February 6: ORD

Today is February 6th. It's the 37th day of the year. 328 days remain. It's week 6 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. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 30 and 16.

On the warm side, in 2005 the high was 47 with a low of 39. In 1999 the high was 46 with a low of 33. In 1990 the high was 46 with a low of 30. Three years earlier, in 1987, the high was 48 with a low of 26. In 1998 the high was 42 with a low of 29. Other warm lows were 32 in 1991 and 29 in 1992. The record high of 57 was set way back in 1882 and the record warmest low of 42 was set back in 1904. 13 of the last 30 highs were 30s. On the warmer side, six highs were 40s. On the colder side, four highs were 20s, 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 1977 the high was 15 with a low of -7, a cold day. In 1976 the high was 17 with a low of 11, a six degree spread. In 1974 the high was 27 with a low of 22, a five degree spread. In 1970 the high was 39 with a low of 33, a six degree spread. In 1969 the high was 31 with a low of 30, a one degree spread. In 1967 the high was 20 with a low of 16, a four degree spread. In 1964 the high was 53 with a low of 30, a bonus 50s day. In 1962 the high was 7 with a low of -5, another cold day. In 1960 the high was 33 with a low of 30, a three degree spread. In 1959 the high was 25 with a low of -4, yet another cold day.

More recently, there were small spreads of four degrees in 1997 (28/24), four degrees in 2004 (30/26), five degrees in 1991 (37/32) and six degrees in 1993 (32/26).

On the cold side, in 1982 the high was the record coldest high of 4 with the record low of -14. Seven years after, in 1989, the high was 8 with a low of -4. Two years ago the high was 10 with a low of -5. In 1988 the high was 8 with a low of -2. Four years before that, in 1984, the high was 12 with a low of 3. A year later, in 1985, the high was 19 with a low of -1. A decade after that, in 1995, the high was 19 with a low of 3. In 1979 the high was 25 with a low of -3. Another cold low was 1 in 1996. 17 of the last 30 lows have been: 10s (a.k.a. teens)(6) and 20s (11). Even colder, nine lows have been: single digits (3), negative single digits (5) and negative 10s (a.k.a. negative teens)(1). On the warmer side, four lows were in the 30s.

Today is not a major day in Chicago's snow history but it was in Rockford! Back in 1911, 11.5 inches fell. On the temperature front, the National Weather Service/Chicago reports that January 2009 was just the tenth January (in 137 years of record-keeping) that no temperature reached 40 degrees. The last time this happened was in 1985. This also occurred in 1982, 1979, 1977, 1976, 1920, 1918, 1912 and 1904. January 1977 was a bit worse, since the temperatures that year never got to the freezing mark (32 degrees).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:31 and sunrise is at 7:01. Sunset is at 17:15 and twilight ends at 17:44. Chicago's sunset/end of twilight times are 17:13/17:42. There's a total of 10 hours, 14 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 13 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:30 and sunrise is at 7:00. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 84% at midnight, will be 89% at noon and 92% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 4:51. Moonrise is at 13:45. Moonset is at 5:41 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 6 minutes which is 10 minutes shorter than yesterday.

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