October 22: ORD

Today is October 22nd. It's the 295th day of the year. 70 days remain. It's week 43 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 59 and the normal low is 40. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 60 and 39.

On the warm side, in 1991 the high was 76 with a low of 50. Five years prior, in 1986, the high was 75 with a low of 50. Other warm highs were 76 in 1979, 73 in 1992 and 72 in 1994. The record high of 87 was set in 1953. The record warmest low of 66 occurred back in 1920. Over the last 31 years, 23 highs (74%) have been: 50s (14) and 60s (9). Five highs were in the warmer 70s. Three highs were in the cooler 40s. The 70s highs, as noted above, occurred from 1979 to 1994. The most recent three occurred in a four year period from 1991 to 1994.

In looking back through the years to the first October at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1978 the high was 73 with a low of 52, a warm day. In 1976 the high was 47 with a low of 25, a cold day. In 1975 the high was a warm 80 with a low of 46, a warm day. In 1973 the high was a warm 71 with a low of 39, a 32 degree spread. In 1971 the high was 71 with a low of 59, a warm day. In 1969 the high was a cool 43 with a low of 31, a cool day. In 1967 the high was a warm 72 with a low of 35, a 37 degree spread. In 1964 the low was a cold 28 degrees. In 1963 the high was 84 with a low of 59, a hot day.

More recently, there were large spreads of 33 degrees in 1989 (64/31), 31 degrees in 1979 (76/45) and 31 degrees in 1992 (73/42). There was a small spread of six degrees in 1983 (55/49).

On the cool side, in 1982 the high was 49 with the record low of 22. In 1997 the high was 44 with a low of 29. The record coolest high of 41 occurred back in 1913. 27 of the last 31 lows (87%) were: 30s (14) and 40s (13). Two lows were in the cooler 20s and two lows were in the warmer 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:46 and sunrise is at 7:14. Sunset is at 18:01 and twilight ends at 18:29. There's a total of 10 hours, 47 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 43 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:47 and sunrise is at 7:15. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Hunter's moon tonight at 20:36. It's also known as the Travel or Dying Grass moon. Illumination was 99% at midnight, will be 100% at noon and 100% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 6:55 this morning. Moonrise is at 17:29 this afternoon. Moonset is at 7:58 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 26 minutes which is 36 minutes longer than yesterday.

United Nation's Day is in two days. Halloween is in nine days. Election Day is in 11 days. Veteran's Day is in 20 days. -Bernie-