Tuesday, August 31, 2010

August 31: ORD

Today is August 31st. It's the 243rd day of the year. 122 days remain. It's week 35 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 59. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 80 and 59.


On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. 2000 stands out as the warmest as the high was 92 with a low of 68. The only other 90s high was 90 two years ago. The only 70s low was 71 in 1980. The record high of 99 was set in 1953. The record warmest low of 76 was set in 1941.
Over the last 31 years, 28 highs (90%) were: 70s (13) and 80s (15). Two highs were in the warmer 90s and one high was in the 60s (last year's high of 68).

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1977 the high was 90 with a low of 72, a hot day. In 1976 the high was a hot 90.
In 1975 the high was 72 with a low of 65, a seven degree spread. In 1973 the high was 89 with a warm low of 73, a hot day. In 1969 the low was a warm 72. In 1967 the high was 67 with a cool low of 47, a cool day. In 1961 the high was a hot 92 with a low of 62, a 30 degree spread. In 1960 the high was a hot 93 with a low of 70, a hot day.

More recently, there w
ere large spreads of 31 degrees in 1984 (82/51) and 30 degrees two years ago (90/60).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest day by far was last year when the high was just 68. It was the first 60s high of the past 31 years (the first in 42 years) and just the third 60s high in O'Hare's history (67 in 1967 and 68 in 1965 were the others) with a low of 49. That low of 49 was the first 40s low of the past 31 years (the first in 42 years) and just the third 40s low in O'Hare's history (47 in 1967 and 49 in 1964 were the others). There were three highs in the lower 70s (70 in 2003, 71 in 1994 and 72 in 1987). The record low of 47 was set way back in 1872. The record coolest high of 62 occurred way back in 1892. Over the last 31 years, 29 lows (94%) were in the: 50s (14) and 60s (15). One low was in the cool 40s and one was in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:49 and sunrise is at 6:18. Sunset is at 19:29 and twilight ends at 19:58. There's a total of 13 hours, 11 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 9 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:50 and sunrise is at 6:19. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 65% at midnight, will be 60% at noon and 55% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 13:18 this afternoon and moonrise is at 22:36 tonight. Moonset is at 14:20 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 42 minutes which is 23 minutes longer than yesterday.

Labor Day is in six days and Patriot Day is in 11 days. -Bernie-

August 30: ORD

Today is August 30th. It's the 242nd day of the year. 123 days remain. It's week 35 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 59. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 80 and 61.


On the hot side, in 1995 the high was 92 with a low of 74. The other 90s high was 90 in 1993. The other 70s lows were 72 in 1983 and 71 (1980, 1991 and 2000). The record high of 96 was set in 1953. The record warmest low of 76 occurred way back in 1881.
Over the last 31 years, 26 highs (84%) were: 70s (11) and 80s (15). Two highs were in the warmer 90s and three highs were in the cooler 60s (66 last year, 67 in 1994 and 69 in 1999).

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 79 with a low of 49, a 30 degree spread. In 1973 the low was a warm 71. In 1970 the high was a hot 91.
In 1969 the high was 90 with a warm low of 71, a hot day. In 1967 the high was a cool 67. In 1965 the high was a cool 64. In 1962 the high was 92 with a low of 62, a 30 degree spread. In 1961 the high was a hot 91. In 1959 the temperatures for yesterday (the 29th) and today (the 30th) were the same: a high of 86 with a low of 69.

More recently, there w
as a large spread of 31 degrees two years ago (87/51) and a small spread of six degrees in 1994 (67/61).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. Last year stands out as the coolest day as the high was the coolest of the last 31 years at 66 degrees and the low was 51. There were two lows in the 40s (48 in 1986 and 49 two years later in 1988). The record low of 47 was set in 1946. The record coolest high of 58 occurred way back in 1915. Over the last 31 years, 24 lows (77%) were in the: 50s (13) and 60s (11). Two lows were in the cooler 40s and five lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:48 and sunrise is at 6:17. Sunset is at 19:31 and twilight ends at 19:59. There's a total of 13 hours, 14 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 11 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:49 and sunrise is at 6:18. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 74% at midnight, will be 70% at noon and 65% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 12:14 this afternoon and moonrise is at 21:55 tonight. Moonset is at 13:18 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 19 minutes which is 30 minutes longer than yesterday.

Labor Day is in seven days. -Bernie-

August 29: ORD

Today is August 29th. It's the 241st day of the year. 124 days remain. It's week 35 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 60. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 81 and 61.


On the hot side, in 1984 the high was 94 with a low of 71. In 1991 the high was 92 with a low of 73. In 1995 the high was 88 with a low of 73. The other 90s highs were 94 in 1983 and 92 in 1980. The other 70s low was 70 in 2000. The record high of 98 was set in 1953. The record warmest low of 74 was set in 1973.
Over the last 31 years, 25 highs were: 70s (10) and 80s (15). Four highs were in the warmer 90s and two highs were in the cooler 60s (69 last year and the same five years earlier in 2004).

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the low was a warm 72. In 1973 the high was 92 with a low of 73, a hot day. 1973 was the year of the record warmest low.
In 1971 the high was 84 with a low of 53, a 31 degree spread. In 1965 the high was 66 with a low of 41, a cool day. In 1964 the high was 83 with a low of 52, a 31 degree spread. In 1962 the high was a hot 92 with a low of 59, a 33 degree spread. In 1959 the temperatures for today (the 29th) and tomorrow (the 30th) were the same: a high of 86 with a low of 69.

More recently, there w
as a large spread of 30 degrees in 1983 (94/64).

On the cool side, in 1986 the high was 71 with a low of 44. In 1982 the high was 72 with the co-record low of 43. The record low was also 43 in 1965. Another cool low was 48 in 1988. The record coolest high of 62 occurred way back in 1893. Over the last 31 years, 24 lows were in the 50s (9) and 60s (15). Three lows were in the cooler 40s. Four lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:46 and sunrise is at 6:15. Sunset is at 19:32 and twilight ends at 20:01. There's a total of 13 hours, 17 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 15 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:48 and sunrise is at 6:17. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 82% at midnight, will be 78% at noon and 74% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 11:11 this morning and moonrise is at 21:22 tonight. Moonset is at 12:14 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 49 minutes which is 34 minutes longer than yesterday.

Labor Day is in eight days. -Bernie-

Saturday, August 28, 2010

August 28: ORD

Today is August 28th. It's the 240th day of the year. 125 days remain. It's week 35 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 60. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 81 and 62.


On the hot side, in 1991 the high was 95 with a low of 71. In 1980 the high was 95 with a low of 69. The other 90s highs were 94 in 1984, 93 in 1990, 92 in 1983, 92 in 2003, 91 in 2007 and 90 in 1999. The other 70s low was 70 in 1999. The record high of 97 was first set in 1953 and tied just two years later in 1955. The record warmest low of 77 was set in 1973.
Over the last 31 years, 27 highs (87%) were: 70s (12), 80s (7) and 90s (8). Four highs were in the cooler 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1973 the high was 92 with a low of 75, a hot day and year of the record warmest low.
In 1967 the high was 78 with a cool low of 47, a 31 degree spread. In 1965 the high was 65 with a low of 42, a cool day. In 1962 the high was 89 with a low of 59, a 30 degree spread. In 1961 and 1959 the highs were a hot 91 degrees.

More recently, there w
as a large spread of 33 degrees in 2003 (92/59).

On the cool side, in 1986 the high was 65 with the record low of 42. In 1982 the high was 66 with a low of 43. The other 60s highs were 68 last year and 69 in 1992. The record coolest high of 63 occurred way back in 1891. Over the last 31 years, 19 lows were in the 60s. Ten lows were in the cooler: 40s (2) and 50s (8). Two lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:45 and sunrise is at 6:14. Sunset is at 19:34 and twilight ends at 20:03. There's a total of 13 hours, 20 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 18 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:46 and sunrise is at 6:15. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 89% at midnight, will be 86% at noon and 82% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 10:09 this morning and moonrise is at 20:54 tonight. Moonset is at 11:11 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 15 minutes which is 36 minutes longer than yesterday. -Bernie-

Friday, August 27, 2010

August 27: ORD

Today is August 27th. It's the 239th day of the year. 126 days remain. It's week 35 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 60. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 81 and 64.


On the hot side, in 1990 the high was 93 with a low of 72. Three years later, in 1993, the high was 94 with a low of 70. The other 90s highs were 92 in 1991, 91 in 1980 and 90 in 1984. The other 70s lows were 71 in 1980, 71 in 2006 and 70 in 1991. The record high of 97 and record warmest low of 77 were set on the same day in 1973.
Over the last 31 years, 15 highs were 80s. Five highs were in the warmer 90s. 11 highs were in the cooler: 60s (5) and 70s (6).

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1977 the high was 92 with a low of 78, a hot day. In 1976 the high was 95 with a low of 74, a hot day. In 1973 the high was 95 with a low of 75, a hot day. 1973 was the year that the records were set at Midway Airport. In 19
68 the high was a cool 67 with a low of 50, a cool day. In 1967 the high was a cool 64. In 1964 the high was 85 with a low of 55, a 30 degree spread. In 1962 the high was 88 with a low of 51, a 37 degree spread. In 1961 the high was a hot 93. In 1959 the low was a warm 73.

More recently, there w
as a small spread of five degrees in 1987 (66/61) and six degrees last year (67/61).

On the cool side, in 1986 the high was 67 with a low of 48. The coolest temperature was the record low of 47 degrees in 1982. The other cool highs were 63 in 1992, 66 in 1987 and 67 last year. The record coolest high of 61 occurred way back in 1915. Over the last 31 years, 22 lows were in the 60s. Four lows were in the cooler: 40s (2) and 50s (2). Five lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:44 and sunrise was at 6:13. Sunset is at 19:35 and twilight ends at 20:05. There's a total of 13 hours, 22 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 21 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:45 and sunrise is at 6:14. The moon reached full three days ago as the full Sturgeon or Grain moon at 12:05, just after noon and is waning gibbous today. Illumination was 94% at midnight, will be 92% at noon and 89% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 9:08 this morning and moonrise is at 20:29 tonight. Moonset is at 10:09 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 39 minutes which is 38 minutes longer than yesterday. -Bernie-

Thursday, August 26, 2010

August 26: ORD

Today is August 26th. It's the 238th day of the year. 127 days remain. It's week 34 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 60. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 82 and 64.


On the hot side, in 1993 the high was 94 with a low of 74. A decade later, in 2003, the high was 92 with a low of 71. The other 90s highs were 93 in 1991, 92 in 1980 and 91 in 1995. The only other 70s low was 70 in 1990. The record high of 97 and record warmest low of 77 were set on the same day in 1973.
Over the last 31 years, 16 highs were 80s. Five highs were in the warmer 90s. Ten highs were in the cooler: 60s (1) and 70s (9).

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1973 the high was 93 with a low of 75, a hot day. This was the year that the records were set at Midway Airport. In 19
68 the high was a cool 65. In 1964 the high was 74 with a cool low of 41, a 33 degree spread and cool day. That low of 41 was cooler than the record low. In 1959 the high was 92 with a low of 74, a hot day.

More recently, there w
ere no small spreads of up to seven degrees or large spreads of at least 30 degrees.

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest temperature was 54 degrees in 1988. The record low of 47 was set way back in 1887. The coolest high was 65 degrees in 1987. The record coolest high of 61 occurred way back in 1885. Over the last 31 years, 21 lows were in the 60s. Seven lows were in the cooler 50s. Three lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:43 and sunrise was at 6:12. Sunset is at 19:37 and twilight ends at 20:06. There's a total of 13 hours, 25 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 23 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:44 and sunrise is at 6:13. The moon reached full two days ago as the full Sturgeon or Grain moon at 12:05, just after noon and is waning gibbous today. Illumination was 98% at midnight, will be 96% at noon and 94% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 8:08 this morning and moonrise is at 20:07 tonight. Moonset is at 9:08 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 1 minute which is 38 minutes longer than yesterday. -Bernie-

August 25: ORD

Today is August 25th. It's the 237th day of the year. 128 days remain. It's week 34 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 80 and the normal low is 60. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 82 and 63.


On the hot side, in 2003 the high was the co-record high of 95 with a low of 71. In 1995 the high was 90 with our warmest low of 73. The other co-record high of 95 occurred in 1991. The record highs of 95 were originally set at Midway in 1953 and 1959. To round out the 90s highs, it hit 90 in 1994. Other warm 70s lows were 71 in 2003 and 70 in 1993. The record warmest low of 74 occurred in 1959.
Over the last 31 years, 17 highs were 80s. Four highs were in the warmer 90s. Ten highs were in the cooler: 60s (1) and 70s (9).

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 79 with a cool low of 48, a 31 degree spread. That low of 48 was just above the record low. In 1975 the low was a warm 73. 19
69 was the start of four consecutive days of highs of 86 degrees (from the 25th to the 28th). In 1967 the high was 82 with a low of 50, a 32 degree spread. In 1964 the low was a cool 47, equal to the record low. In 1959 the high was 94 with a low of 73, a hot day. This was a year of one of the co-record highs.

More recently, there w
ere small spreads of six degrees in 1987 (62/56) and seven degrees in 1999 (73/66).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest temperatures were 52 degrees. This happened in both 1979 and 1984. The record low of 47 was set in 1917. The coolest high was the record coolest high of 62, which occurred in 1987. The former record coolest high of 63 occurred in 1965. Over the last 31 years, 18 lows were in the 60s. Ten lows were in the cooler 50s. Three lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:42 and sunrise is at 6:11. Sunset is at 19:39 and twilight ends at 20:08. There's a total of 13 hours, 28 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 26 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:43 and sunrise is at 6:12. The moon reached full yesterday as the full Sturgeon or Grain moon at 12:05, just after noon and is waning gibbous today. Illumination was 100% at midnight, will be 99% at noon and 98% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 7:08 this morning and moonrise is at 19:45 tonight. Moonset is at 8:08 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 23 minutes which is 38 minutes longer than yesterday. -Bernie-

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

August 24: ORD

Today is August 24rd. It's the 236th day of the year. 129 days remain. It's week 34 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 80 and the normal low is 61. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 81 and 62.


On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. The warmest (and only 90s high) was 90 in 1983. The record high of 100 was set in 1947. There were no 70s lows. A low of 69 occurred three times (1992, 1994 and 2007). The record warmest low of 78 occurred in 1975.
Over the last 31 years, 30 highs (97%) were: 70s (12) and 80s (18). One high was in the warmer 90s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the high was 91 with a warm low of 79, a hot day and year of the record warmest low. In 19
71 the high was 90 with a low of 59, a 31 degree spread. In 1969 the high was 87 with a low of 57, a 30 degree spread. In 1967 the low was a cool 48, equal to the record low. In 1966 the low was a cool 49, just above the record low. In 1965 the high was 82 with a cool low of 45, a 37 degree spread. That low of 45 is cooler than the record low. In 1964 the high was 78 with a cool low of 45, a 33 degree spread. That low of 45 was also cooler than the record low. In 1963 the high was 70 with a low of 66, a four degree spread. In 1962 the high was a hot 94 with a low of 71, a hot day. In 1959 the high was a hot 92 with a low of 71, a hot day.

More recently, there w
as a large spread of 31 degrees in 1983 (90/59). There were small spreads of six degrees in 1989 (73/67) and seven degrees in 1999 (74/67).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest day was in 1987 when we had our coolest high of 72 with our co-coolest low of 51. A low of 51 also occurred three years earlier in 1984. The record low of 48 was set in 1942. The record coolest high of 63 occurred way back in 1891. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Over the last 31 years, 19 lows (61%) were in the 60s. 12 lows (39%) were in the cooler 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:41 and sunrise is at 6:10. Sunset is at 19:40 and twilight ends at 20:10. There's a total of 13 hours, 30 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 29 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:42 and sunrise is at 6:11. The moon reaches full today as the full Sturgeon or Grain moon at 12:05, just after noon. Illumination was 100% at midnight, will be 100% at noon and 100% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 6:09 this morning and moonrise is at 19:24 tonight. Moonset is at 7:08 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 45 minutes which is 38 minutes longer than yesterday. -Bernie-

August 23: ORD

Today is August 23rd. It's the 235th day of the year. 130 days remain. It's week 34 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 80 and the normal low is 61. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 81 and 62.


On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. In 1998 the high was 90 with a low of 71.
In 1993 the high was 91 with a low of 69. Those highs were the only ones in the 90s over the past 31 years and that low of 71 was the only 70s low. The record high of 97 was set in 1947. The record warmest low of 76 occurred in 1968. Over the last 31 years, 29 highs (94%) were: 70s (14) and 80s (15). Two highs were in the warmer 90s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the high was 92 with a low of 74, a hot day. In 19
73 the high was a cool 67 with a low of 63, a four degree spread. In 1972 the high was 75 with a low of 71, a four degree spread. In 1969 the high was 86 with a low of 53, a 33 degree spread. In 1968 the high was 95 with a low of 77, a hot day and year of the record warmest low. In 1965 the low was a cool 47, cooler than the record low. In 1964 the high was a cool 68. In 1962 the high was a hot 94. In 1961 the high was a cool 68. In 1959 the low was a warm 73.

More recently, there w
as a small spread of five degrees in 2001 (74/69).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest temperatures were lows of 54 degrees, happening in 1987 and repeating a decade later in 1997. The record low of 51 was set way back in 1888. The coolest high of 73 first occurred in 1987 and again in 2005. The record coolest high of 62 occurred way back in 1890. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Over the last 31 years, 20 lows were in the 60s. Ten lows were in the cooler 50s. One low was in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:40 and sunrise was at 6:09. Sunset is at 19:42 and twilight ends at 20:11. There's a total of 13 hours, 33 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 31 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:41 and sunrise is at 6:10. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Sturgeon or Grain moon tomorrow at 12:05. Illumination was 98% at midnight, will be 99% at noon and 100% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 5:08 this morning. Moonrise is at 19:01 tonight. Moonset is at 6:09 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 7 minutes which is 36 minutes longer than yesterday. -Bernie-

Sunday, August 22, 2010

August 22: ORD

Today is August 22nd. It's the 234th day of the year. 131 days remain. It's week 34 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 80 and the normal low is 61. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 82 and 62.


On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. The warmest high was 90 three years ago. This was the first 90s high since 1976 (90). The record high of 99 was set in 1936. The three 70s lows were: 72 two years ago, 71 in 1989 and 70 in 1996. The record warmest low of 76 occurred in 1968.
Over the last 31 years, 21 highs were in the 80s. One high was in the warmer 90s. Eight highs were in the cooler 70s. One high, last year's high of 68, was the only 60s high of the last 31 years. The previous 60s high occurred 42 years prior in 1967. These two have been the only 60s highs in the history of O'Hare on August 22nd. Today is also the midrange date of our last 90s high of the year.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the low was a warm 73.
In 1971 the high was a hot 93. In 1968 the high was 94 with a low of 76, a very hot day. 1968 was also the year of the record warmest low. In 1967 the high was a cool 64 with a low of 59, a mere five degree spread. In 1962 the high was a hot 93 with a low of 55, a 38 degree spread. In 1961 the low was a cool 49. In 1959 the high was 94 with a low of 74, a very hot day.

More recently, there w
as a small spread of five degrees in 1990 (72/67). There were two large spreads: 32 degrees in 1992 (83/51) and 31 degrees in 2004 (80/49).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest temperature was the record low of 49, set in 2004. The former record lows were 51 way back in 1890 and 51 in 1992. The coolest high was 68 last year. Our prior coolest high was 72 in 1990. The record coolest high of 60 occurred way back in 1890. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Over the last 31 years, 19 lows were in the 60s. Nine lows were in the cooler: 40s (1) and 50s (8). Three lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:39 and sunrise is at 6:08. Sunset is at 19:44 and twilight ends at 20:13. There's a total of 13 hours, 36 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 34 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:40 and sunrise is at 6:09. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Sturgeon or Grain moon in two days at 12:05. Illumination was 95% at midnight, will be 97% at noon and 98% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 4:07 this morning. Moonrise is at 18:36 tonight. Moonset is at 5:08 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 31 minutes which is 34 minutes longer than yesterday. -Bernie-

August 21: ORD

Today is August 21st. It's the 233rd day of the year. 132 days remain. It's week 34 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 81 and the normal low is 61. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 82 and 61.


On the hot side, in 2003 the high was 95 with a low of 72. The other 90s highs were 95 in 1983 and 90 in 1996. The record high of 99 was set in 1955. The only other 70s low was 70 in 1998. The record warmest low of 82 occurred back in 1916.
Over the last 31 years, 28 highs (90%) were: 70s (11) and 80s (17). Three highs was in the warmer 90s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the high was 94 with a low of 76, a hot day. In 19
72 the low was a warm 74. In 1968 the high was 95 with a low of 77, a hot day. In 1962 the high was 90 with a low of 60, a 30 degree spread. In 1961 the low was a cool 48. In 1959 the high was 94 with a low of 75, a hot day.

More recently, there w
as a small spread of four degrees in 1990 (71/67). There were two large spreads: 32 degrees in 1991 (85/53) and 32 degrees in 1992 (81/49).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest temperature was 49 in 1992. The coolest high was 71 in 1990. The record low of 46 was set back in 1950. The record coolest high of 66 was set back in 1939. Over the last 31 years, 28 lows (90%) were: 50s (14) and 60s (14). One low was 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 5:37 and sunrise was at 6:07. Sunset is at 19:45 and twilight ends at 20:15. There's a total of 13 hours, 38 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 38 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:39 and sunrise is at 6:08. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 89% at midnight, will be 92% at noon and 95% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 3:05 this morning. Moonrise is at 18:08 this afternoon. Moonset is at 4:07 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 57 minutes which is 27 minutes longer than yesterday. -Bernie-

Friday, August 20, 2010

August 20: ORD

Today is August 20th. It's the 232nd day of the year. 133 days remain. It's week 34 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 81 and the normal low is 61. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 80 and 61.


On the hot side, in 1980 the high was 93 with a low of 74. That was the lone 90s high of the last 31 years. The two 90s highs prior to 1980 were both very hot: 94 in 1971 and 95 in 1968. In 1968, today was the second of six straight days of 90 degrees or higher (from the 19th through the 24th). Three of these days (today, the 21st and the 23rd) recorded the warmest highs, that of 95 degrees. The record high of 98 was set back in 1947. The record warmest low of 80 occurred back in 1916.
Over the last 31 years, 30 highs (97%) were: 70s (15) and 80s (15). One high was in the warmer 90s. The Weather Channel's forecast for today for towns (and direction from ORD) bordering O'Hare calls for the following high temperatures: Des Plaines (N): 91, Bensenville (W/SW): 91, Franklin Park (SE): 91, Elk Grove Village (NW): 90 and Schiller Park (E): 91. So this could be the 2nd 90 of the last 32 years (a small 6% gem). The National Weather Service is predicting a high near 90 for all these locations.

This summer we broke a 55 year old record. In 1955 there was a stretch of 42 consecutive days of highs of at least 80 degrees. This year, from July 2 through August 16, there were 46 consecutive days of highs of at least 80 degrees. The high on August 17 was 79 degrees.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 88 with a low of 57, a 31 degree spread. In 19
71 the high was a hot 94. In 1968 the high was a hot 95 with a low of 71, a hot day. In 1962 the high was 91 with a low of 61, a 30 degree spread. In 1959 the high was 91 with a warm low of 74, a hot day.

More recently, there w
as a small spread of five degrees in 1990 (74/69). There were two large spreads: 32 degrees in 1986 (86/54) and 30 degrees in 1987 (85/55).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest temperature was 49 in 1992. The coolest high was 71 in 1985. The record low of 47 was set in 1950. The record coolest high of 66 occurred in 1940. Over the last 31 years, 29 lows (94%) were: 50s (13) and 60s (16). One low was in the cooler 40s and one was in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:36 and sunrise was at 6:06. Sunset is at 19:47 and twilight ends at 20:16. There's a total of 13 hours, 41 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 40 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:37 and sunrise is at 6:07. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 83% at midnight, will be 86% at noon and 89% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 2:04 this morning. Moonrise is at 17:34 this afternoon. Moonset is at 3:05 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 30 minutes which is 19 minutes longer than yesterday. -Bernie-