June 7: ORD

Today is June 7th. It's the 158th day of the year. 207 days remain. It's week 23 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 77 and the normal low is 55. I've calculated the 32-year averages at 80 and 57.

On the hot side, in 2007 the high was 91 with a low of 71. In 1999 the high was 88 with a low of 73. In 1988 the high was 94 with a low of 65. A year earlier, in 1987, the high was 89 with a low of 67. Other hot highs include 92 in 1982, 1995 and 2005. Other warm lows were 69 in 1979 and three years ago in 2008. The record high of 100 and record warmest low of 78 were set on the same hot day back in 1933. 23 of the past 32 highs (72%) were in the: 70s (9) and 80s (14). Five highs were in the hot 90s. Four highs were in the cool 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first June at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1972 the high was 80 with a low of 50, a 30 degree spread. In 1969 the high was a cool 64 degrees. In 1968 the high was 91 with a low of 73, a hot day. In 1967 the high was 76 with a warm low of 69, a seven degree spread. In 1963 the high was 91 with a low of 68, a hot day. In 1960 the high was a cool 64 degrees. In 1959 the high was a hot 92 with a low of 64, a hot day.

More recently, there were large spreads of: 41 degrees in 1995 (92/51), 37 degrees in 1985 (83/46), 32 degrees in 1981 (86/54), 31 degrees in 2005 (92/61), 30 degrees in 1982 (92/62) and 30 degrees in 1994 (83/53).

On the cool side, in 1996 the high was 60 with a low of 48. Two years later, in 1998, the high was 70 with a low of 45. Another cool high was 62 in 1997. All four of the cool 60s highs occurred between 1993 and 2001. The record low of 44 and record coolest high of 50 were set on the same cool day back in 1913. The record low of 44 was originally set way back in 1894. 25 of the last 32 lows (78%) were in the: 50s (15) and 60s (10). Five lows were in the cool 40s. Two lows were in the warm 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 4:43 and sunrise is at 5:17. Sunset is at 20:27 and twilight ends at 21:02. There's a total of 15 hours, 10 minutes of daylight today and 16 hours, 19 minutes between twilights. We gained a minute of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:43 and sunrise is at 5:17. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 30% at midnight, will be 35% at noon and 41% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 11:18 this morning. Moonset is tomorrow at 0:27 tonight. Moonrise is at 12:29 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 42 minutes which is 70 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Summer began June 4 and runs for 110 days through September 21. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 70s and 80s. Highs in the 60s, 90s and 100s occur infrequently. Flag Day is in seven days. Father's Day is in 12 days.