June 9: ORD

Today is June 9th. It's the 160th day of the year. 205 days remain. It's week 23 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 78 and the normal low is 55. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 76 and 56.

On the hot side, in 1999 the high was 90 with a low of 67. Other warm lows were 70 in 1984 and 67 in 2000. The record high of 98 occurred back in 1911. The record warmest low of 77 occurred back in 1914. 30 of the last 31 highs were: 60s (9), 70s (10) and 80s (11). One high was in the hot 90s.

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 76 with a low of 44, a 32 degree spread. In 1976 the high was hot 90. In 1969 the low was a cold 43. In 1968 the high was 93 with a low of 65, a hot day. In 1967 the low was a warm 70. In 1966 the high was a cool 61 with a low of 48, a cool day. In 1964 the high was 91 with a low of 69, a hot day. In 1963 the high was a hot 90. In 1962 the low was a warm 67. In 1959 the high was 90 with a low of 71, a hot day.

More recently, there were small spreads of six degrees in 1996 (60/54) and six degrees in 1998 (64/58). The large spreads were: 33 degrees in 1994 (73/40), 31 degrees in 2001 (81/50), 31 degrees in 2002 (87/56) and 30 degrees in 1991 (86/56).

On the cool side, no days were 11.5 degrees or lower below normal mean. In lieu of this, we had the following cool highs: 60 in 1996, 63 in 1988, 64 in 1998, 66 in 1987 and 66 in 1989. Cold lows include the record low of 40 in 1994 (the former record low was 42 in 1977) and 43 in 1980. The record coolest high of 54 was set back in 1915. 15 of the last 31 lows were 50s. Six lows were in the cooler 40s. Ten lows were in the warmer: 60s (9) and 70s (1).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 4:42 and sunrise was at 5:17. Sunset is at 20:29 and twilight ends at 21:03. There's a total of 15 hours, 12 minutes of daylight today and 16 hours, 21 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:42 and sunrise is at 5:17. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 12% at midnight, will be 9% at noon and 6% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 2:51 this morning. Moonset is at 17:54. Moonrise is at 3:28 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 3 minutes which is 37 minutes longer than yesterday.

Flag Day is in five days and Father's Day is in 11 days. - Bernie -