January 17: ORD

Today is January 17th. It's the 17th day of the year. 348 days remain. It's week 3 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. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 29 and the normal low is 14. The 32-year averages are 30 and 15.

On the warm side, in 1996 the high was 56 with a low of 37. A decade earlier, in 1986, the high was 54 with a low of 37. Four years later, in 1990, the high was 55 with a low of 35. A decade before, in 1980, the high was 44 with a low of 35. In 1989 the high was 45 with a low of 30. A year earlier, in 1988, the high was 41 with a low of 33. In 1995 the high was 43 with a low of 30. In 2006 the high was 43 with a low of 27. The record high of 60 was set way back in 1894 and the record warmest low of 42 occurred in 1973. Another warm high was 41 in 1999. Another warm low was 28 in 2004. 24 of the last 32 highs (75%) were: 20s (12), 30s (6) and 40s (6). On the warmer side, three highs were 50s. On the cold side, five highs were: 10s (aka teens) (3) and single digits (2).

In looking back through the years to the first January at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1977 the high was 4 with a low of -12, a cold day. In 1976 the high was 15 with a low of 1, a cold day. In 1974 the high was 36 with a warm low of 31, a five degree spread and warm day. In 1973 the high was 57 with a low of 43, a warm day and year of the record warmest low. In 1969 the high was 37 with a warm low of 35, a two degree spread and warm day. In 1967 the high was 14 with a low of -6, a cold day. In 1966 high was 10 with a low of -6, a cold day. In 1965 the low was a cold 2 degrees. In 1963 the high was 26 with a cold low of -12, a 38 degree spread and cold day. In 1962 the high was 2 with a low of -4, a six degree spread and cold day. In 1961 the high was 49 with a low of 28, a warm day. In 1959 the high was 11 with a low of -1, a cold one.

More recently, we had small spreads of four degrees in 1987 (29/25), six degrees in 2000 (25/19), six degrees in 2004 (34/28) and seven degrees in 2001 (26/19).

On the cold side, in 1982 the high was the former record coldest high of 4 with the record low of -23. Other lows in 1982 were as follows: Rockford: -25, Barrington and Marengo: -22, Elgin: -20, Wheaton, DeKalb and Waukegan: -18 and Midway: -17. In 1997 the high was the record coldest high of 3 with a low of -9. Three years earlier, in 1994, the high was 10 with a low of -13. In 2005 the high was 11 with a low of 2. In 1984 the high was 12 with a low of 2. 29 of the last 32 lows (91%) were: single digits (10), 10s (aka teens) (7), 20s (5) and 30s (7). Three lows were colder: negative 20s (1), negative tens (aka negative teens) (1) and negative single digits (1).

Today is a major day in O'Hare's snow history. In 1979, 1.2 inches fell. This was the seventh day of a 21.7 inch, seven day stretch of snow. This storm changed Chicago politics. The slow response that the city had to cleaning up after the storm was blamed on Mayor Michael Bilandic and his administration. This caused him to lose in the primary election to the eventual new mayor, Jayne Byrne. At O'Hare on the 13th, 15.3 inches fell while at Midway, 16.5 inches fell. This blizzard closed down the city for several days.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:48 and sunrise is at 7:19. Sunset is at 16:48 and twilight ends at 17:19. There's a total of 9 hours, 29 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 31 minutes between twilights. We gained a minute of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:47 and sunrise is at 7:18. The moon is waxing gibbous and will be full in two days. Illumination was 91% at midnight, will be 94% at noon and 96% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 5:21 this morning. Moonrise is at 14:36 this afternoon. Moonset is at 6:12 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 45 minutes which is only four minutes shorter than yesterday.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is today. -Bernie-