January 8: ORD

Today is January 8th. It's the 8th day of the year. 357 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, last year the high was 56 with a low of 37. Five years prior, in 2003, the high was 54 with a low of 37. In 1992 the high was 44 with a low of 35. Three years ago, in 2006, the high was 45 with a low of 32. In 1990 the high was 47 with a low of 28. A decade later, in 2000, the high was 45 with a low of 29. Two years before, in 1998, the high was 35 with a low of 32, a three degree spread. Another warm high was 41 in 2002. Other warm lows were 26 (1983 and 2007), 25 in 1987 and 24 in 2005. The record high of 63 was set in 1965 and the record warmest low of 45 was set way back in 1876. 22 of the last 30 highs were: 20s (10), 30s (7) and 40s (5). On the warmer side, two highs were 50s. On the colder side, four highs were 10s and two highs were 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 35 with a low of 2, a 33 degree spread. In 1976 the high was 4 with a low of -9, a cold day. In 1970 the high was 0 with a low of -5, a spread of five degrees and another cold day (Midway). In 1965 the high was 60 with a low of 17, a 43 degree spread and rare 60s high!

More recently, we had a small spreads of three degrees in 2005 (27/24) and seven degrees in 1987 (32/25).

On the cold side, in 1979 the high was 6 with a low of -10. In 1994 the high was 9 with a low of -6. In 1986 the high was 17 with a low of -8. Two years later, in 1988, the high was 19 with a low of -3. Six years before that, in 1982, the high was 20 with a low of -3. Other cold highs were 17 in 1980 and 19 in 1995. The record low of -11 was set in 1942. The record coldest high of 0 was set in 1970. 29 of the last 30 lows were: negative zeros (4), zeros (7), 10s (5), 20s (8) and 30s (5). One low was in the negative 10s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:50 and sunrise is at 7:22. Sunset is at 16:39 and twilight ends at 17:10. There's a total of 9 hours, 17 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 20 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:50 and sunrise is at 7:22. Chicago's sunset is at 16:37 and twilight ends at 17:09. The moon is waxing gibbous. The full Wolf moon is in two days at 21:27. Illumination was 88% at midnight, will be 91% at noon and 95% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 4:59 and moonrise is at 13:47. Moonset is at 6:08 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 12 minutes.

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