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 31-year averages at 39 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. Two years ago 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 31 highs were 30s (10) and 40s (10). On the warmer side, four highs were 50s and one was a 60. On the colder side, six highs were 20s.

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 25 with a low of 10, a cold day. In 1976 the high was 43 with a warm low of 38, a five degree spread. In 1975 the low was a cold 13. In 1974 the high was 68 with a low of 45, a warm day and year of the record high. In 1973 the high was 52 with a warm low of 41, a warm day. In 1972 the high was 21 with a low of 11, a cold day. In 1970 the high was 43 with a warm low of 36, a seven degree spread. In 1966 the high was a warm 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 a warm 63 with a low of 30, a 33 degree spread and warm day. In 1960 the high was 27 with a low of 12, a cold day.

More recently, we had small spreads of six degrees in 1979 (37/31) and seven degrees three 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 2009 the high was 22 with a low of 14. 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 31 lows have been: 20s (12) and 30s (9). Ten lows were in the colder: 10s (a.k.a. teens) (7), 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 began at 5:59 and sunrise was at 6:27. Sunset is at 17:45 and twilight ends at 18:13. 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 waning gibbous after reaching the full Snow moon two days ago at 10:38. Illumination was 96% at midnight, will be 94% at noon and 91% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 7:04. Moonrise is at 20:43. Moonset is at 7:33 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 21 minutes which is 49 minutes shorter than yesterday.

My birthday is in five days and a sister of mine, Christina, celebrates a birthday in eight days. -Bernie-