November 7: ORD

Today is November 7th. It's the 312th day of the year. 54 days remain. It's week 45 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 51 and the normal low is 35. The 30-year averages are 52 and 34.

On the warm side, in 2001 the high was 68 with a low of 44. In 1986 the high was 62 with a low of 45. Other warm highs were 67 degrees in 1982, 62 (2005,1986,1980) and 60 in 1981. Other warm lows were 46 degrees in both 1983 and two years ago. The record high of 75 was set in 1915 and the record warmest low of 63 was set six decades later in 1975. 22 of the 30 highs have been 40s (10) and 50s (12). Six highs have been in the 60s, one in the 20s and one in the 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1977 the high was 58 with a low of 54 (a four degree spread). In 1975 the high was 67 with a low of 62 (a five degree spread). In 1966 the high was 71 (the only 70s high so far at O'Hare) with a low of 50.

More recently, the large spreads occurred in back-to-back years: 31 degrees in 1982 (67/36) and 30 degrees in 1981 (60/30). The small spread was four degrees in 1998 (42/38).

On the cold side, in 1991 the high was the record coolest high of 27 with the record low of 13. Two years later in 1993 the high was 41 with a low just three degrees above the record at 16 degrees. Other cold lows were 26 in both 1990 and 2003. Anther cold high was 38 in 1992. 17 of the 30 lows have been in the 30s. Seven lows have been in the 40s, four in the 20s and two in the 10s (1991 and 1993).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:05 and sunrise is at 6:34. Sunset is at 16:39 and twilight ends at 17:09. Chicago's sunrise is three minutes earlier at 6:31 and sunset/end of twilight times are two minutes earlier. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:06 and sunrise is at 6:36. There's a total of 10 hours, 5 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 4 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous. The full Beaver moon is next Thursday at 0:17. Illumination was 61% at midnight, will be 66% at noon and 71% at midnight tonight. Moonset was a minute past midnight. Moonrise is at 13:38 this afternoon and moonset is at 1:08 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 23 minutes today.

Veteran's Day is in four days. My sister-in-law celebrates a birthday in a week. -Bernie-