November 2: ORD

Today is November 2nd. It's the 306th day of the year. 59 days remain. It's week 44 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 55 and the normal low is 36. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 54 and 37 (a two and a half degree drop from yesterday).

On the warm side, in 1990 the high was 73 (our most recent 70s high) with a low of 58. Three years earlier, in 1987, the high was 71 with a low of 58. Four years earlier, in 1983, the high was 63 with a low of 53. Two years ago the high was 67 (our most recent 60s high) with a low of 48. Another warm high was 70 in 1978. Another warm low was 50 in 1981. The record high of 78 was set in 1974. The record warmest low of 62 occurred in 1944. 25 of the last 32 highs (78%) have been: 40s (8), 50s (9) and 60s (8). Three highs were in the warmer 70s and four highs were in the cooler 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable: in 1977 the high was 73 with a low of 56, a warm day. In 1975 the high was 73 with a low of 56, a warm day. In 1974 the high was 74 with a low of 49, a warm day and year of the record high. In 1971 the high was a warm 68 degrees with a low of 45, a warm day. In 1970 the high was 44 with a low of 40, a four degree spread. In 1969 the high was 47 with a low of 44, a three degree spread. In 1967 the high was 48 with a low of 41, a seven degree spread. In 1966 the high was a cool 39 with a low of 27, a cool day. In 1965 the high was a warm 68 degrees with a low of 38, a 30 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 66 with a warm low of 51 degrees, a warm day. In 1963 the low was a cold 22 degrees. In 1962 the low was a cold 24 degrees. In 1961 the high was 77 with a low of 56, a warm day. In 1960 the high was a cool 42 with a low of 38, a four degree spread.

More recently, there were large spreads of 31 degrees in 1978 (70/39) and 31 degrees in 1995 (60/29). There were small spreads of four degrees in 2004 (49/45) and seven degrees in 2003 (55/48).

On the cool side, in 1991 the high was 32 with a low of 18. In 1984 the high was 36 with a low of 21. In 2006 the high was 34 with a low of 24. A decade earlier, in 1996, the high was 37 with a low of 22. In 1989 the high was 41 with a low of 26. The record low of 14 and record coolest high of 29 were set on the same day back in 1951. 27 of the last 32 lows (84%) were: 20s (8), 30s (12) and 40s (7). One low was in the cooler 10s (18 in 1991). Four lows were in the warmer 50s, the most recent was 58 in 1990.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:58 and sunrise is at 7:28. Sunset is at 17:46 and twilight ends at 18:15. There's a total of 10 hours, 18 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 17 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 7:00 and sunrise is at 7:29. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 21% at midnight, will be 16% at noon and 12% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 3:11 this morning. Moonset is at 15:28 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 4:26 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 17 minutes which is 46 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Election Day is today. Veteran's Day is in nine days. -Bernie-