February 23: ORD

Today is February 23rd. It's the 54th day of the year. 311 days remain. It's week 8 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 37 and the normal low is 22. I've calculated the 32-year averages at 39 and 24.

On the warm side, in 2000 the high was the record high of 66 with the record warmest low of 51. The former record high of 60 occurred in 1977 and the former record warmest low of 43 occurred in 1961. Both former records occurred at Midway International Airport. In 1984 the high was 59 with a low of 37. In 1996 the high was 54 with a low of 37. In 1985 the high was 50 with a low of 33. Other warm highs were 51 in 1995, 50 in 1998 (our most recent 50s high) and 49 in 1983. Another warm low was 37 in 2004. 21 of the last 32 highs (66%) were in the: 30s (13) and 40s (8). On the warmer side, five highs were in the 50s and one was in the 60s. On the colder side, five highs were in the 20s.

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 26 with a low of 19, a seven degree spread. In 1977 the high was 58 with a low of 39, a warm day. In 1975 the high was 37 with a low of 33, a four degree spread. In 1974 the high was a cold 22 with a low of 11, a cold day. In 1971 the high was 35 with a low of 31, a four degree spread. In 1969 the high was 40 with a warm low of 35, a five degree spread. In 1968 the high was 37 with a cold low of 7, a 30 degree spread. In 1967 the high was 23 with a low of 6, a cold day. In 1966 the high was 32 with a low of 25, a seven degree spread. In 1965 the high was 22 with a low of 10, a cold day. In 1963 the high was 22 with a low of 4, another cold one! In 1962 the high was 26 with a cold low of 8, a cold day. In 1961 the high was 50 with a low of 38, a warm day.

More recently, we had a spread of five degrees in 1981 as the high was 38 with a low of 33.

On the cold side, in 1993 the high was 20 with a low of 2. In 1989 the high was 23 with a low of 4. Two years ago, in 2009, the high was 27 with a low of 9. The record low of -18 was set way back in 1873 and the record coldest high of -2 occurred way back in 1889. That high of -2 is the latest sub-zero high in Chicago's history, another suggestion that Winter is subsiding. 22 of the last 32 lows (69%) were in the: 20s (12) and 30s (10). Nine lows were in the cold: 10s (a.k.a. teens) (6) and single digits (3). One low was in the warmer 50s (the record warmest low of 51, which occurred in 2000).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. In 1994, 5.1 inches fell. This was the second day of a four day stretch in which 16.1 inches fell. In 1965, 1.8 inches fell. This was the first of three days in which 10.0 inches fell.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:10 and sunrise is at 6:38. Sunset is at 17:36 and twilight ends at 18:04. There's a total of 10 hours, 58 minutes of daylight today and 11 hours, 54 minutes between twilights. We gained four minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:09 and sunrise is at 6:37. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 69% at midnight, will be 63% at noon and 58% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 9:17 this morning. Moonrise is at 40 minutes past midnight tonight. Moonset is at 10:02 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 17 minutes which is 7 minutes longer than yesterday.

Mardi Gras is in 13 days. Ash Wednesday is in 14 days. The cool part of Spring (Cool Spring) begins in 17 days on March 12. Cool Spring runs for 32 days, through April 12. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Warmer 60s and 70s occur infrequently. -Bernie-