January 10: ORD

Today is January 10th. It's the 10th day of the year. 355 days remain. It's week 2 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 29 and the normal low is 14. The 30-year averages are 30 and 15.

On the warm side, in 2000 the high was 46 with a low of 37. Two years later, in 2002, the high was 44 with a low of 34. In 1983 the high was 41 with a low of 35, a six degree spread. Last year the high was 44 with a low of 32. In 1980 the high was 52 with a low of 16, a thirty-six degree spread. Other warm lows were 29 (1987, 1990, 2005). Both records were established in 1975. That year saw a high of 60 with a low of 42. 19 of the last 30 highs were: 20s (7) and 30s (12). On the warmer side, four highs were 40s and one was a 50s high. On the colder side, four highs were 10s, one high was in the single digits and one high was in the negative single digits.

In looking back through the years to the first January at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable. In 1978 the high was 8 with a low of -7, a cold day. In 1975 the high was 60 with a low of 41. Midway's high was also 60 (the record) but at Midway the low was a degree higher at 42. In 1962 the high was 4 with a low of -15, another cold day.

More recently, we had four days of small spreads. One was at five degrees: 34/29 in 1987. Three others were six degrees: 25/19 in 1985, 27/21 in 1993 and 35/29 in 2005.

On the cold side, in 1982 the high was the record coldest high of -4 with the record low of -26. The low at Rockford was -27. Three years earlier, in 1979, the high was 2 with a low of -13. I wonder if 1979's temperatures were a harbinger of things to come. Much of our coldest weather occurred in the 1980s. In 1988 the high was 15 with a low of -12. A decade and a year later, in 1999, the high was 14 with a low of -2. In 1981 the high was 16 with a low of -2. In 1984 the high was 20 with a low of -4. 18 of the last 30 lows were: 10s (10) and 20s (8). Eight lows were colder: negative 20s (1), negative 10s (2), negative single digits (3) and single digits (2). Four lows were in the warmer 30s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:50 and sunrise is at 7:21. Sunset is at 16:41 and twilight ends at 17:12. There's a total of 9 hours, 20 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 22 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:50 and sunrise is at 7:21. The full Wolf moon is tonight at 21:27. Illumination was 99% at midnight, will be 100% at noon and 100% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 7:06 and moonrise is at 16:14. Moonset is at 7:52 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 52 minutes.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is in a week and two days. The Presidential inauguration is in a week and three days. My brother will be celebrating a birthday in two weeks. -Bernie-