February 16: ORD

Today is February 16th. It's the 47th day of the year. 318 days remain. It's week 7 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 35 and the normal low is 19. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 33 and 19.

On the warm side, in 1981 the high was 52 with a low of 38. In 1998 the high was 44 with the record-tying warmest low of 39. The low was also 39 in 1927. In 1984 the high was 46 with a low of 36. In 1999 high was 46 with a low of 31. There were four other warm lows: two were 33 degrees (1982 & 1983) and two were 32 degrees (1992 & 2002). The record high of 58 was set in 1921. 15 of the last 32 highs (47%) were in the 30s. On the warmer side, seven highs (22%) were in the: 40s (6) and 50s (1). The most recent 40s high was 42 in 2002. On the cold side, ten highs (31%) were in the: 10s (a.k.a. teens) (2) and 20s (8). The most recent 20s high was 27 in 2004.

In looking back through the years to the first February at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 15 with a low of 2, a cold day. In 1977 the low was a cold 7 degrees. In 1976 the high was 44 with a warm low of 34, a warm day. In 1975 the high was 35 with a warm low of 32, a three degree spread. In 1973 the high was 18 with a low of 4, yet another cold one. In 1968 the high was a warm 47 degrees. In 1967 the high was 15 with a low of 5, a cold day. In 1963 the high was 29 with a cold low of -5, a 34 degree spread and cold day. In 1962 the high was 34 with a low of 30, a four degree spread. In 1960 the high was 36 with a low of 29, a seven degree spread.

More recently, there were small spreads of four degrees on three occasions: 1982 (37/33), 1983 (37/33) and 1992 (36/32). There were two spreads of seven degrees: 2005 (33/26) and last year (32/25). There was one large spread of 30 degrees in 1991 (31/1).

On the cold side, in 2007 the high was 19 with a low of -4. In 1980 the high was 17 with a low of 2. The year prior, 1979, the high was 20 with a low of 9. Other cold lows were 5 (2004 & 2008) and 1 in 1991. The record low of -10 was set way back in 1885 and the record coldest high of 2 was set way back in 1900. 18 of the last 32 lows (56%) were in the: single digits (7) and 10s (a.k.a. teens) (11). Even colder, one low (3%) was in the negative single digits (-4 in 2007). On the warmer side, 13 lows (41%) were in the: 20s (5) and 30s (8). The most recent 30s low was 32 in 2002.

Today is not major day in Chicago's snow history.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:20 and sunrise is at 6:49. Sunset is at 17:27 and twilight ends at 17:56. There's a total of 10 hours, 38 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 36 minutes between twilights. We gained two minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:18 and sunrise is at 6:47. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 94% at midnight, will be 96% at noon and 98% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 5:26 this morning. Moonrise is at 15:47 this afternoon. Moonset is at 6:01 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 39 minutes which is 34 minutes shorter than yesterday.

President's Day is in five days and Washington's Birthday is in six days. -Bernie-