December 3: ORD

Today is December 3rd. It's the 338th day of the year. 28 days remain. It's week 49 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 39 and the normal low is 25. The 30-year averages are 39 and 25.

On the warm side, in 1998 the high was 67 with the record warmest low of 54. The high of 67 ties the also warmest high of 67 in 1970 at O'Hare. However, the record high of 71 degrees was set at Midway, the official station at the time, in 1970. In 1982 the high was 62 with a low of 47. In 1999 the high was 57 with a low of 48. Two years later, in 2001, the high was 56 with a low of 41. In 1994 the high was 54 with a low of 42. A year later, in 1995, the high was 57 with a low of 35. Another warm high was 54 in 1988. 13 of the last 30 highs were 30s. Five highs were 20s, five highs were 50s, four highs were 40s, two highs were 60s and one high was in the 10s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1973 the high was 62 with a low of 44, a bonus 60s day. In 1970 the high was 67 (the record high of 71 was set at Midway this day) with a low of 40. In 1966 the high was 23 with a low of 2, a very cold day. In 1964 the high was 34 with a low of 29, a five degree spread. In 1961 the high was 62 with a low of 33, a bonus 60s day. In 1958 the high was 37 with a low of 31, a six degree spread.

More recently, the spread was 3 degrees in 1997 (38/35) and six degrees in 1986 (35/29).

On the cold side, two years ago the high was the record coldest high of 15 with a low of 8. The former record coldest high was 16 in 1942. In 1985 the high was 24 with a low of 5. In 2002 the high was 24 with a low of 14. In 1989 the high was 25 with a low of 15. In 1980 the high was 30 with a low of 10. In 1991 the high was 30 with a low of 13. In 1984 the high was 27 with a low of 16. Another cold low was 15 in 1978. The record low of -5 was set in 1940. 20 of the last 30 lows were 10s (9) and 20s (11). Four lows were 40s, three lows were 30s and two lows were 0s. One low was in the 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:34 and sunrise is at 7:05. Chicago's twilight and sunrise times are four minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:53. Chicago's sunset is a minute earlier and end of twilight time is two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 15 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 18 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:35 and sunrise is at 7:06. The moon is waxing crescent and will reach first quarter in two days at 15:26. Illumination was 25% at midnight, will be 29% at noon and 34% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 11:17 and moonset is at 21:49. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 32 minutes.

Pearl Harbor Day is in four days. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in 11 days and Bill of Rights day is in 12 days. -Bernie-