February 25: ORD

Today is February 25th. It's the 56th day of the year. 309 days remain. It's week 8 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. ORD has been the official site of record for Chicago since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 38 and the normal low is 22. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 38 and 21.

On the warm side, in 2000 the high was the record high of 72 with a low of 38, a 34 degree spread. The old record high of 66 occurred in 1932. Four years earlier, in 1996, the high was 59 with a low of 33. In 2002 the high was 52 with a low of 32. Four years before that, in 1998, the high was 52 with a low of 31. Three years later, in 2001, the high was 55 with a low of 28. The record warmest low of 52 was set in 1957. 12 of the last 30 highs were 30s. On the warmer side, 11 highs were: 40s (6), 50s (4), 60s (0) and 70s (1). On the colder side, six highs were 20s and just one in the 10s (a.k.a. teens).

In looking back through the years to the first February at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 40 with a low of 33, a seven degree spread. In 1976 the high was 65 with a low of 46, a bonus 60s day. In 1973 the high was 36 with a low of 30, a six degree spread. In 1971 the high was 56 with a low of 29, a bonus 50s day. In 1969 the high was 38 with a low of 31, a seven degree spread. In 1967 the high was 11 with a low of -8, a cold day. In 1961 the high was 32 with a low of 25, a seven degree spread. In 1960 the high was 28 with a low of 25, a three degree spread.

More recently, we had a spread of three degrees in 1992 (35/32), three degrees last year (34/31), six degrees in 1979 (28/22), six degrees in 1985 (38/32), and seven degrees two years ago (38/31).

On the cold side, in 2003 the high was 17 with a low of -2. A decade earlier, in 1993, the high was 21 with a low of -2. Three years earlier, in 1990, the high was 21 with a low of 2. A decade earlier, in 1980, the high was 29 with a low of 8. Another cold low was 7 in 1994. The record low of -9 and record coldest high of 10 occurred on the same day back in 1900. 25 of the last 30 lows have been: 10s (a.k.a. teens) (7), 20s (9) and 30s (9). Five lows were colder: three in the single digits and two in the negative single digits.

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. In 1994, 6.7 inches fell. This was the fourth of four days in which 16.1 inches fell. In 1965, 1.5 inches fell. This was the third of three days in which 10.0 inches fell.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:06 and sunrise is at 6:35. Sunset is at 17:39 and twilight ends at 18:07. Chicago's sunset is at 17:37 and twilight ends at 18:05. There's a total of 11 hours, 4 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 1 minute between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:05 and sunrise is at 6:33. The moon is waxing crescent and reached new last night at 19:35. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 1% at noon and 2% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 6:38 and moonset is at 18:37. Moonrise is at 6:59 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 59 minutes which is 44 minutes longer than yesterday.

Ash Wednesday is today. My birthday is in a week and three days. A sister of mine, Christina, has a birthday in a day short of two weeks. -Bernie-