June 15: ORD

Today is June 15th. It's the 166th day of the year. 199 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 57. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 80 and 59.

On the hot side, in 1994 the high was the record high of 95 with the record warmest low of 78. The record high of 95 also occurred 40 years earlier in 1954. In 1979 the high was 89 with a low of 72. In 1988 the high was 93 with a low of 67. Another warm high of note was 91 three years ago in 2007. Other warm lows were 68 in 1981 and 67 ten years later in 1991. 25 of the last 31 highs were: 70s (10) and 80s (15). Three highs were in the warmer 90s. Three highs were in the cooler: 50s (1) and 60s (2).

In looking back through the years to the first June at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1967 the high was 91 with a low of 74, a hot day. In 1965 the high was 67 with a low of 45, a cool day. In 1962 the high was 82 with a low of 50, a 32 degree spread. In 1961 the high was 63 with a low of 43, a cool day.

More recently, both spreads were all large: 39 degrees in 1997 (82/43) and 32 degrees in 1995 (89/57).

On the cool side, in 1989 the high was 57 (the only 50s high) with a low of 53, a spread of just 4 degrees. Other cool highs were the only 60s highs: 63 in 1999 and 69 in 1984. The record low of 43 was set in 1997. The former record low of 46 occurred eight decades before in 1917. The only other 40s low was 49 in 1980. The record coolest high of 52 occurred in 1917 (the aforementioned former record low day). 27 of the last 31 lows have been: 50s (15) and 60s (12). Two lows were in the cooler 40s and two lows were in the warmer 70s.

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 20:31 and twilight ends at 21:06. There's a total of 15 hours, 15 minutes of daylight today and 16 hours, 24 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:42 and sunrise is at 5:16. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 10% at midnight, will be 14% at noon and 18% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 8:47 this morning. Moonset is at 23:11. Moonrise is at 10:03 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 24 minutes which is 42 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Father's Day is in five days and Independence Day is in 19 days. - Bernie -