February 20: ORD

Today is February 20th. It's the 51st day of the year. 314 days remain. It's week 8 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 36 and the normal low is 21. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 41 and 24.

On the warm side, in 1983 the high was 61 with a low of 36. In 1994 the high was 57 with a low of 33. In 2002, the high was 54 with a low of 34. In 1996 the high was 53 with a low of 34. A year earlier, in 1995, the high was 50 with a low of 31. Other warm highs were 50 in 2003 and 48 in 1992. Other warm lows were 35 (1980, 1998) and 33 in 2004. The record high of 64 and record warmest low of 49 were set on the same day back in 1930. 23 of the last 31 highs were: 30s (11) and 40s (12). On the warmer side, five highs were 50s and one was in the 60s. On the colder side, one high was in the 10s (a.k.a. teens) and last year it was in the 20s for the first time since sometime before 1979.

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 26 with a cold low of 8, a cold day. In 1976 the high was a warm 56 with a low of 28, a warm day. In 1974 the high was a warm 49. In 1973 the high was 36 with a low of 30, a six degree spread. In 1971 the low was a warm 33. In 1970 the high was 20 with a low of 5, a cold day. In 1968 the high was 24 with a low of 7, another cold day. In 1967 the low was a cold 8. In 1966 the high was 17 with a low of -5, a cold day. In 1965 the high was a warm 51 with a low of 23, a warm day. In 1963 the high was 30 with a cold low of -2, a 32 degree spread and cold day. In 1962 the high was 24 with a low of 8, a cold day. In 1960 the high was 29 with a cold low of 4, a cold day. In 1959 the high was 21 with a low of -3, yet another cold one.

More recently, there were small spreads of six degrees on three occasions: in 1980 (41/35), 1989 (30/24) and 2005 (37/31). There was a spread of seven degrees in 1998 as the high was 42 with a low of 35.

On the cold side, last year the high was 19 with a low of 5. Other cold lows were 7 in 1990 and 8 in 1988. The record low of -9 and record coldest high of 7 were both set way back in 1896. 13 of the last 31 lows have been 30s. All of the other lows (18 of them) were colder: single digits (3), 10s (a.k.a. teens) (8) and 20s (7).

Today is a not a 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 6:14 and sunrise was at 6:42. Sunset is at 17:32 and twilight ends at 18:01. There's a total of 10 hours, 50 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 47 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:13 and sunrise is at 6:41. The moon is waxing crescent, heading towards first quarter tomorrow at 18:42. Illumination was 32% at midnight, will be 37% at noon and 42% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 9:16. Moonset is at 37 minutes past midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 9:55 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 44 minutes which is two minutes shorter than yesterday.

Washington's Birthday is in two days. My birthday is in 15 days and a sister of mine, Christina, celebrates a birthday in 18 days. -Bernie-