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-