002 the high was 45 with a low of 36 (a 9 degree spread). In 2001 the high was 51 with a low of 33. In 1982 the high was 52 with a low of 32. Other cool highs were 47 in 1989 and 52 in both 1986 and 1999. Other cool lows were 31 degrees in both 2003 and 2004. The record low of 26 was set in 1948. The record coolest high of 40 was set way back in 1880. 23 of the 29 lows have been 30s (9) and 40s (14).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:41 and sunrise is at 7:09. Sunset is at 18:08 and twilight ends at 18:36. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:42 and sunrise is at 7:10. There's a total of 10 hours, 59 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 55 minutes between twilights. Chicago's sunrise and sunset times are three minutes earlier. The moon is waning gibbous and was full three days ago at 15:02 (the full Hunter's moon). Illumination was 92% at midnight, will be 88% at noon and 84% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 10:50 this morning. Moonrise is at 19:45 tonight. Moonset is at 12:03 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 5 minutes today.

United Nations Day is in a week. My oldest sister, Mary Ann, will celebrate a birthday in nine days. Halloween is in two weeks. -Bernie-

Thursday, October 16, 2008

October 16: ORD

Today is October 16th. It's the 290th day of the year. 76 days remain. It's week 42 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 62 and the normal low is 42. The 29-year averages are 63 and 43.

On the warm side, in 1998 the high was 80 with a low of 55. In 1994 the high was 76 with a low of 57. In 1980 the high was 74 with a low of 52. In 1987 the high was 73 with a low of 53. In 1996 the high was 69 with a low of 57. Other warm highs were 75 in 1988 and 73 in 1989. Another warm low was 54 in 1979. Other pre-1979 warm days at O'Hare were in 1968 (82/65), 1965 (80/56) and 1963 (85/56). The record high of 87 was set in 1963 (at Midway) and the record warmest low of 68 was set way back in 1897. 27 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (10), 60s (10) and 70s (7). The two exceptions were 47 degrees (see "cool side" below) and 80 on our warmest day (1998).

The large spreads were 34 degrees in 1991 (62/28) and 31 degrees in 1983 (72/41). The small spreads were both 8 degrees in 1979 (62/54) and 2006 (56/48).

On the cool side, in 1992 the high was 50 with a low of 29. In 2002 the high was 50 with a low of 33. In 1982 the high was 52 with a low of 32. In 2004 the high was 47 with a low of 39. Another cool high was 52 in 2001. Another cool low was the record low of 28 which was set in 1991. The record coolest high of 44 was set back in 1943. 27 of the 29 lows have been 30s (10), 40s (9) and 50s (8). The lone exceptions were the two lows in the 20s mentioned here.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:39 and sunrise is at 7:08. Sunset is at 18:09 and twilight ends at 18:37. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:41 and sunrise is at 7:09. There's a total of 11 hours, 1 minute of daylight today and 11 hours, 58 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous and was full two days ago at 15:02 (the full Hunter's moon). Illumination was 97% at midnight, will be 95% at noon and 92% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 9:31 this morning. Moonrise is at 18:57 tonight. Moonset is at 10:50 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 34 minutes today.

United Nations Day is in eight days. My oldest sister, Mary Ann, will celebrate a birthday in ten days. Halloween is in 15 days. -Bernie-

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

October 15: ORD

Today is October 15th. It's the 289th day of the year. 77 days remain. It's week 42 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 63 and the normal low is 42. The 29-year averages are 64 and 44.

On the warm side, in 1989 the high was 83 with a low of 60. In 1988 the high was 76 with a low of 55. In 1996 the high was 78 with a low of 50. In 1999 the high was 79 with a low of 48 (a 31 degree spread). In 1987 the high was 75 with a low of 50. Last year the high was 74 with a low of 51. Another warm high was 73 in 1983. Other warm lows were 54 in 1984 and 53 in 1993. Other pre-1979 warm days at O'Hare were in 1968 (84/67), 1963 (84/35) and 1962 (87/64). The record high of 88 was set back in 1947 and the record warmest low of 69 was set way back in 1897. 27 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (8), 60s (11) and 70s (8). The two exceptions were 49 on our coolest day (see "cool side" below) and 83 on our warmest day (1989).

The other large spread was 38 degrees in 1983 (73/35). The small spreads were 2 degrees in 1992 (51/49), 8 degrees in 1980 (53/45) and 9 degrees in 2004 (53/44).

On the cool side, in 1991 the high was 49 with a low of 32. Two years ago the high was 52 with a low of 31. In 1986 the high was 53 with a low of 32. In 1997 the high was 55 with a low of 31. Other cool highs were 51 in 1992 and 52 in 2001. The record low of 28 was set way back in 1876 and the record coolest high of 44 was set back in 1943. 28 of the 29 lows have been 30s (11), 40s (10) and 50s (7). The lone exception was the low of 60 on our warmest day (see above, "warm side").

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:38 and sunrise is at 7:07. Sunset is at 18:11 and twilight ends at 18:39. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:39 and sunrise is at 7:08. There's a total of 11 hours, 4 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 1 minute between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous and was full yesterday at 15:02 (the full Hunter's moon). Illumination was 100% at midnight, will be 99% at noon and 97% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 8:12 this morning. Moonrise is at 18:19 tonight. Moonset is at 9:31 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 53 minutes today.

United Nations Day is in nine days. My oldest sister, Mary Ann, will celebrate a birthday in 11 days. Halloween is in 16 days. -Bernie-

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

October 14: ORD

Today is October 14th. It's the 288th day of the year. 78 days remain. It's week 42 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 63 and the normal low is 43. The 29-year averages are 62 and 44.

On the warm side, in 1989 the high was 85 with a low of 52 (a 33 degree spread). In 2000 the high was 74 with a low of 60. In 1984 the high was 70 with a low of 62 (an 8 degree spread). Another warm high was 76 in 2005. Other pre-1979 warm days at O'Hare were in 1975 (85/62), 1968 (81/64), 1966 (70/63), 1963 (77/29) and 1962 (86/61). The record high of 89 was set in 1975 (at Midway) and the record warmest low of 66 was set way back in 1879. 14 of the 29 highs have been in the 60s. Eight highs have been in the 50s and four have been in the 70s.

The other large spread was 31 degrees in 1979 (62/31). The other small spreads were 8 degrees in both 2004 (56/48) and last year (61/53). The spread was 9 degrees in both 1981 (61/52) and 1995 (52/43).

On the cool side, two years ago the high was 50 with a low of 32. In 1986 the high was 48 with a low of 34. In 1997 the high was 49 with a low of 35. Other cool lows were 30 in 2002 and 31 in 1979. Another cool high was 52 in 1995. The record low of 27 was set way back in 1872 and the record coolest high of 43 was set back in 1937. 23 of the 29 lows have been 30s (11) and 40s (12).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:37 and sunrise is at 7:05. Sunset is at 18:12 and twilight ends at 18:40. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:38 and sunrise is at 7:07. There's a total of 11 hours, 7 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 3 minutes between twilights. The moon is full today at 15:02 (the full Hunter's moon). Illumination was 99% at midnight, will be 100% at noon and 100% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 6:54 this morning. Moonrise is at 17:49 this afternoon and moonset is at 8:12 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 5 minutes today.

United Nations Day is in ten days. My oldest sister, Mary Ann, will celebrate a birthday in 12 days. Halloween is in 17 days. -Bernie-

Monday, October 13, 2008

October 13: ORD

Today is October 13th. It's the 287th day of the year. 79 days remain. It's week 42 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 63 and the normal low is 43. The 29-year averages are 63 and 41.

On the warm side, in 1995 the high was 83 with a low of 52 (a 31 degree spread). In 1996 the high was 77 with a low of 56. In 2000 the high was 78 with a low of 54. Other warm highs were 81 in 1989, 74 in 1997 and 73 in 2003. Other warm lows were 60 in 1984, 55 in 2001 and 53 in 2004. Other pre-1979 warm days at O'Hare were 1975 (87/64), 1968 (80/59), 1962 (81/47) and 1960 (79/61). The record high of 88 was set in 1975 and the record warmest low of 67 was set in 1920. 26 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (11), 60s (9) and 70s (6).

The other large spreads were a huge 40 degrees in 1989 (81/41), 32 degrees in both 1987 (65/33) and 2003 (73/41) and 30 degrees in both 1980 (58/28) and 1997 (74/44). The three small spreads were 6 degrees in 1984 (66/60), 7 degrees in 1986 (47/40) and 9 degrees in 2004 (62/53).

On the cool side, in 1988 the high was 53 with the record low of 25. In 1993 the high was 53 with a low of 28. Two years ago the high was 50 with a low of 32. In 2002 the high was 50 with a low of 33. Another cool low was 28 in 1980. Other cool highs were 47 degrees in 1986 and 52 in 1979. The record coolest high of 45 was set back in 1909. 13 of the 29 lows were in the 40s. Seven lows were in the 30s and another five were 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:36 and sunrise is at 7:04. Sunset is at 18:14 and twilight ends at 18:42. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:37 and sunrise is at 7:05. There's a total of 11 hours, 10 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 6 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Hunter's moon tomorrow at 15:02. Illumination was 97% at midnight, will be 98% at noon and 99% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 5:40 this morning. Moonrise is at 17:23 this afternoon and moonset is at 6:54 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 17 minutes today.

The following events are all today: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, is turning 33. -Bernie-

Sunday, October 12, 2008

October 12: ORD

Today is October 12th. It's the 286th day of the year. 80 days remain. It's week 42 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 64 and the normal low is 43. The 29-year averages are 64 and 43.

On the warm side, in 1997 the high was 82 with a low of 58. In 1995 the high was 83 with a low of 55. In 1985 the high was 76 with a low of 53. Other warm highs (all 70s) were 75 in 1999, 73 in 1989 and 73 in 2000. Other warm lows were 55 in 2005 and 54 in 1984. There are no 80s highs from 1979-1994. What year produced one? Well, you have to go back to 1960 when the high was 82 along with a low of 53. The high of 82 was at O'Hare, but the high at Midway was 84 and so that remains the record high. In 1976 it was close at 79 degrees (with a low of 57). In 1961 the high was 78 degrees. 19 of the 29 highs have been in the 60s (11) and 70s (8). Six highs have been in the 50s.

The other large spreads were 32 degrees in both 1990 (64/32) and 1994 (67/35). Another large spread was 30 degrees in 2000 (73/43). One of the small spreads was 8 degrees in 2005 (63/55). Another large and small spread is listed below in the cool section.

On the cool side, two years ago the high was 39 with a low of 30 (a spread of 9 degrees). The interesting thing is that on this day we broke a record for the earliest measurable snow (0.1 inches or more). At O'Hare and Midway, 0.3 inches fell. In DeKalb, half an inch fell. My home town of Crystal Lake and the adjacent town of Algonquin received an inch. Arlington Heights, to our southwest, tallied an inch and a half. The previous earliest date was October 18 in both 1972 and 1989. Getting back to the temperatures, in 1988 the high was 48 with the co-record low of 28. In 1980 the high was 53 with a low of 31. In 1987 the high was 59 with the other co-record low of 28 (a 31 degree spread). Another cool high was 51 in 1979. Another cool low was 32 degrees in 1990. The record coolest high of 38 was set back in 1917. 20 of the 29 lows were in the 30s (8) and 40s (12). The two 20s are mentioned here as the record lows. Of the seven 50s lows, the only two that haven't been mentioned so far is 51 in 2001 and 50 in 1996.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:35 and sunrise is at 7:03. Sunset is at 18:16 and twilight ends at 18:44. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:36 and sunrise is at 7:04. There's a total of 11 hours, 13 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 9 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Hunter's moon on Tuesday at 15:02. Illumination was 92% at midnight, will be 94% at noon and 97% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 4:29 this morning. Moonrise is at 17:00 this afternoon and moonset is at 5:40 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 29 minutes today.

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

Saturday, October 11, 2008

October 11: ORD

Today is October 11th. It's the 285th day of the year. 81 days remain. It's week 41 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 65 and the normal low is 44. The 29-year averages are 64 and 42.

On the warm side, in 2003 the high was 78 with a low of 54. In 1983 the high was 76 with a low of 50. In 1995 the high was 79 with a low of 46 (a 33 degree spread). Other warm highs (all 70s) were 79 in 1989, 76 in 1997, 73 in 2002 and 70 in 1986. Other warm lows were 55 in 2005 and 54 in 1984. There are no 80s highs from 1979-2007. What year produced one? Well, you have to go back to 1973 when the high was 82 along with the record warmest low was 66, nearly the same as the previous day in 1973 (81/65) and the day before that (81/63). That low of 66 was also the missing 60s low. In 1962 the high was 88 with a low of 65. That's almost 90 degrees in 1962! In 1961 it was close at 77 and 55. In 1960 the high was 80 with a low of 53. The record high is 87, set in 1928. 22 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (10) and 60s (12). Seven highs have been in the 70s (all listed above).

The other large spreads were a huge 40 degrees in 1989 (79/39) and 31 degrees in 1997 (76/45). The small spreads were 5 degrees in 2005 (60/55), 8 degrees last year (54/46) and 9 degrees in 1982 (54/45).

On the cool side, in 1987 the high was 50 with a low of 29. In 1996 the high was 57 with the record low of 27 (a 30 degree spread). In 1988 the high was 51 with a low of 33. Other cool highs were 54 in three years (last year, two years ago and 1982). Other cool lows were 32 in both 1990 and 1993. The record coolest high of 41 was set way back in 1875. In 1875 readings were taken at Madison and LaSalle Streets. Therefore, a wind off the lake would've had a direct impact on this reading. 22 of the 29 lows were in the 30s (8) and 40s (14). The two 20s are mentioned here. Of the five 50s lows, the only one I haven't mentioned so far is 51 which occurred in 2001.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:34 and sunrise is at 7:02. Sunset is at 18:17 and twilight ends at 18:45. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:35 and sunrise is at 7:03. There's a total of 11 hours, 15 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 11 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 85% at midnight, will be 88% at noon and 92% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 3:19 this morning. Moonrise is at 16:37 this afternoon and moonset is at 4:29 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 42 minutes today.

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

Friday, October 10, 2008

October 10: ORD

Today is October 10th. It's the 284th day of the year. 82 days remain. It's week 41 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 65 and the normal low is 44. The 29-year averages are 62 and 42.

On the warm side, in 1999 the high was 79 with a low of 53. In 2003 the high was 77 with a low of 50. In 2002 the high was 73 with a low of 51. Another warm high was 71 in 1995. Other warm lows were 56 in 1984 and 55 in 2001. There are no 80s highs from 1979-2007. What year produced one? Well, you have to go back to 1973 when the high was 81 and the low was 65, nearly the same as the previous day in 1973 (81/63). That low of 65 was also the missing 60s low. In 1963 the high was 82 with a low of 50. In 1962 it was 87 and 43. Stop and think. Almost 90 degrees in 1962. Wow! In 1961 it was 80 & 60 and in 1960 it fell a degree short at 79 degrees. The official record high is 86, set in 1962 (not 87 because the official station of record for Chicago in 1962 was Midway Airport). The record warmest low of 68 was set way back in 1879. 22 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (8) and 60s (14). Just four highs have been in the 70s and three in the 40s.

No large spreads so far for October 10th. The small spreads were 8 degrees in both 1984 (64/56) and 1985 (47/39). Last year the spread was 7 degrees (54/47). Two years ago the spread was 6 degrees (58/52).

On the cool side, in 1996 the high was 50 with a low of 31. In 1990 the high was 48 with a low of 34. In 1993 the high was 53 with a low of 30. In 1987 the high was 48 with a low of 37. In 1985 the high was 47 with a low of 39. In 1979 the high was 56 with a low of 34. The record low of 27 was set in 1964 and the record coolest high of 39 was set in 1906. 23 of the 29 lows were in the 30s (11) and 40s (12).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:33 and sunrise is at 7:01. Sunset is at 18:19 and twilight ends at 18:47. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:34 and sunrise is at 7:02. There's a total of 11 hours, 18 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 14 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 77% at midnight, will be 81% at noon and 85% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 2:12 this morning. Moonrise is at 16:15 this afternoon and moonset is at 3:19 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 57 minutes today.

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

Thursday, October 9, 2008

October 9: ORD

Today is October 9th. It's the 283rd day of the year. 83 days remain. It's week 41 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 65 and the normal low is 45. The 29-year averages are 63 and 45.

On the warm side, in 2001 the high was 73 with a low of 56. In 1979 the high was 75 with a low of 53. In 1982 the high was 68 with a low of 57. In 2007 the high was the warmest high for the date at 76 and the low was 49. Another warm low was 57 in 1984. There are no 80s highs from 1979-2007. What year produced one? Well, you have to go back to 1973 when the high was 81 and the low was 63. That low of 63 was also the missing 60s low. 1969 and 1963 produced highs of 79 (close to 80). Back in 1966 the high was 83 with a low of 49. Remember that the prior day (in 1966) the high was 80 with a low of 55. In 1961 the high was 80 with a low of 56. The record high of 86 was set in 1949 and the record warmest low of 68 was set way back in 1879. 27 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (9), 60s (10) and 70s (8).

The lone large spread of 30 degrees occurred in 1981 (62/32). The small spreads were 9 degrees in 1986 (53/44) and 6 degrees in both 1983 (56/50) and 1984 (63/57). In 1990 the spread was just 3 degrees (48/45).

On the cool side, in 1993 the high was 48 with a low of 32. In 2000 the high was 57 with the record low of 30. In 1989 the high was 58 with a low of 32. In 1979 the high was 54 with a low of 36. Other cool highs were 48 in 1990, 53 in 1986 and 54 in 1992. The record coolest high of 43 was set in 1964. 15 of the 29 lows were in the 40s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:32 and sunrise is at 7:00. Sunset is at 18:20 and twilight ends at 18:48. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:33 and sunrise is at 7:01. There's a total of 11 hours, 20 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 16 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 68% at midnight, will be 72% at noon and 77% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 1:05 this morning. Moonrise is at 15:50 this afternoon and moonset is at 2:12 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 15 minutes today.

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

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

October 8: ORD

Today is October 8th. It's the 282nd day of the year. 84 days remain. It's week 41 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 66 and the normal low is 45. The 29-year averages are 67 and 46.

On the warm side, last year the high was the record high of 87 with a low of 60. The high was also 87 in 1949. In 1997 the high was 84 with a low of 62. Other warm highs were 80 in 2003, 78 in 1993 and 77 in 1986. Other warm lows were 57 in each of 1984, 1999 and 2004. Before our most distant high of 84 in 1997, you have to go back 31 years to 1966 to find another high of 80 or higher. In 1966 the high was 80 with a low of 55. 25 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (6), 60s (10) and 70s (9).

The large spreads were 35 degrees in 1982 (75/40), 32 degrees in 2003 (80/48) and 30 degrees in 1993 (78/48). The small spreads were 6 degrees in 1990 (53/47) and 7 degrees in 1999 (64/57).

On the cool side, in 2000 the high was 46 with a low of 31. In 1987 the high was 56 with the record low of 27. In 1989 the high was 55 with a low of 34. In 1996 the high was 50 with a low of 40. Other cool highs were 53 in both 1990 and 2005. The record coolest high of 41 was set way back in 1895. 18 of the 29 lows were in the 40s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:31 and sunrise is at 6:59. Sunset is at 18:22 and twilight ends at 18:50. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:32 and sunrise is at 7:00. There's a total of 11 hours, 23 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 19 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous and reached first quarter yesterday at 4:04 in the morning. Illumination was 58% at midnight, will be 63% at noon and 68% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 15:23 this afternoon and moonset is at 1:05 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 37 minutes today.

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

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

October 7: ORD

Today is October 7th. It's the 281st day of the year. 85 days remain. It's week 41 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 66 and the normal low is 45. The 29-year averages are 66 and 44.

On the warm side, last year the high was the record high of 87 with the record warmest low of 67. The former record high of 86 occurred in 1947. The former record warmest low of 66 occurred in 1914. In 1997 the high was 84 with a low of 63. In 1993 the high was 81 with a low of 58. In 1994 the high was 75 with a low of 61. Other warm highs were 80 in 2003 and 77 in 1983. Another warm low was 60 in 1984. Before the high of 81 in 1993, you have to go back 30 years to 1963 to find another high of 80 or higher. In 1963 the high was 81 with a low of 49. There were a few high temperatures that approached 80 on the way back to 1963 (the 77 in 1983, the 79 in 1970 and the 78 in 1966). 23 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (7), 60s (9) and 70s (7).

The large spreads were 39 degrees in 2003 (80/41), 35 degrees in 1985 (71/36), 33 degrees in 1980 (74/41), 33 degrees in 2004 (76/43) and 32 degrees in 1983 (77/45). The small spreads were 5 degrees in 1984 (65/60), 7 degrees in 1995 (53/46) and 9 degrees in 1998 (60/51).

On the cool side, in 2000 the high was 49 with a low of 30. In 1987 the high was 49 with a low of 30. In 2001 the high was 52 with the record low was 29. The former record lows (of 30) were just mentioned. In 1991 the high was 57 with a low of 33. In 1989 the high was 55 with a low of 35. Other cool highs were 53 in 1995, 54 in 2005 and 55 in 2002. Other cool lows were 34 in 1988 and 36 in 1985. The record coolest high of 47 was set in 1896. 21 of the 29 lows were in the 30s (9) and 40s (12).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:29 and sunrise is at 6:57. Sunset is at 18:24 and twilight ends at 18:52. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:31 and sunrise is at 6:59. There's a total of 11 hours, 27 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 23 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent and will reached first quarter this morning at 4:04. Illumination was 49% at midnight, will be 54% at noon and 58% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 14:51 this afternoon and moonset is at 23:59 tonight. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 8 minutes today.

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

Monday, October 6, 2008

October 6: ORD

Today is October 6th. It's the 280th day of the year. 86 days remain. It's week 41 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 67 and the normal low is 46. The 29-year averages are 67 and 45.

On the warm side, last year the high was 87 with the near record warmest low of 69 (record is 70 in 1879). In 1982 the high was 87 with a low of 61. In 1990 the high was 84 with a low of 60. In 1997 the high was 84 with a low of 56. The record high of 94 was set in 1963. 24 of the 29 highs have been in the 50s (9), 60s (7) and 70s (8).

The large spreads were 34 degrees in 1993 (78/44), 34 degrees in 1992 (70/36) and 33 degrees in 1980 (70/37). The small spread was 8 degrees in 1995 (61/53).

On the cool side, in 2001 the high was 50 with a low of 30. In 2000 the high was 48 with a low of 34. In 1988 the high was 56 with a low of 30. In 1991 the high was 53 with a low of 35. In 1985 the high was 58 with a low of 32. In 1987 the high was 54 with a low of 37. In 1986 the high was 56 with a low of 37. Another cool high was 56 in 1979. Other cool lows were 35 in 2003 and 36 in 1992. The cool records were both set in 1952: the record low of 28 and the record coolest high of 46. The tally of lows is 11 in the 30s, nine in the 40s, six in the 50s and three in the 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:28 and sunrise is at 6:56. Sunset is at 18:25 and twilight ends at 18:53. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:29 and sunrise is at 6:57. There's a total of 11 hours, 29 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 25 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent and will reach first quarter tomorrow morning at 4:04. Illumination was 40% at midnight, will be 44% at noon and 49% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 14:12 this afternoon and moonset is at 22:57 tonight. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 45 minutes today.

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