June 12: ORD

Today is June 12th. It's the 163rd day of the year. 202 days remain. It's week 24 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 79 and the normal low is 56. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 79 and 58.

On the hot side, two years ago the high was 91 with a low of 73. In 1987 the high was 93 with a low of 67. All of the 90s highs (except two years ago) occurred between 1983 and 1988. The other 90s highs were 93 in 1983, 91 in 1984 and 90 in 1988. Our other upper 60s lows were 68 in 1990 and 67 in 1999. Our other 70s low was 70 in 2005. The record high of 97 was set in 1956. The record warmest low of 75 occurred back in 1920. 21 of the last 31 highs were: 70s (9) and 80s (12). Five highs were in the hot 90s. Five highs were in the cooler: 50s (1) and 60s (4).

In looking back through the years to the first June at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 78 with a low of 48, a 30 degree spread. In 1977 the high was a cool 63 with a low of 57, a six degree spread. In 1976 the high was a hot 94 with a low of 66, a hot day. In 1970 the low was a warm 68. In 1967 the high was 90 with a warm low of 72, a hot day. In 1965 the high was 80 with a low of 50, a 30 degree spread. In 1961 the high was 89 with a warm low of 68, a hot day. In 1960 the high was a cool 59 with a low of 55, a four degree spread.

More recently, the only small spread occurred in 2000 at seven degrees (60/53). The other spreads were all large: 36 degrees in 1988 (90/54), 35 degrees in 1984 (91/56), 35 degrees in 1992 (86/51) and 33 degrees in 1983 (93/60).

On the cool side, in 1985 the only 50s high of 57 occurred with the record low of 40. Another cool high (60 degrees) occurred in 2000. The record coolest high of 55 was set in 1955. 26 of the last 30 lows have been in the 50s and 60s (13 of each). Three lows were in the cooler 40s (most recently 49 last year) and two lows were in the warmer 70s (most recently 73 two years ago).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 4:42 and sunrise was at 5:16. Sunset is at 20:30 and twilight ends at 21:05. There's a total of 15 hours, 14 minutes of daylight today and 16 hours, 23 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:42 and sunrise is at 5:16. The moon reached new today at 6:15. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 0% at noon and 1% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 5:11 this morning. Moonset is at 21:06. Moonrise is at 6:17 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 55 minutes which is 2 minutes longer than yesterday. This is the maximum for moonlight, happening at a time when we can't see it!

Flag Day is in two days and Father's Day is in eight days. - Bernie -