January 14: ORD

Today is January 14th. It's the 14th day of the year. 351 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 29 and 15.

On the warm side, in 1987 the high was 45 with a low of 30. In 1996 the high was 47 with a low of 28. Six years earlier, in 1990, the high was 45 with a low of 29. Five years later, in 1995, the high was 39 with a low of 35, a four degree spread. Seven years later, in 2002, the high was 40 with a low of 30. A year before that (2001) the high was 36 with a low of 32, a four degree spread. Five years later, in 2006, the high was 37 with a low of 28. Another warm high was 41 in 1980. Other warm lows were 30 two years ago and 26 in 1983. The record high of 60 was set back in 1928 and the record warmest low of 41 was set in 1953. 21 of the last 30 highs were 20s (11) and 30s (10). On the warmer side, five highs were 40s. On the colder side, four highs were: 10s (2) and single digits (2).

In looking back through the years to the first January at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable. In 1970 (at Midway) the high was 24 with a low of 19, a five degree spread. In 1969 the high was 27 with a low of 23, a four degree spread. In 1968 the high was 35 with a low of 31, a four degree spread. In 1963 the high was 7 with a low of -12, a cold day. In 1962 the high was 33 with a low of 28, a five degree spread. In 1960 the high was 38 with a low of 34, a four degree spread.

More recently, we had small spreads of three degrees two years ago (33/30) and four degrees in 1999 (20/16). In 1985 the spread was 30 degrees (33/3).

On the cold side, in 1994 the high was the record coldest high of 1 with a low of -10. The former record coldest high of 2 occurred back in 1905. A dozen years earlier, in 1982, the high was 9 with a low of -10. Three years earlier, in 1979, the high was 21 with a low of -12. The record low of -14 was set this same year (1979) but it was set at Midway. Usually the low at O'Hare would be colder than at Midway, so this is a bit unusual. In 1997 the high was 20 with a low of -3. In 2005 the high was 15 with a low of 4. Another cold low was 0 in 1988. 26 of the last 30 lows were: single digits (6), 10s (7), 20s (8) and 30s (5). Four lows were colder: negative 10s (3) and negative single digits (1).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:49 and sunrise is at 7:20. Chicago's start of twilight and sunrise times are four minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:46 and twilight ends at 17:17. Chicago's sunset and end of twilight times are two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 26 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 28 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:48 and sunrise is at 7:19. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 87% at midnight, will be 83% at noon and 78% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 9:21 and moonrise is at 21:26. Moonset is at 9:44 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 55 minutes.

Today is a major day in O'Hare's snow history. In 1979, 0.6 inches fell. This was the fourth day of a 21.7 inch, seven day stretch of snow.

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