March 2: ORD

Today is March 2nd. It's the 61st day of the year. 304 days remain. It's week 9 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 41 and the normal low is 24. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 40 and 23.

On the warm side, in 1983 the high was 65 with a low of 30, a 35 degree spread. In 1992 the high was 58 with a low of 32. Last year the high was 57 with a low of 32. Four years before that, in 2004, the high was 48 with a low of 39. The record high of 71 was set in 1974 and the record warmest low of 44 was set in 1973. In looking at O'Hare's temperatures for 1973, the high was 52 with a low of 41. So as you can read below, O'Hare had a warmer low in 1974 at 45 but the record of 44 was set at Midway in 1973. 20 of the last 30 highs were 30s (10) and 40s (10). On the warmer side, four highs were 50s and one was a 60. On the colder side, five highs were 20s.

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 43 with a low of 38, a five degree spread. In 1974 the high was 68 with a low of 45, a bonus 60s day. In 1970 the high was 43 with a low of 36, a seven degree spread. In 1966 the high was 58 with a low of 28, a 30 degree spread. In 1962 the high was 22 with a low of 10, a cold day. In 1961 the high was 63 with a low of 30, a 33 degree spread and bonus 60s day.

More recently, we had small spreads of six degrees in 1979 (37/31) and seven degrees two years ago (32/25).

On the cold side, in 1980 the high was 21 with a low of -1. In 1996 the high was 28 with a low of 2. A year earlier, in 1995, the high was 28 with a low of 7. In 2005 the high was 27 with a low of 13. Another cold high was 27 in 1989. Other cold lows were 10 in 2003 and 11 in 1994. The record low of -4 was set in 1913 and the record coldest high of 10 was set thirty years later in 1943. 21 of the last 30 lows have been: 20s (12) and 30s (9). Nine lows were in the colder: 10s (a.k.a. teens) (6), single digits (2) and negative single digits (1).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. In 2002, 7.1 inches fell. This was the second of four days in which a total of 10.2 inches fell. This was 91% of the month's total of 11.2 inches. In 1982, 3.5 inches fell. This was the first of three days in which 12.1 inches fell. In 1954 at Midway, 11.5 inches fell. In 1948 at Rockford, 13.0 inches fell.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:59 and sunrise is at 6:27. Sunset is at 17:45 and twilight ends at 18:13. Chicago's sunset is at 17:43 and twilight ends at 18:10. There's a total of 11 hours, 18 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 14 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:57 and sunrise is at 6:25. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 28% at midnight, will be 33% at noon and 38% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 8:38 and moonset is tomorrow at 0:30. Moonrise is at 9:31 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 22 minutes which is 19 minutes longer than yesterday.

My birthday is in five days. Daylight Saving Time begins in six days. A sister of mine, Christina, has a birthday in a week and a day. -Bernie-