February 17: ORD

Today is February 17th. It's the 48th day of the year. 317 days remain. It's week 7 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 35 and the normal low is 20. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 35 and 21.

On the warm side, in 1981 the high was 58 with a low of 39. In 1994 the high was 51 with a low of 34. Four years later, in 1998, the high was 43 with a low of 39, a four degree spread. Other warm highs were 47 in both 1995 and two years ago. There were four other warm lows: 36 degrees in 1992, 35 degrees in 1984, 33 degrees in 1983 and 32 degrees in 1982. The record high of 60 was set way back in 1880. The record warmest low of 42 was set way back in 1890. 12 of the last 31 highs were 30s. On the warmer side, ten highs were: 40s (8) and 50s (2). On the colder side, nine highs were: 20s (6) and 10s (a.k.a. teens) (3).

In looking back through the years to the first February at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978, the high was 19 with a low of -2, a cold day. In 1976 the high was 42 with a low of 36, a six degree spread. In 1975 the high was 36 with a low of 33, a three degree spread. In 1973 the high was 21 with a low of 2, a cold day. In 1971 the high was 46 with a warm low of 36, a warm day. In 1968 the high was 22 with a low of 1, a cold day. In 1967 the low was a cold 8 degrees. In 1966 the high was 24 with a cold low of 7, a cold day. In 1962 the high was 32 with a low of 27, a five degree spread. In 1961 the high was 50 with a low of 37, a warm day.

More recently, there were small spreads of four degrees on two occasions: 1983 (37/33) and 1992 (40/36). There were small spreads of five degrees in 1982 (37/32) and six degrees in 1986 (36/30).

On the cold side, in 1980 the high was 14 with a low of -5. The year prior, 1979, the high was 12 with a low of 3. In 1993 the high was 20 with a low of 0. In 2001 the high was 19 with a low of 6. Five years later, in 2006, the high was 24 with a low of 3. The record low of -11 and record coldest high of 1 were set on the same day back in 1903. 25 of the last 31 lows have been: 10s (a.k.a. teens) (8), 20s (8) and 30s (9). Even colder, five lows were single digits and one low was a negative single digit.

Today is not major day in Chicago's snow history.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 6:18 and sunrise was at 6:47. Sunset is at 17:28 and twilight ends at 17:57. Chicago's sunset/end of twilight times are two minutes earlier. There's a total of 10 hours, 41 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 39 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:17 and sunrise is at 6:45. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 9% at midnight, will be 12% at noon and 15% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 7:54. Moonset is at 21:20. Moonrise is at 8:18 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 26 minutes which is 41 minutes longer than yesterday.

Ash Wednesday is today. Washington's Birthday is in five days. My birthday is in 18 days and a sister of mine, Christina, celebrates a birthday in three weeks. -Bernie-