February 8: ORD

Today is February 8th. It's the 39th day of the year. 326 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 33 and the normal low is 17. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 32 and 15.

On the warm side, in 1990 the high was the near-record high of 61 with a low of 37. The record high is 62, set back in 1925, a day in which the record warmest low of 54 was set as well. In 2001 the high was 53 with a low of 34. Five years earlier, in 1996, the high was 45 with a low of 35. Three years later, in 1999, the high was 48 with a low of 26. Another warm high was 46 in 1987. Another warm low was 29 in 2002. 17 of the last 30 highs were: 30s (11) and 40s (6). On the warmer side, two highs were: 50s (1) and 60s (1). On the colder side, 11 highs were: 10s (a.k.a. teens)(7) and 20s (4).

In looking back through the years to the first February at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1972 the high was 12 with a low of -4, a cold day. In 1971 the high was 13 with a low of 1, another cold day. In 1970 the high was 36 with a low of 34, a two degree spread. In 1969 the high was 35 with a low of 30, a five degree spread. In 1967 the high was 27 with a low of -1, yet another cold day. In 1966 the high was 52 with a low of 37, a bonus 50s day. They don't happen all that often. We had one yesterday.

More recently, there was a small spread of three degrees in 1994 (17/14).

On the cold side, two years ago the high was 11 with a low of -4. In 1979 the high was 11 with a low of -3. In 1985 the high was 18 with a low of -6. Four years later, in 1989, the high was 19 with a low of 2. In 1982 the high was 22 with a low of 1. A year earlier, in 1981, the high was 18 with a low of 5. In 1995 the high was 19 with a low of 5. Another cold low was 5 in 2004 and another cold high was 17 in 1994. The record low of -17 occurred way back in 1899 and the record coldest high of 0 occurred way back in 1895. 24 of the last 30 lows have been: single digits (8), 10s (a.k.a. teens)(7) and 20s (9). Even colder, three lows have been in the negative single digits. On the warmer side, three lows were in the 30s.

Since today is not a major day in Chicago's snow history, I wanted to post an exchange I found on the WGN-TV web log. The answer was given by meteorologist Tom Skilling. It concerns Chicago's 18 below zero temperatures. The question asked by Paul Rubin was, "The lowest temperature so far this winter has been 18 degrees below zero. That seems colder than we usually get in the winter here in Chicago. How many winters have had a lower temperature than 18 below?" The answer was, "Your hunch is correct. A computer scan of Chicago's entire official temperature data set (138 years of records from the winter of 1870-71 to the present) reveals that only 12 winters have produced a reading lower than the temperature of 18 degrees below zero recorded here on Jan. 16. And that was the city's lowest temperature in 13 years -- since 19 below zero on Feb. 3, 1996. On average, the coldest temperature recorded during the winter at O'Hare Airport is 11 degrees below zero. Over the last ten years, however, with relatively mild winters, the lowest temperatures each winter have averaged only 6 below zero."

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 6:29 and sunrise was at 6:58. Sunset is at 17:17 and twilight ends at 17:46. There's a total of 10 hours, 19 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 17 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:28 and sunrise is at 6:57. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Snow moon tomorrow at 8:49. Illumination was 97% at midnight, will be 99% at noon and 100% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 6:21. Moonrise was at 16:25. Moonset is at 6:53 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 56 minutes which is 41 minutes shorter than yesterday.

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