October 12: ORD

Today is October 12th. It's the 286th day of the year. 80 days remain. It's week 41 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 64 and the normal low is 44. I've calculated the 33-year averages at 65 and 44.

On the warm side, in 2008 (O'Hare's warmest October 12th) the high was the record-tying high of 84 with a low of 57. The other record highs of 84 occurred in 1956 and 1960. In 1997 (O'Hare's second warmest October 12th) the high was 82 with a low of 58 (O'Hare's second warmest low of the date). Two years earlier, in 1995, the high was 83 (O'Hare's second hottest high of the date) with a low of 55. Last year, in 2011, the high was 78 with a low of 55. The record warmest low of 67 degrees occurred back in 1928 at the University of Chicago. 27 of the past 33 highs (82%) were in the: 50s (6), 60s (11) and 70s (10). Three highs were in the warm 80s. Three highs were in the cold: 30s (1) and 40s (2). In 2006 the lone 30s high of 39 degrees occurred. 2006 was also the year of the earliest measurable snowfall. An inch fell here in Crystal Lake and in neighboring Algonquin. An inch and a half fell at Arlington Heights. Both O'Hare and Midway airports received three tenths of an inch. The suburb of DeKalb had half an inch. October 12, 2006 beat October 18 in 1972 and 1989, the previous earliest dates for snow. O'Hare's other warm highs of the date are 78 degrees in 1961 and 76 degrees in: 1962, 1975, 1985 and 2010. O'Hare's other warm days were in: 1960 with a high of 82 and low of 53, 1973 with a high of 74 and low of 61 (O'Hare's warmest low of the date) and 1976 with a high of 79 and low of 57.

In looking back through the years to the first October at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 79 with a low of 57, a warm day. In 1975 the high was a warm 76 with a low of 41, a 35 degree spread. In 1973 the high was 74 with a warm low of 61, a warm day. In 1971 the high was 70 with a low of 39, a 31 degree spread. In 1969 the high was 61 with a low of 54, a seven degree spread. In 1968 the high was 75 with a low of 44, a 31 degree spread. In 1967 the high was 63 with a cold low of 28, a 35 degree spread. In 1966 the high was 65 with a cold low of 31, a 34 degree spread. In 1962 the high was a warm 76 degrees. In 1961 the high was a warm 78 with a low of 45, a 33 degree spread. In 1960 the high was a warm 82 with a low of 53, a warm day. 1960 was also the year of the co-record high of 84 at Midway. In 1959 the low was a cold 32 degrees.

More recently, there were large spreads of 32 degrees in 1990 (64/32), 32 degrees in 1994 (67/35), 31 degrees in 1987 (59/28) and 30 degrees in 2000 (73/43). There was a small spread of seven degrees two years ago, in 2009 (48/41).

On the cool side, in 2006 (O'Hare's coolest October 12th) the high was 39 (O'Hare's coolest high of the date) with a low of 30 (O'Hare's second coldest low of the date). In 1988 (O'Hare's second coolest October 12th) the high was 48 (O'Hare's co-second coolest high of the date with 2009) with the co-record low of 28. In 1980 the high was 53 with a low of 31.  The other cold lows were the co-record low of 28 degrees in: 1967 and 1987, 31 degrees in 1966 and 32 degrees in: 1959 and 1990. The record coolest high of 38 degrees occurred back in 1917, a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. O'Hare's other cool highs are 48 degrees in 2009 (O'Hare's other co-second coolest high of the date with 1988) and 51 degrees in 1979 (O'Hare's third coolest high of the date). 31 of the last 33 lows (94%) were in the: 30s (8), 40s (13) and 50s (10). Two lows were in the cold 20s. The 20s lows were 28 degrees and they occurred in the back-to-back years of 1987 and 1988.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:35 and sunrise is at 7:03. Sunset is at 18:15 and twilight ends at 18:44. There's a total of 11 hours, 12 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 9 minutes between twilights. We lost three minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:36 and sunrise is at 7:04. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 14% at midnight, will be 10% at noon and 7% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 3:44 this morning. Moonset is at 16:27 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 4:53 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 43 minutes which is 37 minutes shorter 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. United Nations Day is in 12 days. Standard Time doesn't return until November 4th. 

October 12: ORD

Today is October 12th. It's the 285th day of the year. 80 days remain. It's week 41 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 64 and the normal low is 44. I've calculated the 32-year averages at 65 and 44.

On the warm side, three years ago, in 2008, the high was the record-tying high of 84 with a low of 57. The other record highs of 84 occurred in 1956 and 1960. In 1997 the high was 82 with a low of 58. Two years earlier, in 1995, the high was 83 with a low of 55. The other warm highs of 76 occurred in 1985 and last year, in 2010. The record warmest low of 67 occurred back in 1928, a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 20 of the past 32 highs (63%) were in the: 60s (11) and 70s (9). Three highs (9%) were in the warm 80s. 3 of O'Hare's 4 highs (75%) in the 80s on October 12th occurred in the past 32 years. Nine highs (28%) were in the cool or cold: 30s (1), 40s (2) and 50s (6). Five of the 70s highs occurred within a seven year span from 1996 to 2002. In 2006, the lone 30s high of 39 occurred. 2006 was also the year of the earliest measurable snowfall. An inch fell here in Crystal Lake and in neighboring Algonquin. An inch and a half fell at Arlington Heights. Both O'Hare and Midway airports received three tenths of an inch. The suburb of DeKalb had half an inch. October 12, 2006 beat October 18 in 1972 and 1989, the previous earliest dates for snow.

In looking back through the years to the first October at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 79 with a low of 57, a warm day. In 1975 the high was a warm 76 with a low of 41, a 35 degree spread. In 1973 the high was 74 with a warm low of 61, a warm day. In 1971 the high was 70 with a low of 39, a 31 degree spread. In 1969 the high was 61 with a low of 54, a seven degree spread. In 1968 the high was 75 with a low of 44, a 31 degree spread. In 1967 the high was 63 with a cold low of 28, a 35 degree spread. In 1966 the high was 65 with a cold low of 31, a 34 degree spread. In 1962 the high was a warm 76 degrees. In 1961 the high was a warm 78 with a low of 45, a 33 degree spread. In 1960 the high was a warm 82 with a low of 53, a warm day. 1960 was also the year of the co-record high of 84 at Midway. In 1959 the low was a cold 32 degrees.

More recently, there were large spreads of 32 degrees in 1990 (64/32), 32 degrees in 1994 (67/35), 31 degrees in 1987 (59/28) and 30 degrees in 2000 (73/43). There was a small spread of seven degrees two years ago, in 2009 (48/41).

On the cool side, in 2006 the high was 39 (our only 30s high) with a low of 30. In 1988 the high was 48 with the co-record low of 28. In 1980 the high was 53 with a low of 31. The other cool highs were 48 in 2009 and 51 in 1979. The other cold lows were the co-record low of 28 in 1987 and 32 in 1990. The record coolest high of 38 occurred back in 1917, a time when the official readings were taken adjacent to Lake Michigan. 13 of the last 32 lows (41%) were in the 40s. Ten lows (31%) were in the cold: 20s (2) and 30s (8). Note that the 20s lows were 28 degrees and that they occurred in the back-to-back years of 1987 and 1988. Nine lows (28%) were in the warm 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:34 and sunrise is at 7:02. Sunset is at 18:17 and twilight ends at 18:45. There's a total of 11 hours, 15 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 11 minutes between twilights. We lost two minutes of daylight from yesterday. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:35 and sunrise is at 7:03. The moon is waning gibbous, having reached the full Hunter's moon last night at 21:06. This moon is also referred to as the Travel or Dying Grass moon. Illumination was 100% at midnight, will be 99% at noon and 99% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 7:39 this morning. Moonrise is at 18:17 tonight. Moonset is at 8:38 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 22 minutes which is 31 minutes longer than yesterday.

Warm Fall began September 22 and runs for 41 days through November 1. High temperatures in this period are usually in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Highs in the 30s and 40s occur infrequently. United Nations Day is in 12 days.

October 12: ORD

Today is October 12th. It's the 285th day of the year. 80 days remain. It's week 41 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 64 and the normal low is 43. I've calculated the 31-year averages at 64 and 43.

On the warm side, two years ago the high was the co-record high of 84 with a low of 57. The other co-record high of 84 was set in 1960. In 1997 the high was 82 with a low of 58. Two years earlier, in 1995, the high was 83 with a low of 55. Another warm high was 76 in 1985. Another warm low was 55 in 2005. The record warmest low of 67 occurred back in 1928. Over the last 31 years, 25 highs (81%) have been: 50s (6), 60s (11) and 70s (8). Three highs were in the warmer 80s. Three highs were in the cooler: 30s (1) and 40s (2). The most recent 40s high was last year's 48. Five of the 70s highs occurred within a seven year span from 1996 to 2002. The year prior to this span (1995) and the year following it's start (1997) were host to highs in the 80s. The lone 30s high of 39 happened in 2006. This was the year that the earliest measurable snow occurred. An inch fell here in Crystal Lake and in neighboring Algonquin. An inch and a half fell at Arlington Heights. Both O'Hare and Midway airports received three tenths of an inch. The suburb of DeKalb had half an inch. October 12, 2006 beat October 18 in 1972 and 1989, the previous earliest dates for snow.

In looking back through the years to the first October at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 79 with a low of 57, a warm day. In 1975 the high was a warm 76 with a low of 41, a 35 degree spread. In 1973 the high was 74 with a warm low of 61, a warm day. In 1971 the high was 70 with a low of 39, a 31 degree spread. In 1969 the high was 61 with a low of 54, a seven degree spread. In 1968 the high was 75 with a low of 44, a 31 degree spread. In 1967 the high was 63 with a cold low of 28, a 35 degree spread. In 1966 the high was 65 with a cold low of 31, a 34 degree spread. In 1962 the high was a warm 76 degrees. In 1961 the high was a warm 78 with a low of 45, a 33 degree spread. In 1960 the high was a warm 82 with a low of 53, a warm day. 1960 was also the year of the co-record high of 84 at Midway.

More recently, there were large spreads of 32 degrees in 1990 (64/32), 32 degrees in 1994 (67/35), 31 degrees in 1987 (59/28) and 30 degrees in 2000 (73/43). There was a small spread of seven degrees last year (48/41).

On the cool side, in 2006 the high was 39 with a low of 30. In 1988 the high was 48 with the co-record low of 28. In 1980 the high was 53 with a low of 31. Other cool highs were 48 last year and 51 in 1979. Another cool low was the co-record low of 28 in 1987. The record coolest high of 38 occurred back in 1917. 29 of the last 31 lows (94%) were: 30s (8), 40s (13) and 50s (8). Two lows were in the cooler 20s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:34 and sunrise is at 7:03. Sunset is at 18:16 and twilight ends at 18:44. There's a total of 11 hours, 13 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 10 minutes between twilights. We are losing two or three minutes of daylight a day. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:36 and sunrise is at 7:04. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 24% at midnight, will be 29% at noon and 34% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 12:41 this afternoon. Moonset is at 21:47 tonight. Moonrise is at 13:29 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 6 minutes which is the same as yesterday.

United Nation's Day is in 12 days. -Bernie-

October 12: ORD

Today is October 12th. It's the 285th day of the year. 80 days remain. It's week 41 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 64 and the normal low is 43. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 65 and 43.

On the warm side, last year the high was the co-record high of 84 with a low of 57. The other co-record high of 84 was set in 1960. In 1997 the high was 82 with a low of 58. Two years earlier, in 1995, the high was 83 with a low of 55. Another warm high was 76 in 1985. Another warm low was 55 in 2005. The record warmest low of 67 occurred back in 1928. Over the last 30 years, 25 highs have been: 50s (6), 60s (11) and 70s (8). Three highs were in the warmer 80s. Two highs were in the cooler: 30s (1) and 40s (1).

In looking back through the years to the first October at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 79 with a low of 57, a warm day. In 1975 the high was 76 with a low of 41, a 35 degree spread. In 1973 the high was 74 with a low of 61, a warm day. In 1971 the high was 70 with a low of 39, a 31 degree spread. In 1969 the high was 61 with a low of 54, a seven degree spread. In 1968 the high was 75 with a low of 44, a 31 degree spread. In 1967 the high was 63 with a cold low of 28, a 35 degree spread. In 1966 the high was 65 with a cold low of 31, a 34 degree spread. In 1962 the high was a warm 76 degrees. In 1961 the high was 78 with a low of 45, a 33 degree spread. In 1960 the high was 82 with a low of 53, a warm day.

More recently, there were large spreads of 32 degrees in 1990 (64/32), 32 degrees in 1994 (67/35), 31 degrees in 1987 (59/28) and 30 degrees in 2000 (73/43). There were no small spreads of up to seven degrees.

2006 was the new earliest date for snow, breaking October 18 in 1972 and 1989. O'Hare and Midway had 0.3 inches. DeKalb had half an inch. Crystal Lake and Algonquin recorded an inch. Arlington Heights reported an inch and a half.

On the cool side, in 2006 the high was 39 with a low of 30. In 1988 the high was 48 with the record low of 28. In 1980 the high was 53 with a low of 31. Another cool high was 51 in 1979. Another cool low was 28 in 1987. The record coolest high of 38 occurred back in 1917. 28 of the last 30 lows were: 30s (8), 40s (12) and 50s (8). Two lows were in the cooler 20s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. No data available.

Columbus Day is today. My parents will celebrate their 47th wedding anniversary tomorrow. A brother-in-law, Buddy, celebrates a birthday tomorrow. National Boss Day is in four days. -Bernie-

October 12: ORD

Today is October 12th. It's the 286th day of the year. 80 days remain. It's week 42 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 64 and the normal low is 43. The 29-year averages are 64 and 43.

On the warm side, in 1997 the high was 82 with a low of 58. In 1995 the high was 83 with a low of 55. In 1985 the high was 76 with a low of 53. Other warm highs (all 70s) were 75 in 1999, 73 in 1989 and 73 in 2000. Other warm lows were 55 in 2005 and 54 in 1984. There are no 80s highs from 1979-1994. What year produced one? Well, you have to go back to 1960 when the high was 82 along with a low of 53. The high of 82 was at O'Hare, but the high at Midway was 84 and so that remains the record high. In 1976 it was close at 79 degrees (with a low of 57). In 1961 the high was 78 degrees. 19 of the 29 highs have been in the 60s (11) and 70s (8). Six highs have been in the 50s.

The other large spreads were 32 degrees in both 1990 (64/32) and 1994 (67/35). Another large spread was 30 degrees in 2000 (73/43). One of the small spreads was 8 degrees in 2005 (63/55). Another large and small spread is listed below in the cool section.

On the cool side, two years ago the high was 39 with a low of 30 (a spread of 9 degrees). The interesting thing is that on this day we broke a record for the earliest measurable snow (0.1 inches or more). At O'Hare and Midway, 0.3 inches fell. In DeKalb, half an inch fell. My home town of Crystal Lake and the adjacent town of Algonquin received an inch. Arlington Heights, to our southwest, tallied an inch and a half. The previous earliest date was October 18 in both 1972 and 1989. Getting back to the temperatures, in 1988 the high was 48 with the co-record low of 28. In 1980 the high was 53 with a low of 31. In 1987 the high was 59 with the other co-record low of 28 (a 31 degree spread). Another cool high was 51 in 1979. Another cool low was 32 degrees in 1990. The record coolest high of 38 was set back in 1917. 20 of the 29 lows were in the 30s (8) and 40s (12). The two 20s are mentioned here as the record lows. Of the seven 50s lows, the only two that haven't been mentioned so far is 51 in 2001 and 50 in 1996.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:35 and sunrise is at 7:03. Sunset is at 18:16 and twilight ends at 18:44. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:36 and sunrise is at 7:04. There's a total of 11 hours, 13 minutes of daylight today and 12 hours, 9 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Hunter's moon on Tuesday at 15:02. Illumination was 92% at midnight, will be 94% at noon and 97% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 4:29 this morning. Moonrise is at 17:00 this afternoon and moonset is at 5:40 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 29 minutes today.

The following events are all tomorrow on October 13th: Columbus Day, my parents' 46th wedding anniversary and a brother-in-law, Buddy, will be turning 33. -Bernie-