Sunday, September 30, 2012

September 30: ORD

Today is September 30th. It's the 274th day of the year. 92 days remain. It's week 40 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 69 and the normal low is 48. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 72 and 48.


On the warm side, in 2002 (O'Hare's second warmest September 30th) the high was 85 (one of O'Hare's co-second hottest highs of the date) with a low of 68 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). In 1995 the high was 84 with a low of 65 (along with a low of 65 degrees in 1971, O'Hare's second warmest lows of the date). In 1982 the high was 85 (the other of O'Hare's co-second hottest highs of the date) with a low of 58. In 2007 the high was 83 with a low of 59. The other warm highs were 83 degrees in both 1981 and 1994, 82 degrees in 1991 and 81 degrees in 1983. The record high of 92 degrees and record warmest low of 69 degrees were set on the same hot day in 1971
at Midway. 22 of the past 33 highs (67%) were in the: 60s (10) and 70s (12). There were two long stretches of highs in the 60s and 70s. The first was seven years from 1984 through 1990 and the second was six years from 1996 through 2001. Eight highs (24%) were in the warm 80s. Three highs (9%) were in the cool 50s. Two of the 50s highs were preceded by highs in the 80s: 85 in 2002 followed by 56 in 2003 and 83 in 2007 followed by 59 in 2008. The 50s highs occurred more recently (from 2003 through last year, 2011) and then much longer ago in 1960, 1972 and 1974. O'Hare's warmest September 30th was in 1971 as the high was 92 (O'Hare's hottest high of the date and only 90s high) with a low of 65 (with 1995, O'Hare's second warmest low of the date).

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 77 with a low of 47, a 30 degree spread. In 1973 the high was 65 with a warm low of 60, a five degree spread. In 1972 the high was 53 with a low of 36, a cool day. In 1971 the high was 92 with a low of 65, a hot day. 1971 was the year of the record high of 92 and record warmest low of 69, both set at Midway. In 1968 the high was 80 with a low of 50, a 30 degree spread. In 1964 the low was a cold 36 degrees. In 1963 the high was 77 with a low of 45, a 32 degree spread. In 1962 the high was 70 with a cold low of 36, a 34 degree spread. In 1961 the high was 75 with a low of 44, a 31 degree spread. In 1960 the high was a cool 57 degrees
.

More recently, there were
additional large spreads of 36 degrees in 2004 (72/36), 34 degrees in 1989 (77/43), 33 degrees in 1983 (81/48), 31 degrees in 1994 (83/52), 31 degrees in 1996 (78/47) and 30 degrees in 1991 (82/52). There were no small spreads of up to seven degrees.

On the cool side, in 1984 (with 1972, O'Hare's coolest September 30th) the high was 60 with the record low of 29, a 31 degree spread. In 1993 the high was 61 with a low of 31 (O'Hare's second coldest low of the date), a 30 degree spread. O'Hare's second coolest high 56 degrees occurred in 2003. Tied with 1960 as O'Hare's third coolest high of the date is a high of 57 degrees last year, in 2011. O'Hare's other cold lows were 36 degrees in 1962, 1964 and 2004. The record coolest high of 44 degrees occurred way back in 1899, at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 26 of the last 33 lows (79%) were in the: 40s (14) and 50s (12). There were four periods of consecutive 40s and 50s lows. The first was nine years from 1975 through 1983. The second was seven years from 1985 through 1991. The third was six years from 1996 through 2001. The fourth, and ongoing period is currently seven years and began in 2005. Five lows (15%) were in the cold: 20s (1) and 30s (4). Two lows (6%) were in the warm 60s. Tied with 1984 as O'Hare's coolest September 30th is 1972 as the high was 53 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) and low of 36. Tied with 2011 as a co-third coolest high of the date is the high of 57 degrees in 1960.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:22 and sunrise is at 6:50. Sunset is at 18:36 and twilight ends at 19:04. There's a total of 11 hours, 46 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 42 minutes between twilights. We lost two minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:23 and sunrise is at 6:51. The moon is waning gibbous, having passed the full Harvest moon last night at 22:19. Illumination was 100% at midnight, will be 100% at noon and 99% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 7:23 this morning. Moonrise is at 18:37 tonight. Moonset is at 8:23 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 46 minutes which is 34 minutes longer than yesterday.
 
Warm Fall began September 22nd and runs for 41 days through November 1st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Highs in the 30s and 40s occur infrequently. Columbus Day is in eight days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th.

September 29: ORD

Today is September 29th. It's the 273rd day of the year. 93 days remain. It's week 39 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 69 and the normal low is 48. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 70 and 49.


On the warm side, in 1982 (O'Hare's warmest September 29th) the high was 83 with a low of 63. In 2002 the high was 84 (O'Hare's second hottest high of the date) with a low of 60. In 1979 the high was 85 (O'Hare's hottest high of the date) with a low of 58. In 1986 the high was 77 with a low of 64. The other warm high was 81 degrees in 1983. The record high of 99 degrees was set in 1953 at Midway. The record warmest low of 69 degrees occurred way back in 1904, at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan
. 23 of the past 33 highs (70%) were in the: 60s (13) and 70s (10). There's been two notable streaks of 60s and 70s highs. The first was eight years from 1985 through 1992. The second was six years from 1996 through 2001. Six highs (18%) were in the warm 80s. Four highs (12%) were in the cool 50s. Although there is not a rule, on three occasions the 50s and 80s have occurred in successive years. In 1983 the high of 81 was followed by a high of 55 in 1984. In 2002 the high of 84 was followed by a high of 58 in 2003. In 2006 the high of 59 was followed by a high of 80 in 2007. Another occurrence, although not perfect, was the high of 54 in 1993 which was followed by highs of 70 in 1994 and 80 in 1995. O'Hare's second warmest September 29th was in 1971 as the high was 80 with a low of 65 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date).

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1971 the high was 80 with a warm low of 65, a warm day. In 1970 the high was 72 with a low of 39, a 33 degree spread. In 1967 the high was a cold 47 with a low of 41, a six degree spread and cold day. In 1964 the high was 67 with a cold low of 32, a 35 degree spread. In 1962 the high was 66 with a cold low of 36, a 30 degree spread. In 1961 the high was 66 with a cold low of 32, a 34 degree spread.
The lows of 32 in 1961 and 1964 are equal to the record.

More recently, there were
large spreads of 31 degrees in 1983 (81/50) and 30 degrees in 2007 (80/50). There were no small spreads of up to seven degrees.

On the cool side, in 1984 (O'Hare's coolest September 29th) the high was 55 (O'Hare's third coolest high of the date) with the record low of 32. In 1993 the high was 54 (O'Hare's second coolest high of the date) with a low of 37. The record coldest high of 44 degrees was set way back in 1899, at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 25 of the last 33 lows (76%) were in the: 40s (11) and 50s (14). For eight consecutive years, from 1994 through 2001, lows were in the 40s and 50s. Five lows (15%) were in the cold 30s. Three lows (9%) were in the warm 60s. O'Hare's second coolest September 29th was in 1967 as the high was 47 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with a low of 41. Along with the current record low of 32 degrees in 1984, O'Hare also had lows of 32 degrees in 1961 and 1964. O'Hare's second coldest lows of the date of 36 degrees occurred in 1962 and 1992. Today is also the runner-up date of the earliest first freeze of fall which occurred in 1984. The earliest first freeze of fall was on September 22 in 1995. 

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:21 and sunrise is at 6:49. Sunset is at 18:37 and twilight ends at 19:05. There's a total of 11 hours, 48 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 44 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:22 and sunrise is at 6:50. The moon is reaches the full Harvest moon tonight at 22:19. Illumination was 99% at midnight, will be 100% at noon and 100% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 6:21 this morning. Moonrise is at 18:09 tonight. Moonset is at 7:23 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 12 minutes which is 36 minutes longer than yesterday.

Warm Fall began September 22nd and runs for 41 days through November 1st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Highs in the 30s and 40s occur infrequently. Columbus Day is in nine days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th.

Friday, September 28, 2012

September 28: ORD

Today is September 28th. It's the 272nd day of the year. 94 days remain. It's week 39 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 70 and the normal low is 49. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 68 and 49.


On the warm side, in 1986 (O'Hare's second warmest September 28th) the high was 82 with a low of 65 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). A year later, in 1987, the high was 82 with a low of 56. O'Hare's third hottest high of the date is 83 degrees in 1979. The record high of 92 degrees was set in 1953. The record warmest low of 71 degrees occurred in 1971
. Both records were set at Midway. 22 of the past 33 highs (67%) were in the: 60s (13) and 70s (9). Five highs (15%) were in the warm 80s. Our most recent 80s high was 81 degrees in 1995. Six highs (18%) were in the cool 50s. O'Hare's warmest September 28th was in 1971 as the high was 89 (O'Hare's hottest high of the date) with a low of 73 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). O'Hare's third warmest September 28th was in 1959 as the high was 77 with a low of 64 (with 1973, O'Hare's third warmest low of the date). O'Hare's second hottest high of the date of 87 degrees occurred in 1963. The other warm low of 64 degrees occurred in 1973 (tied as O'Hare's third warmest low of the date with 1959).

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1975 the high was 73 with a low of 40, a 33 degree spread. In 1973 the low was a warm 64 degrees. In 1971 the high was 89 with a low of 73, a hot day and year of the record warmest low. In 1967 the high was a cool 53 with a low of 41, a cool day. In 1964 the high was 62 with a cold low of 32, a 30 degree spread and cool day. In 1963 the high was a hot 87 with a low of 53, a 34 degree spread. In 1961 the high was 56 with a low of 33, a cool day. In 1959 the high was 77 with a warm low of 64, a warm day.


More recently, there were
large spreads of 32 degrees in 1979 (83/51), 32 degrees in 1989 (74/42) and 31 degrees in 1985 (76/45). There were small spreads of four degrees in 2001 (56/52) and seven degrees in 1988 (65/58). 

On the cool side, in 1984 (O'Hare's second coolest September 28th) the high was 56 with a low of 36. In 2006 the high was 59 with a low of 40. The record low of 29 degrees was set in 1942 at Midway. The record coolest high of 50 degrees was set way back in 1893, at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 29 of the last 33 lows (88%) were in the: 40s (12) and 50s (17). For an ongoing 20 consecutive years, beginning in 1992, lows have been in the 40s and 50s. Three lows were in the cold 30s. One low was in the warm 60s. O'Hare's coolest September 28th was in 1961 as the high was 56 with a low of 33 (O'Hare's second coldest low of the date). There's a tie for O'Hare's third coolest September 28th. In 1964 the high was 62 with a low of 32 (O'Hare's coldest low of the date). In 1967 the high was 53 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with a low of 41. O'Hare's second coolest highs of the date were 56 degrees in 1961, 1984 and 2001.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:20 and sunrise is at 6:48. Sunset is at 18:39 and twilight ends at 19:07. There's a total of 11 hours, 51 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 47 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:21 and sunrise is at 6:49. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Harvest moon tomorrow at 22:19. Illumination was 96% at midnight, will be 98% at noon and 99% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 5:18 this morning. Moonrise is at 17:42 this afternoon. Moonset is at 6:21 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 36 minutes which is 36 minutes longer than yesterday.

Warm Fall began September 22nd and runs for 41 days through November 1st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Highs in the 30s and 40s occur infrequently. Columbus Day is in ten days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th.  

Thursday, September 27, 2012

September 27: ORD

Today is September 27th. It's the 271st day of the year. 95 days remain. It's week 39 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 70 and the normal low is 49. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 71 and 50.


On the warm side, in 1986 (O'Hare's second warmest September 27th) the high was 86 (along with 1971 and 1998, O'Hare's second hottest high of the date) with a low of 68 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). A year later, in 1987, the high was 89 (O'Hare's hottest high of the date) with a low of 61. In 1998 the high was 86 (along with 1971 and 1986, O'Hare's second hottest high of the date) with a low of 60. The record high of 91 and record warmest low of 71 were set on the same hot day in 1971 at Midway
. 29 of the past 33 highs (88%) were in the: 60s (13), 70s (8) and 80s (8). Four highs were in the cool 50s. Our most recent 50s highs were 53 degrees in 1993 and 58 degrees in 1994. For an ongoing 17 consecutive years, from 1995 through 2011, highs were in the 60s, 70s and 80s. 14 of these 17  (82%) featured highs of at least 65 degrees. The exceptions were highs of 61 degrees in 2003, 62 degrees in 2001 and 63 degrees last year, in 2011. O'Hare's warmest September 27th was in 1971 as the high was 86 (along with 1986 and 1998, O'Hare's second hottest high of the date) with a low of 69 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). O'Hare's other warm highs of 9/27 are 85 degrees in 1963, 84 degrees in 1990 and 83 degrees in 1979. Another warm low of 63 degrees occurred in 1973.  

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1975 the high was 70 with a low of 40, a 30 degree spread. In 1973 the high was 80 with a warm low of 63, a warm day. In 1971 the high was 86 with a low of 69, a hot day. 1971 was also the year of the warm records. In 1967 the high was a cool 55 degrees. In 1964 the high was 61 with a cold low of 35, a cool day. In 1963 the high was a warm 85 with a low of 52, a 33 degree spread. In 1961 the high was 71 with a low of 40, a 31 degree spread.


More recently, there were
large spreads of 37 degrees in 1990 (84/47), 31 degrees in 1985 (68/37), 31 degrees in 2004 (76/45) and 30 degrees in 1983 (79/49). There were small spreads of seven degrees in 1993 (53/46) and 1994 (58/51).

On the cool side, in 1984 (O'Hare's coolest September 27th) the high was the near-record coolest high of 50 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with a low of 36 (O'Hare's third coldest low of the date). In 1991 (O'Hare's second coolest September 27th) the high was 58 with a low of 34 (O'Hare's coldest low of the date and our most recent 30s low). The other cool highs are 53 degrees in 1993 (O'Hare's second coolest high of the date), 55 degrees in 1967 (O'Hare's third coolest high of the date) and 58 degrees in 1994. The other cold lows are 37 degrees in 1985 and 1989. The record low of 31 degrees and record coolest high of 49 degrees were set on the same cold day in 1942 at Midway. 25 of the last 33 lows (76%) were in the: 40s (14) and 50s (11). For an ongoing 13 consecutive years, from 1999 through 2011, lows were in the 40s and 50s. O'Hare also recorded consecutive 40s and 50s lows as follows: ten from 1974 through 1983 and six from 1992 through 1997. Four lows (12%) were in the cold 30s. Four lows (12%) were in the warm 60s. Our most recent 60s low was 60 degrees in 1998. A great battle between 30s and 60s lows began in 1984. In 1984 and 1985, the 30s won as 36 and 37 degrees. Then from 1986 through 1988, the 60s took over as 68, 61 and 60 degrees. Then in 1989, a low of 37 occurred.  The 30s returned in 1991 as 34 degrees. But more recently, in 1998, a low of 60 occurred. The score over the past 33 years is now tied at four a piece! O'Hare's third coolest September 27th was in 1964 as the high was 61 with a low of 35 (O'Hare's second coldest low of the date).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:19 and sunrise is at 6:47. Sunset is at 18:41 and twilight ends at 19:09. There's a total of 11 hours, 54 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 50 minutes between twilights. We lost four minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:20 and sunrise is at 6:48. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Harvest moon in two days at 22:19. Illumination was 91% at midnight, will be 94% at noon and 96% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 4:14 this morning. Moonrise is at 17:14 this afternoon. Moonset is at 5:18 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours which is 37 minutes longer than yesterday.

Warm Fall began September 22nd and runs for 41 days through November 1st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Highs in the 30s and 40s occur infrequently. Columbus Day is in 11 days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th. 

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

September 26: ORD

Today is September 26th. It's the 270th day of the year. 96 days remain. It's week 39 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 71 and the normal low is 50. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 70 and 51.


On the warm side, in 1998 (O'Hare's warmest September 26th) the high was the record high of 90 (O'Hare's hottest high of the date and latest last 90s high of the past 33 years) with a low of 68 (O'Hare's third warmest low of the date and our most recent 60s low). In 1986 the high was 78 with a low of 69 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). In 1999 the high was 86 (O'Hare's second hottest high of the date and our most recent 80s high) with a low of 57. Our third warmest high was 85 degrees in 1987. The record warmest low of 71 degrees occurred in 1973 at Midway
. 25 of the last 33 highs (76%) were in the: 60s (16) and 70s (9). For an ongoing 12 consecutive years, from 2000 through last year (2011), highs were in the 60s and 70s. O'Hare recorded 15 consecutive years of highs of at least 65 degrees from 1995 through 2009. Four highs (12%) were in the warm: 80s (3) and 90s (1). Four highs (12%) were in the cool 50s. The post-1978 50s highs occurred from 1980 through 1994 at the rate of about one every five years. O'Hare's second warmest September 26th was in 1973 as the high was 82 with a low of 71 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). O'Hare also had warm highs of 83 degrees in 1963 and 1979.

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1978 the high was 76 with a low of 46, a 30 degree spread. In 1974 the high was 82 with a low of 50, a 32 degree spread. In 1973 the high was 82 with a warm low of 71, a warm day and year of the record warmest low of 71 at Midway. In 1966 the low was a cold 36. In 1965 the high was a cool 53 with a low of 42, a cool day. In 1963 the high was a warm 83 with a low of 50, a 33 degree spread.


More recently, there were
large spreads of 39 degrees in 1987 (85/46), 32 degrees in 1979 (83/51) and 31 degrees in 1995 (76/45). There were small spreads of seven degrees in 1994 (58/51) and seven degrees last year, in 2011 (60/53).

On the cool side, in 1984 (O'Hare's coolest September 26th) the high was 53 (with 1965, O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with the near-record low of 36 (with 1966, O'Hare's coldest low of the date). In 1991 the high was 60 with a low of 40 (O'Hare's second coldest low of the date). In 1980 the high was 58 with a low of 42. The other post-1978 cool highs were 58 degrees in 1989 and 1994. The highs of 58 degrees are O'Hare's second coolest highs of the date. The record low of 35 was set in 1928 at the University of Chicago. The record coolest high of 47 occurred in 1942 at Midway. 30 of the last 33 lows (91%) were in the: 40s (12) and 50s (18). There were two long consecutive stretches of lows in the 40s and 50s. The first was 11 years from 1987 through 1997. The second is an ongoing, 13 year stretch from 1999 through last year, 2011. One low was in the cold 30s. Two lows were in the warm 60s. O'Hare's second coolest September 26th was in 1965 as the high was 53 (with 1984, O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with a low of 42. O'Hare also had a cold low of 36 degrees in 1966 (as it was in 1984, these are O'Hare's coldest lows of the date).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:18 and sunrise is at 6:45. Sunset is at 18:43 and twilight ends at 19:11. There's a total of 11 hours, 58 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 53 minutes between twilights. We lost two minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:19 and sunrise is at 6:47. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Harvest moon in three days at 22:19. Illumination was 84% at midnight, will be 88% at noon and 91% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 3:08 this morning. Moonrise is at 16:45 this afternoon. Moonset is at 4:14 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 23 minutes which is 35 minutes longer than yesterday. 

Warm Fall began September 22nd and runs for 41 days through November 1st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Highs in the 30s and 40s occur infrequently. Columbus Day is in 12 days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th. 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

September 25: ORD

Today is September 25th. It's the 269th day of the year. 97 days remain. It's week 39 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 71 and the normal low is 50. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 70 and 49.


On the warm side, in 1986 (O'Hare's warmest September 25th) the high was 88 (O'Hare's hottest high of the date) with a low of 68 (with 1972, O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). In 2007 (with 1959, O'Hare's third warmest September 25th) the high was 85 (with 1959, O'Hare's second hottest high of the date) with a low of 63. O'Hare's third warmest low of the date is 67 degrees in 2005. The record high of 90 degrees was set back in 1933 at the University of Chicago. The record warmest low of 72 degrees occurred in 1920, at
a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 22 of the past 33 highs (67%) were in the: 60s (9) and 70s (13). For seven consecutive years from 1991 through 1997, highs were in the 60s and 70s. Six highs (18%) were in the warm 80s. Five highs (15%) were in the cool 50s. Our most recent 50s highs were 55 degrees in 2000 and 58 degrees in 2001. This was our second cluster of 50s highs since 1979. The first one occurred from 1982 through 1985 as three of those four years had highs in the 50s with the exception of a high of 74 degrees in 1984. O'Hare's second warmest September 25th was in 1973 as the high was 80 with a low of 69 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). Tied with 2007 as O'Hare's third warmest 9/25 is 1959 with a high of 85 (O'Hare's second hottest high of the date with 2007) and low of 63. Tying 1986 as O'Hare's second warmest low is a low of 68 degrees in 1972. The other warm low is 63 degrees in 2008.  

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1975 the high was a cool 59 with a low of 52, a seven degree spread. In 1973 the high was 80 with a warm low of 69, a warm day. In 1972 the high was 74 with a warm low of 68, a six degree spread. In 1971 the high was a cool 58 with a low of 51, a seven degree spread. In 1967 the high was 73 with a low of 40, a 33 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 74 with a low of 40, a 34 degree spread. In 1963 the high was a warm 83 with a low of 52, a 31 degree spread. In 1961 the high was a cool 56 with a low of 42, a cool day. In 1959 the high was 85 with a low of 63, a hot day.


More recently, there were
large spreads of 37 degrees in 1999 (80/43), 34 degrees in 1984 (74/40), 32 degrees in 1988 (77/45), 31 degrees in 1989 (70/39), 31 degrees in 2002 (74/43) and 30 degrees in 1998 (81/51). There was an additional small spread of three degrees in 1983 (58/55).

On the cool side, in 1985 (O'Hare's coolest September 25th) the high was 58 with a low of 35 (the only low considered "cold" in O'Hare's history for the date). In 2000 the high was 55 with a low of 43. In 2001 the high was 58 with a low of 40. Along with 1961, 2000 and 2001 are O'Hare's second coolest September 25ths. In 1982 (O'Hare's third coolest September 25th) the high was 52 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with a low of 47, a five degree spread. The record low of 30 degrees and record coolest high of 46 degrees were set on the same cold day in 1942 at Midway. 26 of the last 33 lows (79%) were in the: 40s (15) and 50s (11). O'Hare recorded consecutive 40s and 50s lows as follows: 11 from 1974 through 1984 and 15 from 1990 through 2004. Two lows (6%) were in the cold 30s (1985 and 1989). Five lows (15%) were in the warm 60s (four of them bunched together in 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 with the other in 1986). Along with 2000 and 2001, O'Hare's second coldest September 25th was in 1961 as the high was 56 with a low of 42. O'Hare's other cool highs of the date were 58 degrees in 1971, 58 degrees in 1983 and 59 degrees in 1975.

There's an instance of back-to-back years in which temperatures were just about as opposite as they can be. In 1985 the high was 58 with a low of 35, overall 14.5 degrees BELOW normal. Then in 1986 the high was 88 with a low of 68, overall 17 degrees ABOVE normal.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:16 and sunrise is at 6:44. Sunset is at 18:44 and twilight ends at 19:12. There's a total of 12 hours of daylight today and 12 hours, 56 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:18 and sunrise is at 6:45. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 76% at midnight, will be 80% at noon and 84% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 2:01 this morning. Moonrise is at 16:13 this afternoon. Moonset is at 3:08 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 48 minutes which is 31 minutes longer than yesterday.

Warm Fall began September 22nd and runs for 41 days through November 1st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Highs in the 30s and 40s occur infrequently. The Autumnal Equinox was three days ago at 9:49. Columbus Day is in 13 days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th. 

Monday, September 24, 2012

September 24: ORD

Today is September 24th. It's the 268th day of the year. 98 days remain. It's week 39 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 72 and the normal low is 51. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 69 and 49.


On the warm side, in 2007 (O'Hare's warmest September 24th) the high was 90 (O'Hare's hottest high of the date) with a low of 68 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). In 1984 (O'Hare's third warmest September 24th) the high was 84 (along with 1960, O'Hare's second hottest high of the date) with a low of 61. O'Hare's second warmest lows of the date are 64 degrees three years ago (in 2009) and  64 degrees in 1986. The record high of 91 degrees was set way back in 1891, at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. The record warmest low of 71 degrees occurred in 1930 at the University of Chicago.
17 of the past 33 highs (52%) were in the 60s. 13 highs (39%) were in the warm: 70s (8), 80s (4) and 90s (1). Three highs (9%) were in the cool 50s. O'Hare's second warmest September 24th was in 1960 as the high was 84 (with 1984, O'Hare's second hottest high of the date) with a low of 63. The other warm low of 63 degrees occurred in 2005. 

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1978 the high was 79 with a low of 49, a 30 degree spread. In 1976 the high was 69 with a cold low of 34, a 35 degree spread. That low of 34 was colder than the record low. In 1966 the high was 72 with a cold low of 39, a 33 degree spread. In 1965 the high was a cool 54 with a low of 42, a cool day. In 1960 the high was 84 with a low of 63, a warm day.


More recently, there were
large spreads of 31 degrees in 1993 (69/38) and 30 degrees in 1983 (66/36). There was a small spread of seven degrees in 2000 (56/49). 

On the cool side, in both 1985 and 1989, the highs were 61 with co-record lows of 35. Those lows of 35 degrees are actually O'Hare's second coldest lows of the date (see 1976 below)! The record low of 35 degrees was originally set in 1942. 1985 and 1989 are tied with 1965 (O'Hare's coolest high of 54 and low of 42) as O'Hare's coolest September 24ths. In 1991 the high was 57 with a low of 40. In 1995 the high was 62 with a low of 37 (our most recent 30s low). The other cool highs were 55 degrees in 2001 and 56 degrees in 2000 (our most recent 50s highs). The record coolest high of 51 degrees occurred in 1942 at Midway. 15 of the last 33 lows (46%) were in the 40s. Five lows (15%) were in the cold 30s. 13 lows (39%) were in the warm: 50s (8) and 60s (5). The other cold lows are 34 degrees in 1976 (O'Hare's coldest low of the date and a low that's colder than the record lows!), 36 degrees in 1983 (a degree above the record lows), 38 degrees in 1993 and 39 degrees in 1966.

There was an instance of back-to-back years in which temperatures were just about as opposite as they can be. In 1984 the high was 84 with a low of 61, overall 11.5 degrees ABOVE normal. Then in 1985 the high was 61 with a low of 35, overall 13 degrees BELOW normal. 

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:15 and sunrise is at 6:43. Sunset is at 18:46 and twilight ends at 19:14. There's a total of 12 hours, 3 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 59 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:16 and sunrise is at 6:44. The moon is waxing gibbous, having passed first quarter two days ago at 14:41. Illumination was 66% at midnight, will be 71% at noon and 76% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 0:54 this morning. Moonrise is at 15:37 this afternoon. Moonset is at 2:01 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 17 minutes which is 12 minutes longer than yesterday.
 

Warm Fall began two days ago and runs for 41 days through November 1st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Highs in the 30s and 40s occur infrequently. The Autumnal Equinox was two days ago at 9:49. Columbus Day is in 14 days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th.

September 23: ORD

Today is September 23rd. It's the 267th day of the year. 99 days remain. It's week 38 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 72 and the normal low is 51. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 69 and 49.


On the hot side, two years ago, in 2010 (O'Hare's warmest September 23rd), the high was 89 (O'Hare's hottest high of the date) with a low of 65 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). Two years prior, in 2008, the high was 82 with a low of 59. The second hottest high of the date of  85 degrees occurred in 2004 and the third hottest high of 84 degrees occurred in 2007. O'Hare's second warmest low of 64 degrees occurred in 1986. The record high of 91 degrees was set in 1937 at the University of Chicago. The record warmest low of 71 degrees occurred way back in 1891, at
a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 23 of the past 33 highs (70%) were in the: 60s (14) and 70s (9). Five highs (15%) were in the warm 80s. Five highs (15%) were in the cool 50s. The five 80s highs occurred more recently, from 1999 through 2010. The five 50s highs occurred longer ago, from 1983 through 1995. Our most recent 50s high is 58 degrees in 1995. O'Hare's third warmest low of the date of 63 degrees occurred in 1968.

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 68 with a cold low of 36, a 32 degree spread. In 1975 the high was 72 with a low of 42, a 30 degree spread. In 1974 the high was 60 with a cold low of 28, a 32 degree spread and cool day. That low of 28 was colder than the record low. In 1972 the high was a cool 60 degrees. In 1968 the low was a warm 63 degrees. In 1966 the high was 73 with a low of 42, a 31 degree spread. In 1960 the high was 67 with a low of 61, a six degree spread.


More recently, there were
large spreads of 34 degrees in 2007 (84/50), 31 degrees in 2004 (85/54), 30 degrees in 2002 (69/39) and 30 degrees in 1979 (73/43). There was a small spread of five degrees in 2005 (67/62).

On the cool side, in 1995 (O'Hare's coolest September 23rd) the high was 58 with the record low of 29 (O'Hare's second coldest low of the date). In 1989 the high was 54 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with a low of 37. In 1983 the high was 56 with a low of 35. In 1981 the high was 63 with a low of 35. In 1992 the high was 59 with a low of 40. The record coolest high of 51 degrees occurred back in 1928 at the University of Chicago. 24 of the last 33 lows (73%) were in the: 40s (14) and 50s (10). O'Hare recorded six consecutive 40s and 50s lows from 1996 through 2001. Five lows (15%) were in the cold: 20s (1) and 30s (4). Four lows (12%) were in the warm 60s. O'Hare's second coolest September 23rd was in 1974 as the high was 60 with a low of 28 (O'Hare's coldest low of the date and a low colder than the record low). O'Hare's other cool highs were 59 degrees in 1990 and 60 degrees in 1972. O'Hare's other cold lows were 36 degrees in 1976 and 39 degrees in 2002.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:14 and sunrise is at 6:42. Sunset is at 18:48 and twilight ends at 19:16. There's a total of 12 hours, 6 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 2 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:15 and sunrise is at 6:43. The moon is waxing gibbous, having reached first quarter yesterday at 14:41. Illumination was 55% at midnight, will be 61% at noon and 66% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 14:55 this afternoon. Moonset is at 0:54 tomorrow morning. Moonrise is at 15:37 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 5 minutes which is 37 minutes shorter than yesterday. Moonlight time is at its least today.

Warm Fall began yesterday and runs for 41 days through  November 1st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Highs in the 30s and 40s occur infrequently. The Autumnal Equinox was yesterday at 9:49. Columbus Day is in 15 days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th.

September 22: ORD

Today is September 22nd. It's the 266th day of the year. 100 days remain. It's week 38 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 72 and the normal low is 51. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 71 and 51.


On the warm side, in 1986 (O'Hare's warmest September 22nd) the high was 90 (O'Hare's hottest high of the date) with a low of 65. In 2005 (O'Hare's third warmest September 22nd) the high was 87 (with 1959, O'Hare's second hottest high of the date) with a low of 63. O'Hare's fourth hottest high of 84 degrees occurred in 1980. Another post-1978 warm low is 63 degrees two years ago in 2010. The record high of 92 was set in 1956 at Midway. The record warmest low of 73 occurred way back in 1895,
at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 26 of the past 33 highs (79%) were in the: 60s (12) and 70s (14). Five highs (15%) were in the warm: 80s (4) and 90s (1). Two highs (6%) were in the cool 50s. For two periods of eight consecutive years, 1987 through 1994 and 1996 through 2003, highs were in the 60s and 70s. O'Hare's second warmest 9/22 was in 1959 as the high was 87 (O'Hare's second hottest high of the date along with 2005) with a low of 65. Tied as O'Hare's fourth warmest 9/22 is 1961 (O'Hare's third hottest high of the date of 85 with a low of 63) and 1968 (high of 83 and low of 65). O'Hare's warmest lows of the date of 68 degrees occurred in 1959, 1968 and 1986. O'Hare's second warmest low of the date is 64 degrees in 1964. O'Hare's third warmest lows of the date are 63 degrees in 1961, 2005 and 2010.

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 71 with a cold low of 34 degrees, a 37 degree spread. In 1974 the high was 53 with a low of 32, a cold day. That low of 32 is equal to the record low. 1974 was also the year of the record coolest high of 49 at Midway. In 1970 the high was 68 with a low of 61, a seven degree spread. In 1968 the high was 83 with a warm low of 65, a warm day. In 1964 the low was a warm 64 degrees. In 1961 the high was 85 with a low of 63, a hot day. In 19
59 the high was a 87 with a low of 65, a hot day.

More recently, there were
large spreads of 35 degrees in 1989 (78/43), 32 degrees in 2004 (82/50) and 31 degrees in 1999 (72/41). There were no small spreads of up to seven degrees. 

On the cool side, in 1995 (O'Hare's coolest September 22nd) the high was 52 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with the record low of 32 (along with 1974, O'Hare's coldest low of the date), our earliest fall freeze. In 1983 (O'Hare's second coolest September 22nd) the high was 54 (O'Hare's third coolest high of the date) with a low of 37 (O'Hare's third coldest low of the date). The record coolest high of 49 degrees was set in 1974 at Midway. 24 of the last 33 lows (73%) were in the: 40s (12) and 50s (12). O'Hare recorded consecutive 40s & 50s lows as follows: six from 1989 through 1994 and nine from 1996 through 2004. Our most recent 40s low was 45 degrees in 2002. Two lows (6%) were in the cold 30s. Seven lows (21%) were in the warm 60s. O'Hare's pre-1979 cold 9/22 was in 1974 as the high was 53 (O'Hare's second coolest high of the date) with a low of 32 (with 1995, O'Hare's coldest low of the date). O'Hare's second coldest low of the date is 34 degrees in 1976.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:13 and sunrise is at 6:41. Sunset is at 18:50 and twilight ends at 19:18. There's a total of 12 hours, 9 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 5 minutes between twilights. We lost two minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:14 and sunrise is at 6:42. The moon reaches first quarter this afternoon at 14:41. Illumination was 44% at midnight, will be 49% at noon and 55% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 14:06 this afternoon. Moonset is at 23:48 tonight. Moonrise is at 14:55 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 42 minutes which is six minutes longer than yesterday.

Summer ended yesterday. Warm Fall begins today and runs for 41 days through November 1st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Highs in the cooler 30s and 40s occur infrequently. The Autumnal Equinox is this morning at 9:49. Columbus Day is in 16 days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th.

September 21: ORD

Today is September 21st. It's the 265th day of the year. 101 days remain. It's week 38 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 73 and the normal low is 52. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 71 and 52.


On the warm side, two years ago, in 2010 (tied with 1970 as O'Hare's warmest September 21st), the high was 88 with a low of 68 (along with 1965 and 1970, O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). Three years earlier, in 2007 (O'Hare's second warmest September 21st), the high was 88 with a low of 64. Those highs of 88 degrees in 2007 and 2010 are O'Hare's hottest of the date along with a high of 88 degrees in 1970. In 1980 (O'Hare's fourth warmest September 21st with 1959 and 1965) the high was 79 with a low of 69 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). Post-1978, O'Hare's other warm high was 87 degrees in 2005. The record high of 92 degrees was set at Midway in 1970. The record warmest low of 76 degrees occurred in 1931 at the University of Chicago
. 14 of the past 33 highs (42%) were in the 60s. 17 highs (52%) were in the warm: 70s (8) and 80s (9). 5 of our last 8 highs (62%) and 6 of our last 10 highs (60%) were in the 80s. Two highs (6%) were in the cool 50s. Tied with 2010 as O'Hare's warmest September 21st is 1970 as the high was 88 (tied with 2007 and 2010 as the hottest high of the date) and low of 68. O'Hare's third warmest 9/21 was in 1964 as the high was 85 with a low of 65. The other two years that are tied with 1980 as O'Hare's fourth warmest 9/21 is 1959 (high of 84, low of 64) and 1965 (high of 80, low of 68).  

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the low was a cold 40 degrees. In 1975 the high was a cool 58 with a low of 51, a seven degree spread. In 1971 the high was 72 with a low of 42, a 30 degree spread. In 1970 the high was 88 with a low of 68, a hot day and year of the record high. In 1965 the high was 80 with a warm low of 68, a warm day. In 1964 the high was 85 with a low of 65, a hot day. In 1962 the high was 71 with a cold low of 33, a 38 degree spread. That low of 33 was colder than the record low. In 19
59 the high was 84 with a warm low of 64, a warm day.

More recently, there were
large spreads of 34 degrees in 2005 (87/53), 32 degrees in 1984 (80/48) and 31 degrees in 2004 (82/51). There was a small spread of seven degrees three years ago in 2009 (67/60).

On the cool side, in 1995 (O'Hare's coolest September 21st) the high was the record coolest high of 50 with a low of 41. In 1983 (O'Hare's second coolest September 21st) the high was 53 (O'Hare's second coolest high of the date) with the co-record low of 39. The other co-record low of 39 degrees occurred in 1991. Those lows of 39 degrees are actually the second coldest lows of the date. The other post-1978 cool highs were 61 degrees in both 1982 and 1999. The other post-1978 cold low of 40 degrees occurred in 2006. 17 of the last 33 lows (52%) were in the 50s. Nine lows (27%) were in the 40s. Two lows (6%) were in the cold 30s. Five lows (15%) were in the warm 60s. O'Hare's coldest low of 33 degrees (colder than the record low) occurred in 1962, at a time when O'Hare was not the official station of record. O'Hare's third coolest high of the date of 58 degrees occurred in 1975.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:12 and sunrise is at 6:40. Sunset is at 18:51 and twilight ends at 19:19. There's a total of 12 hours, 11 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 7 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:13 and sunrise is at 6:41. The moon is waxing crescent and reaches first quarter tomorrow morning at 9:49. Illumination was 32% at midnight, will be 38% at noon and 44% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 13:09 this afternoon. Moonset is at 22:45 tonight. Moonrise is at 14:06 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 36 minutes which is eight minutes shorter than yesterday.

Summer began on June 4th and runs for 110 days through today, September 21st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 70s and 80s. Highs in the 60s, 90s and 100s occur infrequently. The Autumnal Equinox is tomorrow at 9:49. Columbus Day is in 17 days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

September 20: ORD

Today is September 20th. It's the 264th day of the year. 102 days remain. It's week 38 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 73 and the normal low is 52. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 73 and 52.


On the hot side, in 1980 (O'Hare's warmest September 20th) the high was 90 (O'Hare's hottest high of the date) with a low of 67 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). In 1998 (tied for fourth warmest 9/20 with 1967 and 1978) the high was 86 with a low of 65. The record high of 91 degrees and record warmest low of 73 degrees were set on the same hot day back in 1931 at the University of Chicago. That record high of 91 degrees was first set adjacent to Lake Michigan way back in 1895.
26 of the past 33 highs (79%) were in the: 60s (12) and 70s (14). O'Hare recorded eight consecutive 60s & 70s highs from 1986 through 1993 and another six consecutive from 1999 through 2004. Six highs (18%) were in the warm: 80s (5) and 90s (1). One high (3%) was in the cool 50s. It's interesting that just two years separated the only 90s high (90 in 1980) from the only 50s high (55 in 1982). O'Hare's second warmest 9/20 occurred in 1965 as the high was 84 with a low of 69 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). The third warmest 9/20 was in 1959 as the high was 88 (O'Hare's third hottest high of the date) with a low of 64. Tied for fourth warmest 9/20 with 1998 is 1967 (high of 85 and low of 66) and 1978 (high of 89 (O'Hare's second hottest high of the date) and low of 62). O'Hare also had hot highs of 85 degrees in 1970 and 1994.     

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1978 the high was a hot 89 with a low of 62, a hot day. In 1975 the high was a cool 60 degrees. In 1974 the high was a cool 61 with a low of 55, a six degree spread. In 1970 the high was a hot 85 degrees. In 1967 the high was 85 with a low of 66, a hot day. In 1965 the high was 84 with a warm low of 69, a hot day. In 1962 the high was 60 with a low of 35, a cool day. That low of 35 was colder than the record low of 36. In 1960 the high was 65 with a low of 58, a seven degree spread.
In 1959 the high was 88 with a low of 64, a hot day.

More recently, there were
large spreads of 34 degrees in 1983 (78/44), 31 degrees in 1979 (79/48) and 30 degrees in 2003 (71/41). There were no small spreads of up to seven degrees.

On the cool side, in 1991 (O'Hare's second coolest September 20th) the high was 60 with the record low of 36 (O'Hare's second coldest low of the date). In 1982 (O'Hare's third coolest September 20th) the high was 55 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with a low of 43. In 2006 the high was 62 with a low of 42. The record coolest high of 52 occurred way back in 1901, a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 27 of the last 33 lows (82%) were in the: 40s (10) and 50s (17). For ten consecutive years from 1981 through 1990, lows were in the 40s & 50s and another six consecutive years from 1992 through 1997. One low (3%) was in the cold 30s. Five lows (15%) were in the warm 60s. O'Hare's coolest September 20th was in 1962 as the high was 60 with a low of 35 (O'Hare's coldest low of the date). That low of 35 is colder than the record low. O'Hare was not the official station of record for Chicago at the time. O'Hare's second coolest highs were 60 degrees. These occurred in 1962, 1975, 1991 and 1995. O'Hare's third coolest high of 61 degrees occurred in 1974.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:11 and sunrise is at 6:39. Sunset is at 18:53 and twilight ends at 19:21. There's a total of 12 hours, 14 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 10 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:12 and sunrise is at 6:40. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 22% at midnight, will be 27% at noon and 32% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 12:04 this afternoon. Moonset is at 21:48 tonight. Moonrise is at 13:09 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 44 minutes which is 20 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Summer began on June 4th and runs for 110 days through tomorrow, September 21st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 70s and 80s. Highs in the 60s, 90s and 100s occur infrequently. The Autumnal Equinox is in two days on Saturday the 22nd at 9:49. Columbus Day is in 18 days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th. 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

September 19: ORD

Today is September 19th. It's the 263rd day of the year. 103 days remain. It's week 38 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 74 and the normal low is 53. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 75 and 55.


On the warm side, in 1985 (tied as O'Hare's third warmest September 19th with 1963) the high was 87 with a low of 66. In 2002 the high was 80 with a low of 72 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). Two years earlier, in 2000, the high was 87 with a low of 62. Five years later, in 2005, the high was 84 with a low of 65. Two years later, in 2007, the high was 84 with a low of 65. O'Hare's hottest highs of the date are 87 degrees in 1974, 1984, 1985 and 2000. The record high of 93 degrees was set in 1955 at Midway. The record warmest low of 74 degrees occurred way back in 1908, a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 31 of the past 33 highs (94%) were in the: 60s (8), 70s (10) and 80s (13). Two highs were in the cool 50s. High temps tend to be unpredictable on September 19th. The past two years (2010 and '11) had highs of 67 and 69 degrees. But the two years prior (2008 and '09) had highs of 77 and 76 degrees. Then 2005 & 2007 had highs of 84 degrees  but between was a high of only 55 degrees in 2006! Before that, we had highs of 80, 67 and 79 degrees in 2002, '03 and '04. So as you can see, highs jump around a lot. O'Hare's warmest September 19th was in 1978 as the high was 90 (tied with 1963 as O'Hare's hottest high of the date) with a low of 67. O'Hare's second warmest 9/19 was in 1965 as the high was 86 with a low of 68 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). Tied with 1985 as O'Hare's third warmest 9/19 is 1963 with a high of 90 (tied with 1978 as O'Hare's hottest high of the date) with a low of 63. O'Hare also had a hot high of 87 degrees in 1974 and a warm low of 65 degrees in 1967.    


In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1978 the high was 90 with a low of 67, a hot day. In 1976 the high was 82 with a low of 47, a 35 degree spread. In 1974 the high was a hot 87 degrees. In 1968 the high was a cool 62 with a low of 59, a three degree spread. In 1967 the low was a warm 65 degrees. In 1965 the high was 86 with a low of 68, a hot day. In 1963 the high was a hot 90 with a low of 63, a hot day. In 1962 the low was a cold 39 degrees, colder than the record low of 40.


More recently, there were large spreads of 34 degrees in 1984 (87/53), 33 degrees in 1999 (80/47) and 30 degrees in 1994 (85/55). There were no small spreads of up to seven degrees.

On the cool side, in 1991 (O'Hare's coolest September 19th) the high was 56 (O'Hare's second coolest high of the date) with the record low of 40 (O'Hare's second coldest low of the date). In 2006 (O'Hare's second coolest September 19th) the high was 55 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with a low of 47. The other cool highs of 62 degrees occurred in 1968 and again in 1990. O'Hare's third coldest low of 42 degrees occurred in 1992. The record coolest high of 52 degrees was set in 1938 at the University of Chicago. 17 of the last 33 lows (52%) were in the 50s. Eight lows (24%) were in the cold 40s. Eight lows (24%) were in the warm: 60s (7) and 70s (1). O'Hare's coldest low of the date of 39 degrees occurred in 1962. Although this low is colder than the record low, O'Hare was not the station of record for Chicago at the time.

There were back-to-back-to-back years in which temperatures were just as opposite as can be. In 2005 the high was 84 with a low of 65, overall 11.5 degrees ABOVE normal. Then in 2006 the high was 55 with a low of 47, overall 12 degrees BELOW normal. Then in 2007 the high was 84 with a low of 65, overall 11.5 degrees ABOVE normal.

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 18:55 and twilight ends at 19:23. There's a total of 12 hours, 17 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 13 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:11 and sunrise is at 6:39. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 13% at midnight, will be 17% at noon and 22% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 10:54 this morning. Moonset is at 20:58 tonight. Moonrise is at 12:04 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 4 minutes which is 29 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Summer began on June 4th and runs for 110 days through September 21st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 70s and 80s. Highs in the 60s, 90s and 100s occur infrequently. The Autumnal Equinox is in three days on Saturday the 22nd at 9:49. Columbus Day is in 19 days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Septembeer 18: ORD

Today is September 18th. It's the 262nd day of the year. 104 days remain. It's week 38 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.Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 74 and the normal low is 53. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 75 and 53.


On the warm side, in 1985 (O'Hare's warmest September 18th) the high was 87 with a low of 67. Three years later, in 1988 (tied with 1965 as O'Hare's second warmest September 18th), the high was 86 with a low of 67. In 2007 (O'Hare's third warmest September 18th) the high was 88 with a low of 63. In 1983 (O'Hare's fifth warmest September 18th) the high was 84 with a low of 65. The other post-1978 warm high was 86 degrees in 2000. The record high of 94 degrees was set in 1955. The record warmest low of 71 degrees occurred in 1965. Both records were set at Midway.
Over the past 33 years, the tally of highs has been equal. 11 highs (33%) were in the cool 60s. 11 highs (33%) were in the 70s. 11 highs (33%) were in the warm 80s. In fact, O'Hare has never had a high in the 50s or 90s on September 18th. As mentioned above,  1965 (high of 85 and second warmest low of the date of 68) is tied with 1988 as O'Hare's second warmest September 18th. There's a tie for O'Hare's fourth warmest 9/18: in 1963 (high of 89, low of 61) and in 1978 (high of 84, low of 66). O'Hare's sixth warmest 9/18 was in 1977 as the high was 79 with the warmest low of the date of 69. 

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1978 the low was a warm 66 degrees. In 1977 the low was a warm 69 degrees. In 1976 the high was 78 with a low of 48, a 30 degree spread. In 1965 the high was 85 with a warm low of 68, a hot day and year of the record warmest low of 71 (at Midway). In 1963 the high was a hot 89 degrees.
In 1962 the high was 75 with a low of 45, a 30 degree spread. In 1959 the low was a cold 40 degrees, which is equal to the record low.

More recently, there were
large spreads of 35 degrees in 2000 (86/51), 31 degrees in 1984 (74/43), 30 degrees in 1980 (75/45) and 30 degrees in 1997 (83/53). There were small spreads of four degrees in 1986 (65/61) and seven degrees last year, in 2010 (65/58).

On the cool side, in 1981 (O'Hare's coolest September 18th)  the high was 60 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with a low of 42. A decade later, in 1991, the high was 69 with a low of 42. The year prior, in 1990, the high was 63 with a low of 49. The record low of 40 degrees was set way back in 1889 and tied in 1901 and again in 1903. The record coolest high of 54 degrees was set way back in 1901. All of these records were set when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. The last 40s low of 48 degrees occurred 13 years ago in 1999. 18 of the last 33 lows (55%) were in the 50s. Nine lows (27%) were in the cold 40s. Six lows (18%) were in the warm 60s. O'Hare's coldest low of 40 degrees (a low equal to the record low) occurred in 1959. It is not the record low because Midway was the official station of record in 1959.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:09 and sunrise is at 6:37. Sunset is at 18:57 and twilight ends at 19:25. There's a total of 12 hours, 20 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 16 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:10 and sunrise is at 6:38. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 6% at midnight, will be 9% at noon and 13% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 9:42 this morning. Moonset is at 20:15 tonight. Moonrise is at 10:54 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 33 minutes which is 34 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Summer began on June 4th and runs for 110 days through September 21st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 70s and 80s. Highs in the 60s, 90s and 100s occur infrequently. Columbus Day is in 20 days.

Monday, September 17, 2012

September 17: ORD

Today is September 17th. It's the 261st day of the year. 105 days remain. It's week 38 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 75 and the normal low is 54. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 73 and 52.


On the hot side, in 1988 (O'Hare's warmest September 17th) the high was 90 (O'Hare's hottest high of the date) with a low of 67 (with 1968, O'Hare's warmest low of the date). In 1992 the high was 77 with a low of 66 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). The record high of 93 degrees was set in 1955 at Midway. The record warmest low of 71 degrees occurred back in 1906, at a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 25 of the past
33 highs (76%) were in the: 60s (10) and 70s (15). O'Hare recorded consecutive 60s & 70s highs as follows: six from 1982 through 1987 and eight from 1989 through 1996. Seven highs (21%) were in the warm: 80s (6) and 90s (1). One high (3%) was in the cool 50s. The extremes of our highs (50s & 90s) happened back in the 1980s. O'Hare's second through fifth warmest 9/17 days occurred prior to 1979: the 2nd is 1965 (second hottest high of 88 with a low of 61), the 3rd is 1963 (third hottest high of 87 with a low of 61), the 4th is 1972 (high of 83, low of 64) and the 5th is 1967 (high of 82, low of 64).  

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1974 the high was 83 with a low of 50, a 33 degree spread. In 1973 the high was a cool 60 degrees. In 1968 the high was 73 with a warm low of 67, a six degree spread. In 1965 the high was a hot 88 degrees. In 1964 the high was 84 with a low of 49, a 35 degree spread. In 1963 the high was a hot 87 degrees.
In 1961 the high was 75 with a low of 44, a 31 degree spread. In 1959 the high was a cool 61 with a low of 44, a cool day.

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

On the cool side, in 1981 (O'Hare's coolest September 17th) the high was the record coolest high of 51 degrees with a low of 46, a five degree spread. Three years later, in 1984, the high was 69 with the record low of 37. Four years earlier, in 1980, the high was 62 with a low of 45. The other post-1978 cool high is 63 degrees in 1990. 22 of the last 33 lows (67%) were in the 50s. O'Hare recorded ten consecutive 50s lows from 2000 through 2009. Eight lows (24%) were in the cold: 30s (1) and 40s (7). Three lows (9%) were in the warm 60s. O'Hare's second coolest September 17th was in 1959 as the high was 61 with a low of 44.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:08 and sunrise is at 6:36. Sunset is at 18:59 and twilight ends at 19:27. There's a total of 12 hours, 23 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 19 minutes between twilights. We lost two minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:09 and sunrise is at 6:37. The moon is waxing crescent, having passed new two nights ago at 21:11. Illumination was 2% at midnight, will be 4% at noon and 6% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 8:29 this morning. Moonset is at 19:36 tonight. Moonrise is at 9:42 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 7 minutes which is 39 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Summer began on June 4th and runs for 110 days through September 21st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 70s and 80s. Highs in the 60s, 90s and 100s occur infrequently. Citizenship Day is today. Columbus Day is in 21 days.

September 16: ORD

Today is September 16th. It's the 260th day of the year. 106 days remain. It's week 38 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. Before this, the official site of record was on the south side of Chicago at Midway International Airport (MDW), beginning on Wednesday, July 1, 1942. From Friday, January 1, 1926 through Tuesday, June 30, 1942, the official site was at the University of Chicago. Before this, the official site was at various locations in Chicago going back to Monday, October 16, 1871. Observations taken from October 15, 1870 to October 8, 1871 were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 75 and the normal low is 54. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 72 and 53.


On the warm side, in 1992 (O'Hare's warmest September 16th) the high was 84 with a low of 70 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date). Five years later, in 1997, the high was 85 with a low of 65. Three years before, in 1994, the high was 86 (along with 1962, O'Hare's hottest high of the date) with a low of 63.  The other warm lows were 66 in both 1987 and 1998. The record high of 92 degrees was originally set in 1931 and tied at Midway in 1955. The record warmest low of 72 occurred back in 1907, a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 25 of the
past 33 highs (76%) were in the: 60s (9) and 70s (16). O'Hare recorded consecutive highs in the 60s & 70s as follows: ten from 1982 through 1991 and seven from 2004 through 2010. Five highs were in the warm 80s. Three highs were in the cool 50s.  

In looking back through the years to the first September at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1973 the high was a cool 59 with a low of 52, a seven degree spread. Also in 1973, there was a mere 0.04 inches of rain but a big 1.32 inches on the following day, on the 17th. There were also ten straight days of highs in the 70s (the 6th to the 15th). The month began with three 90s highs. In 1970 the high was a cool 63 degrees. In 1969 the high was 73 with a warm low of 66 degrees, a seven degree spread. In 1966 the high was 73 with a cold low of 40, a 33 degree spread. In 1965 the high was a cool 61 degrees. In 1963 the high was 85 with a low of 55, a 30 degree spread.
In 1962 the high was 86 with a low of 48, a 38 degree spread. In 1959 the high was a cool 56 with a low of 47, a cool day and year of the record coolest high of 56.

More recently, there w
ere large spreads of 34 degrees in 1985 (76/42), 32 degrees in 2003 (82/50) and 30 degrees in 1979 (77/47). There was a small spread of seven degrees in 1987 (73/66).

On the cool side, in 1984 (O'Hare's coolest September 16th) the high was 64 with the record low of 37. Last year, in 2011, the high was 58 with a low of 46. In 1981 the high was 59 with a low of 46. The other post-1978 cool highs were 59 degrees in 1993, 61 degrees in 1982 and 63 degrees in 1986 and 1990. The other cold low was 42 degrees in 1985. The record coolest high of 56 degrees occurred in 1959 at Midway. 26 of the last 33 lows (79%) were in the: 40s (13) and 50s (13). O'Hare recorded 13 consecutive lows in the 40s & 50s from 1999 through 2011, last year. One low (3%) was in the cold 30s. Six lows (18%) were in the warm: 60s (5) and 70s (1). O'Hare's second coolest September 16th was in 1959 as the high was 56 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with a low of 47. O'Hare's second coldest low of the date, 40 degrees, occurred in 1966. O'Hare's other pre-1979 cool highs are 59 degrees in 1973,  61 degrees in 1965 and 63 degrees in 1970. 

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:07 and sunrise is at 6:35. Sunset is at 19:00 and twilight ends at 19:28. There's a total of 12 hours, 25 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 21 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:08 and sunrise is at 6:36. The moon is waxing crescent, having passed new last night at 21:11. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 1% at noon and 2% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 7:16 this morning. Moonset is at 19:02 tonight. Moonrise is at 8:29 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 46 minutes which is 39 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Summer began on June 4th and runs for 110 days through September 21st. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 70s and 80s. Highs in the 60s, 90s and 100s occur infrequently. Citizenship Day is tomorrow. Columbus Day is in 22 days.