November 21: ORD

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

Unless noted, the following data is based upon observations collected by the National Weather Service, Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) between November 1978 and last year. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 44 and the normal low is 30. The 30-year averages are 44 and 30.

On the warm side, in 1990 the high was 66 with a low of 49. In 1979 the high was 60 with a low of 47. In 1992 the high was 57 with a low of 39. Other warm highs were 54 in 1991, 53 in 1994 and 53 in 2001. Another warm low was 41 in 2003. The record high and record warmest lows were set in 1913 (72 and 62 respectively). 27 of the last 30 highs were in the 30s (10), 40s (8) and 50s (9). There were two 60s highs and one high in the 20s. Once again, no 70s highs. Those are diminishing quickly.

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1976 the high was 36 with a low of 29 (a seven degree spread). In 1975 the high was 39 with a low of 33 (a six degree spread). In 1974 the high was 38 with a low of 31 (a seven degree spread). 1973 was one of the warmer days as the high was 61 with a low of 36. In 1972 the high was 37 with a low of 31 (a six degree spread). In 1967 the high was 40 with a low of 33 (a seven degree spread). In 1964 the high was 15 with a low of 5, certainly one of our coldest days. 1963 was another of the warmer days as the high was 62 with a low of 43.

More recently, the spread was four degrees in 1988 (35/31), five degrees in 1978 (31/26) and seven degrees in 1996 (37/30).

On the cold side, in 2000 the high was 24 with a low of 14. 15 years earlier, in 1985, the high was 35 with a low of 13. In 1981 the high was 30 with a low of 20. In 1987 the high was 35 with a low of 16. In 1984 the high was 38 with a low of 16. Another cold high was 31 in 1978. The record low and record coldest high were set way back in 1880 (1 and 11 respectively). 15 of the last 30 lows were 30s. Eight lows were 20s, four lows were in the 10s and three lows were 40s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:21 and sunrise is at 6:52. (Chicago's twilight is three minutes earlier and sunrise is four minutes earlier). Sunset is at 16:25 and twilight ends at 16:57. (Chicago's sunset and end of twilight times are two minutes earlier). There's a total of 9 hours, 35 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 36 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:22 and sunrise is at 6:53. The moon is waning crescent and reached last quarter two days ago at 15:31. Illumination was 36% at midnight, will be 31% at noon and 26% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 0:46. Moonset is at 13:16 and moonrise is at 1:52 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 30 minutes today.

Thanksgiving is in six days. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in 23 days and Bill of Rights day is in 24 days. -Bernie-