December 6: ORD

Today is December 6th. It's the 341st day of the year. 25 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 38 and the normal low is 24. The 30-year averages are 38 and 23.

On the warm side, in 1980 the high was the record high of 65 with the record warmest low of 52. In 1998 the high was 62 with a low of 37. In 2004 the high was 50 with a low of 40. Three years earlier, in 2001, the high was 51 with a low of 37. Another warm high (keep in mind it's December!) was 53 in 1988. Another warm low was 33 in 1994. 14 of the last 30 highs were 30s. Five of the colder highs were 20s (4) and 10s (1). 11 of the warmer highs were 40s (6), 50s (3) and 60s (2).

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1977 the high was 28 with a low of -1, a cold day and a record low day, and although officially at Midway, O'Hare had the same temperature this instance. In 1973 the high was 32 with a low of 25, a seven degree spread. In 1971 the high was 43 with a low of 38, a five degree spread. In 1967 the high was 46 with a low of 42, a four degree spread. In 1964 the high was 18 with a low of -3, a cold day. In 1962 the high was 29 with a low of 25, a four degree spread. In 1959 the high was 31 with a low of 26, a five degree spread. In 1958 the high was 17 (near-record coldest high) with a low of 5, a cold day.

More recently, we had a big spread of 35 degrees in 1991 as the high was 41 with a low of 6. The small spreads were five degrees in 1994 (38/33), seven degrees in 1997 (32/25) and seven degrees in 2003 (37/30).

On the cold side, in 2005 the high was the near-record coldest high of 17 with a very cold low of 4. The record coldest high of 16 was set way back in 1893. Last year the high was 24 with the near-record low of 0. The record low of -1 was set in 1977. In 1984 the high was 21 with a low of 8. In 2000 the high was 20 with a low of 10. Other cold lows were 6 in 1991 and 9 in 2002. 28 of the last 30 lows were 0s (5), 10s (6), 20s (10) and 30s (7). Only two warm lows: 40 in 2004 and 52 in 1980.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:36 and sunrise is at 7:08. Sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:53. There's a total of 9 hours, 13 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 17 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:37 and sunrise is at 7:09. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 54% at midnight, will be 59% at noon and 64% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 12:22 and moonset is at 1:06 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 38 minutes.

Pearl Harbor Day is tomorrow. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in eight days and Bill of Rights day is in nine days. Christmas Eve is in 18 days and Christmas Day is in 19 days. -Bernie-