February 4: ORD

Today is February 4th. It's the 35th day of the year. 330 days remain. It's week 5 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 32 and the normal low is 17. The 30-year averages are 29 and 14.

On the warm side, in 1991 the high was 51 with a low of 36. A couple of years later, in 1993, the high was 52 with a low of 24. Last year the high was 44 with a low of 32. Four years ago the high was 50 with a low of 22. In 1992 the high was 40 with a low of 31. Other warm lows were 32 in 1986 and 31 (1997 and 1998). The record high of 59 was set way back in 1890 and the record warmest low of 37 was set a century ago in 1909. 15 of the last 30 highs were 20s (6) and 30s (9). On the warmer side, five highs were 40s and three highs were 50s. On the colder side, four highs were 10s (a.k.a. teens) and three were single digits.

In looking back through the years to the first February at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1973 the high was 50 with a low of 34, a bonus 50s day. In 1972 the high was 9 with a low of -2, a cold day. In 1970 the high was 34 with a low of -1, a 35 degree spread. In 1969 the high was 42 with a low of 10, a 32 degree spread. In 1965 the high was 15 with a low of -10, another cold day. In 1964 the high was 47 with a low of 17, a 30 degree spread. In 1962 the high was 50 with a low of 32, another bonus 50s day.

More recently, there were small spreads of two degrees in 1998 (33/31), five degrees in 1986 (37/32), six degrees in 1997 (37/31) and seven degrees in 2006 (32/25).

On the cold side, in 1996 the high was 2 with the record low of -14. Two years ago the high was also 2 with a low of -6. In 1981 the high was 10 with a low of -4. In 1989 the high was 7 with a low of 1. A decade earlier, in 1979, the high was 12 with a low of -2. In 1985 the high was 19 with a low of -7. Three years before, in 1982, the high was 18 with a low of -2. A year later, in 1983, the high was 20 with a low of 3. Another cold high was 20 in 1994. Another cold low was 0 in 2004. The record coldest high of 0 was set in 1918. 29 of the last 30 lows have been: negative single digits (5), single digits (5), 10s (a.k.a. teens)(5), 20s (8) and 30s (6). Even colder, one low was in the negative 10s (a.k.a. negative teens). At 5 a.m. in Crystal Lake, it's -3 with a wind chill of -18. The Weather Channel predicts a high of 15. At 6 a.m. it's -5 with a wind chill of -21. At 6:20 a.m. it's -7 with a wind chill of -24. At 6:50 a.m. it's -6 with a wind chill of -24.

Today is not a major day in Chicago's snow history. In fact, I'll be writing about a snow event that took place in Rockford in a couple of days.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:34 and sunrise is at 7:03. Sunset is at 17:12 and twilight ends at 17:41. Chicago's sunset/end of twilight times are 17:10/17:39. There's a total of 10 hours, 9 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 7 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:33 and sunrise is at 7:02. The moon reached first quarter two days ago at 17:13. Illumination was 64% at midnight, will be 70% at noon and 75% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 2:40. Moonrise is at 11:34. Moonset is at 3:50 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 6 minutes and is 27 minutes longer than yesterday.

Abraham Lincoln's Birthday is in a week and a day. Valentine's Day is in a week and three days. The Daytona 500 is in a week and four days. President's Day is in a week and five days. -Bernie-