December 17: ORD

Today is December 17th. It's the 352nd day of the year. 14 days remain. It's week 51 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 34 and the normal low is 20. The 30-year averages are 32 and 19.

On the warm side, two years ago the high was 54 with a low of 41. Five years prior, in 2001, the high was 46 with a low of 33. In 1993 the high was 41 with a low of 36, a five degree spread. Other warm highs were 48 in 1997 and 44 in 1984. Other warm lows were 34 in 1990, 33 in 1986, 32 in 1994 and 30 in 2002. The record high of 60 and record warmest low of 44 occurred on the same day in 1977. 13 of the last 30 highs were 30s. On the warmer side, six highs were 40s and one high was in the 50s. On the colder side, five highs were in the 20s, four highs were 10s and one high was in the single digits.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1972 the high was 23 with a low of -5, a cold day. In 1970 the high was 38 with a low of 36, a two degree spread. In 1963 the high was 15 with a low of -9, a cold day. In 1961 the high was 34 with a low of 31, a spread of three degrees.

More recently, we had small spreads of five degrees in 1990 (39/34), six degrees in 1992 (33/27) and seven degrees in the following years: 1982 (32/25), 1986 (40/33), 2002 (37/30) and 2003 (26/19).

On the cold side, in 1985 the high was 13 with a low of -6. Two years prior, in 1983, the high was 9 with a low of 0. In 2000 the high was 16 with a low of -1. In 1989 the high was 16 with a low of 3. In 1979 the high was 19 with a low of 1. In 2005, three years ago, the high was 20 with a low of 11. In 1988 the high was 21 with a low of 10. The record low of -7 was set in 1951 and record coldest high of 8 was set six years earlier in 1945. 24 of the last 30 lows were 10s (11), 20s (7) and 30s (6). Among the colder lows, three were zeros and two were negative zeros. Just one low was a 40s low and that occurred just two years ago.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:45 and sunrise is at 7:17. Chicago's twilight and sunrise times are four minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:23 and twilight ends at 16:55. Chicago's sunset and end of twilight times are two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 6 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 10 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:45 and sunrise is at 7:17. The moon is waning gibbous, heading towards the last quarter on Friday at 4:29. Illumination was 73% at midnight, will be 68% at noon and 63% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 10:58 and moonrise is at 22:35. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 23 minutes today.

Today is a major snow day in O'Hare's history. In 1973, 1.4 inches fell. This was the fifth of eight days of measurable snowfall, part of 17.6 inches that fell. This comprised 94% of the month's total of 18.8 inches.

Christmas Eve is in a week and Christmas Day is in eight days. New Year's Eve is in two weeks and New Year's Day is in 15 days. -Bernie-

December 16: ORD

Today is December 16th. It's the 351st day of the year. 15 days remain. It's week 51 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 34 and the normal low is 20. The 30-year averages are 35 and 22.

On the warm side, in 1984 the high was the record high of 60 with a low of 37. Two years ago the high was 55 with a low of 32. In 2001 the high was 45 with a low of 39, a six degree spread. In 1997 the high was 45 with a low of 32. Other warm highs were 43 in the back-to-back years of 2003 and 2004. Other warm lows were 32 in 1998; 33 in both 1990 and 1993. Lows were also 34 in 1994 and 35 in 1986. The record warmest low of 43 was set in 1928. 21 of the last 30 highs were 30s (13) and 40s (8). Five highs were 20s and one high each was in the 0s, 10s, 50s and 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1974 the high was 36 with a low of 30, a six degree spread. In 1972 the high was 9 with a low of -2, a cold day. In 1971 the high was 39 with a low of 33, a six degree spread. In 1970 the high was 39 with a low of 36, a three degree spread. In 1966 the high was 34 with a low of 32, a two degree spread. In 1965 the high was 30 with a low of 24, a six degree spread. In 1963 the high was 15 with a low of -6, a cold day. In 1958 the high was 36 with a low of 0, a spread of 36 degrees and a cold day.

More recently, we had small spreads of three degrees in 1980 (33/30), three degrees in 1990 (36/33), three degrees in 2002 (33/30), five degrees in 1986 (40/35), five degrees in 1994 (39/34), six degrees in 1996 (32/26), six degrees in 2005 (24/18) and seven degrees in 1993 (40/33).

On the cold side, in 1989 the high was 9 with a low of -5. A year before, in 1988, the high was 17 with a low of 4. In 1985 the high was 23 with a low of 3. In 1983 the high was 23 with a low of 3. In 1981 the high was 22 with a low of 9. In these days you can see examples of the coldness of the decade of the 1980s. Other cold lows were 5 in 1979 and 6 in 1991. The record low of -12 and record coldest high of 2 occurred in 1951. 19 of the last 30 lows were 20s (7) and 30s (12). Among the colder lows, four were 10s, six were 0s and one was in the negative zeros.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:44 and sunrise is at 7:16. Chicago's twilight and sunrise times are three minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:22 and twilight ends at 16:54. Chicago's sunset and end of twilight times are a minute earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 6 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 10 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:45 and sunrise is at 7:17. The moon is waning gibbous, heading towards the last quarter on Friday at 4:29. Illumination was 82% at midnight, will be 78% at noon and 73% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 10:32 and moonrise is at 21:23. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 9 minutes today.

Today is a major snow day in O'Hare's history. In 1973, 4.5 inches fell. This was the fourth day of part of 17.6 inches that fell through the 20th which was 94% of the month's total of 18.8 inches.

Christmas Eve is in eight days and Christmas Day is in nine days. New Year's Eve is in 15 days and New Year's Day is in 16 days. -Bernie-

December 15: ORD

Today is December 15th. It's the 350th day of the year. 16 days remain. It's week 50 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 34 and the normal low is 20. The 30-year averages are 38 and 23.

On the warm side, in 1998 the high was 51 with a low of 37. In 1992 the high was 56 with a low of 31. In 1993 the high was 46 with a low of 38. In 1984 the high was 50 with a low of 33. In 1990 the high was 45 with a low of 34. Other warm highs were 47 in 1986 and 46 in the back-to-back years of 1996 and 1997. Other warm lows were 33 in both 1982 and 1999. The record high of 64 was set in 1971 and the record warmest low of 44 was set in 1928. 22 of the last 30 highs were 30s (12) and 40s (10). Three highs were warmer 50s. Four highs were 20s and one high was in the 10s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1977 the high was 39 with a low of 32, a seven degree spread. In 1974 the high was 43 with a low of 36, a seven degree spread. In 1973 the high was 28 with a low of 26, a two degree spread. In 1971 the high was 62 with a low of 39, a bonus 60 degree day. This was also the year of the record high of 64 degrees at Midway. In 1964 the high was 30 with a low of 1, a cold day. In 1963 the high was 11 with a low of -6, a cold day. In 1958 the high was 14 with a low of -9, yet another cold day.

More recently, we had small spreads of five degrees in 1982 (38/33) and 1999 (38/33). There was a spread of six degrees last year (31/25).

On the cold side, in 1989 the high was 16 with a low of -8. In 2000 the high was 31 with a low of 3. In 1988 the high was 27 with a low of 7. In 1981 the high was 22 with a low of 12. Another cold low was 7 in 1991. The record low of -12 and record coldest high of -2 occurred in 1901. 21 of the last 30 lows were 20s (11) and 30s (10). Five lows were 10s, three were 0s and one was a negative 0.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:44 and sunrise is at 7:15. Chicago's twilight begins at 6:40 and sunrise is at 7:12. Crystal Lake's sunset is at 16:22 and twilight ends at 16:54. Chicago's sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:52. There's a total of 9 hours, 7 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 10 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:44 and sunrise is at 7:16. The full Cold moon was Friday at 10:37. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 90% at midnight, will be 87% at noon and 82% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 10:01 and moonrise is at 20:07. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 54 minutes today.

Today is a major snow day in O'Hare's history. In 1987, 8.0 inches fell. This was day two of a two day, 9.1 inch storm. In 1973, 3.2 inches fell. This was the third day of part of 17.6 inches that fell through the 20th which was 94% of the month's total of 18.8 inches.

Bill of Rights day is today. Christmas Eve is in nine days and Christmas Day is in ten days. -Bernie-

December 14: ORD

Today is December 14th. It's the 349th day of the year. 17 days remain. It's week 50 of the year.

Unless noted, the following data is based upon observations collected by the National Weather Service, Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) between November 1978 and last year. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 35 and the normal low is 21. The 30-year averages are 37 and 23.

On the warm side, two years ago the high was 50 with a low of 35. In 1993 the high was 44 with a low of 38, a six degree spread. In 1984 the high was 45 with a low of 32. In 1995 the high was 45 with a low of 31. In 1999 the high was 40 with a low of 36, a four degree spread. Other warm highs were 47 in both 1998 and 1988. The last time it hit 50 degrees or higher was in 1975 when it was 64 at O'Hare, 66 at Midway, 58 at Marengo and 58 at Rockford. The record high of 66 and record warmest low of 47 occurred in 1975. 15 of the last 30 highs were 30s, nine highs were 40s, three were 20s, two were 10s and one was in the 50s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1977 the high was 36 with a low of 33, a three degree spread. In 1975 the high was 64 with a low of 44, a bonus 60s day. The record high was 66 at Midway this day. In 1974 the high was 35 with a low of 31, a four degree spread. In 1965 the high was 35 with a low of 31, a four degree spread. In 1963 the high was 11 with a low of -6, a cold day. In 1962 the high was 26 with a low of 2, a cold day. In 1959 the high was 40 with a low of 33, a seven degree spread. In 1958 the high was 12 with a low of -3, yet another cold day.

More recently, we had small spreads of six degrees in 1992 (32/26) and 2003 (31/25). Spreads of seven degrees occurred in 2001 (38/31), 2002 (38/31) and 2005 (35/28).

On the cold side, in 1985 the high was 16 with the near record low of -8. The record low of -9 occurred in 1901. In 1989 the high was 18 with a low of -3. In 2000 the high was 26 with a low of 7. The record coldest high of 5 was set in 1903. 15 of the last 30 lows were 20s, seven were 30s, five were 10s, two were negative zeros and one was a zeros low.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:43 and sunrise is at 7:15. Sunset is at 16:22 and twilight ends at 16:54. There's a total of 9 hours, 7 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 11 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:44 and sunrise is at 7:15. The full Cold moon was Friday at 10:37. Illumination was 96% at midnight, will be 94% at noon and 90% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 9:21 and moonrise is at 18:47. Moonset is at 10:01 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 34 minutes today.

Today is a major snow day in O'Hare's history. In 1987, 1.1 inches fell. This was the first day of a two day, 9.1 inch storm. In 1973, 0.3 inches fell. This was the second day of part of 17.6 inches that fell through the 20th which was 94% of the month's total of 18.8 inches. Midway Airport in 1951 recorded a snowfall of 10 inches on today's date.

A sister of mine, Regina, is celebrating a birthday today and Bill of Rights day is tomorrow. Christmas Eve is in ten days and Christmas Day is in 11 days. -Bernie-

December 13: ORD

Today is December 13th. It's the 348th day of the year. 18 days remain. It's week 50 of the year.

Unless noted, the following data is based upon observations collected by the National Weather Service, Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) between November 1978 and last year. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 35 and the normal low is 21. The 30-year averages are 35 and 22.

On the warm side, in 1993 the high was 46 with a low of 35. Two years ago the high was 45 with a low of 33. In 2001 the high was 46 with a low of 31. Other warm highs were 49 in 1998 and 44 in 1991. The last time it hit 50 degrees or higher was in 1975 when it was 64 at O'Hare, 67 at Midway, 60 at Marengo and 57 at Rockford. Another warm low was 33 in 2002. The record high of 67 occurred in 1975 and the record warmest low of 46 was set in 1920. 16 of the last 30 highs were 30s, eight highs were 40s, five were 20s and one was in the 10s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1977 the high was 39 with a low of 36, a three degree spread. In 1975 the high was 64 with a low of 38, a bonus 60s day. The record high was 67 at Midway this day. In 1970 the high was 32 with a low of 25, a seven degree spread. In 1968 the high was 49 with a low of 18, a 31 degree spread. In 1966 the high was 29 with a low of 23, a six degree spread. In 1963 the high was 12 with a low of -2, a cold day. In 1962 the high was 20 with a low of 2, another cold day. In 1961 the high was 16 with a low of 1, yet another cold day. In 1958 the high was 12 with a low of -8, one last cold day!

More recently, we had small spreads of four degrees in 1983 (35/31), five degrees in 1984 (37/32), five degrees three years ago (28/23), six degrees in 2002 (39/33), six degrees last year (34/28) and seven degrees in 1981 (36/29).

On the cold side, in 1985 the high was 12 with a low of -3. In 2000 the high was 24 with a low of -8. In 1989 the high was 20 with a low of 6. In 1986 the high was 25 with a low of 1. The record low of -13 and record coldest high of 3 were both set in 1903. 15 of the last 30 lows were 20s, seven were 30s, four were 10s, two were zeros and two were negative zeros.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:42 and sunrise is at 7:14. Sunset is at 16:22 and twilight ends at 16:53. There's a total of 9 hours, 8 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 11 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:43 and sunrise is at 7:15. The full Cold moon was yesterday at 10:37. Illumination was 99% at midnight, will be 98% at noon and 96% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 8:30 and moonrise is at 17:27. Moonset is at 9:21 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 3 minutes today.

Today is a major snow day in O'Hare's history. In 1973, 4.0 inches fell. This was the first day of part of 17.6 inches that fell through the 20th which was 94% of the month's total of 18.8 inches.

A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday tomorrow and Bill of Rights day is in two days. Christmas Eve is in 11 days and Christmas Day is in 12 days. -Bernie-

December 12: ORD

Today is December 12th. It's the 347th day of the year. 19 days remain. It's week 50 of the year.

Unless noted, the following data is based upon observations collected by the National Weather Service, Chicago, at O'Hare International Airport (ORD) between November 1978 and last year. Observations have been official at O'Hare since Thursday, January 17, 1980.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 35 and the normal low is 21. The 30-year averages are 36 and 22.

On the warm side, in 1991 the high was the near-record high of 60 with a low of 38. The record high of 61 was set way back in 1877. A year earlier, in 1990, the high was 55 with a low of 35. Two years ago the high was 50 with a low of 38. In 2001 the high was 47 with a low of 38. In 1984 the high was also 47 with a low of 32. Other warm highs were 48 in both 1980 and 1998. Another warm low was 35 in 1996. The record warmest low of 48 was set in 1968. 25 of the last 30 highs were 20s (8), 30s (8) and 40s (9). Two highs were 10s, two highs were 50s and one high was in the 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1975 the high was 38 with a low of 35, a three degree spread. In 1974 the high was 35 with a low of 31, a four degree spread. In 1970 the high was 36 with a low of 32, a four degree spread. In 1968 the high was 53 with a low of 48, a five degree spread. That low of 48 was the record warmest low, except that it was recorded at Midway. In 1967 the high was 42 with a low of 36, a six degree spread. In 1966 the high was 28 with a low of 21, a seven degree spread. In 1962 the high was the record coldest high of 10 with the former record low of -7, a very cold day. In 1959 the high was 39 with a low of 34, a five degree spread. In 1958 the high was 12 with a low of 3, another very cold day.

More recently, we had small spreads of five degrees in 1983 (36/31), five degrees in 1996 (40/35) and seven degrees in 1987 (39/32).

On the cold side, in 2000 the high was 15 with the record low of -8, a very cold day. The former record low of -7 occurred in 1962. In 1989 the high was 17 with a low of 5. Three years earlier, in 1986, the high was 21 with a low of 5. Four years before that, in 1982, the high was 23 with a low of 7. In 1995 the high was 24 with a low of 7. Ten years earlier, in 1985, the high was 22 with a low of 9. Other cold lows were 9 in 2005, 10 in 1988 and 10 in 2003. Another cold high was 24 in 2003. The record coldest high of 10 was set in 1962. 19 of the last 30 lows were 20s (9) and 30s (10). That was the warm side. The cold side includes six 0s lows, four 10s lows and one low in the negative 0s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:41 and sunrise is at 7:13. Chicago's twilight begins four minutes earlier and sunrise is three minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:53. Chicago's sunset and end of twilight times are two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 8 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 12 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:42 and sunrise is at 7:14. The full Cold moon is today at 10:37. Illumination was 100% at midnight, will be 100% at noon and 99% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 7:26 and moonrise is at 16:12. Moonset is at 8:30 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 14 minutes today.

Today in 1987 at Rockford, 10.6 inches of snow fell. Remarkably, O'Hare only received a trace of snow from the system.

A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in two days and Bill of Rights day is in three days. Christmas Eve is in 12 days and Christmas Day is in 13 days. -Bernie-

December 11: ORD

Today is December 11th. It's the 346th day of the year. 20 days remain. It's week 50 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 36 and the normal low is 22. The 30-year averages are 36 and 22.

On the warm side, in 1979 the high was 56 with a low of 34. In 1990 the high was 55 with a low of 32. In 1987 the high was 48 with a low of 34. Two years ago the high was 45 with a low of 37. Other warm highs were 49 in both 1991 and 1998. Another warm high was 48 in 2001. Other warm lows were 36 in 1996 and 33 in 1983. The record high of 61 was set back in 1949. The record warmest low of 50 was set in 1965. At O'Hare this low was 51. 21 of the last 30 highs were 30s (13) and 40s (8). Five highs were 20s, two highs were 50s, one high was in the 0s and one high was in the 10s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1977 the high was 23 with a low of -7, a 30 degree spread and cold. Also, this low of -7 was colder than the record low of -5 but since it occurred at O'Hare, it was unofficial. In 1975 the high was 38 with a low of 35, a 3 degree spread. In 1972 the high was 21 with a low of -13, a 34 degree spread and very cold day. Once again, this low of -13 was colder than the record but unofficial. In 1970 the high was 40 with a low of 35, a five degree spread. In 1967 the high was 40 with a low of 37, a three degree spread. In 1965 the high was 56 with a low of 51, a five degree spread. The low of 51 was the unofficial record warmest low. In 1964 the high was 40 with a low of 33, a seven degree spread. In 1963 the high was 30 with a low of 25, a five degree spread. In 1962 the high was 7, a degree higher than the record coldest high of 6. The low was -4, also a degree higher than the record low of -5.

More recently, we had small spreads of three degrees in 1996 (39/36), three degrees in 1997 (35/32), five degrees in 1983 (38/33), five degrees in 2004 (37/32) and six degrees last year (33/27).

On the cold side, in 1995 the high was 8 with a low of 1, a cold day and seven degree spread. In 1988 the high was 18 with a cold low of 3. In 1982 the high was 26 with a low of 9. Two years earlier, in 1980, the high was 24 with a low of 11. Other cold lows were 7 in 2005, 11 in 1989 and 12 in 1986. Another cold high was 24 in 1994. The record low of -5 was set in 1972 and the record coldest high of 6 was set in 1962. 26 of the last 30 lows were 10s (9), 20s (7) and 30s (10). Four lows were 0s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:41 and sunrise is at 7:12. Chicago's twilight begins four minutes earlier and sunrise is three minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:53. Chicago's sunset is a minute earlier and twilight ends two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 9 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 12 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:41 and sunrise is at 7:13. The moon is waxing gibbous. The full Cold moon is tomorrow at 10:37. Illumination was 97% at midnight, will be 98% at noon and 100% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 6:11 and moonrise is at 15:09. Moonset is at 7:26 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 2 minutes today.

Today is a major snow day in O'Hare's history. In 2000, 9.5 inches fell. This was the second day of a two day storm of 9.6 inches.

A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in three days and Bill of Rights day is in four days. Christmas Eve is in 13 days and Christmas Day is in two weeks. -Bernie-

December 10: ORD

Today is December 10th. It's the 345th day of the year. 21 days remain. It's week 50 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 36 and the normal low is 22. The 30-year averages are 38 and 23.

On the warm side, in 1979 the high was 56 with a low of 31. In 2003 the high was 53 with a low of 29. A year later, in 2004, the high was 45 with a low of 37. Other warm highs were 51 in 1993, 49 in 1991, 48 in 2001 and 48 in 1990. Another warm low was 33 in 1997. I say "warm" but that's just because this low is above freezing. The record high of 62 was set way back in 1879. The record warmest low of 46 was set back in 1911. 23 of the 30 highs were 30s (13) and 40s (10). Three highs each were 20s and 40s. One high was in the 10s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1977 the high was 8 with a low of -7, a cold day. The high of 8 tied the record coldest high of 8 set in 1919, but O'Hare in 1977 was not the official station of record for Chicago. In 1976 the high was 40 with a low of 7, a 33 degree spread. In 1972 the high was 15 with a low of -6, a cold day. In 1967 the high was 38 with a low of 36, a two degree spread. In 1962 the high was 18 with a low of 4, a cold day. In 1958 the high was 12 with a low of -8, a cold day.

More recently, we had small spreads of three degrees in 1997 (36/33), four degrees in 1992 (34/30), seven degrees in 1985 (37/30) and seven degrees last year (32/25).

On the cold side, in 1978 the high was 21 with the record low of -10, a very cold day. In 1995 the high was 14 with a cold low of 0. In 1986 the high was 20 with a cold low of 9. Two years later, in 1988, the high was 28 with a cold low of 8. Other cold lows were 9 in 1983 and 12 in 2005. The record coldest high of 8 was set back 1919. 22 of the last 30 lows were 20s (12) and 30s (10). Three lows were 10s, four lows were 0s, no lows were -0s but we had that one low in the -10s, indeed -10 in 1978.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:40 and sunrise is at 7:12. Chicago's twilight and sunrise times are four minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:53. Chicago's sunset is a minute earlier and twilight ends two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 9 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 13 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:41 and sunrise is at 7:12. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 91% at midnight, will be 94% at noon and 97% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 4:51 and moonrise is at 14:19. Moonset is at 6:11 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 32 minutes today.

Today is a major snow day in O'Hare's history. In 2000, 0.1 inches fell. This was the first day of a two day storm of 9.6 inches. In 1934 at the National Weather Service's former headquarters at the University of Chicago, 10.9 inches fell today.

A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in four days and Bill of Rights day is in five days. Christmas Eve is in two weeks and Christmas Day is in 15 days. -Bernie-

December 9: ORD

Today is December 9th. It's the 344th day of the year. 22 days remain. It's week 50 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 36 and the normal low is 23. The 30-year averages are 36 and 23.

On the warm side, in 1987 the high was 59 a low of 40. In 2003 the high was 49 with a low of 41. A year later, in 2004, the high was 50 with a low of 37. Five years earlier, in 1999, the high was 53 with a low of 33. In 1990 the high was 55 with a low of 30. In 1993 the high was 51 with a low of 33. Another warm high was 48 in 1998. The record high of 62 was set way back in 1879. The record warmest low of 56 was set back in 1946. 24 of the 30 highs were 30s (12), 40s (7) and 50s (5). One high was a 0s high and one high was a 10s high.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1977 the high was 16 with a low of -5, a cold day. In 1971 the high was 48 with a low of 42, a six degree spread. In 1967 the high was 41 with a low of 36, a five degree spread. In 1966 the high was 38 with a low of 34, a four degree spread. In 1961 the high was 32 with a low of 27, a five degree spread. In 1958 the high was the near-record coldest high of 3 with a low which tied the record low of -14.

More recently, we had small spreads of five degrees in 1994 (33/28), five degrees in 1996 (31/26), and five degrees in 1997 (35/30). In 1980 the spread was six degrees (33/27) and seven degrees last year (29/22).

On the cold side, in 1995 the high was 5 with a low of -4, a very cold day. In 1978 the high was 13 with a cold low of -2. In 2000 the high was 30 with a cold low of 2. Other cold lows were 8 in 2002, 11 in 1982, 11 in 2005 and 12 in 1983. The record low of -14 and record coldest high of 2 were set way back 1876. 24 of the last 30 lows were 10s (7), 20s (11) and 30s (6). On the really cold side, two lows were -0s and two lows were 0s. On the warmer side, two lows were in the 40s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:39 and sunrise is at 7:11. Chicago's twilight and sunrise times are four minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:53. Chicago's sunset is a minute earlier and twilight ends two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 10 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 14 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:40 and sunrise is at 7:12. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 83% at midnight, will be 87% at noon and 91% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 3:32 and moonrise is at 13:41. Moonset is at 4:51 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 51 minutes today.

A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in five days and Bill of Rights day is in six days. Christmas Eve is in 15 days and Christmas Day is in 16 days. -Bernie-

December 8: ORD

Today is December 8th. It's the 343rd day of the year. 23 days remain. It's week 49 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 37 and the normal low is 23. The 30-year averages are 37 and 22.

On the warm side, in 1987 the high was 58 a low of 38. In 1991 the high was 60 with a low of 36. Other warm highs were 49 in 1999, 48 in 1984, 47 in 1980, 47 in 1990 and 47 in 2001. Other warm lows were 36 in 1986, 36 in 2004 and 35 in 2003. The record high of 64 and record warmest low of 53 were both set back in 1946. 28 of the 30 highs were 20s (7), 30s (10) and 40s (11). One high was a 50s high and one high was a 60s high.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1976 the high was 14 with a low of 4, a cold day. In 1975 the high was 33 with a low of 28, a five degree spread. In 1973 the high was 34 with a low of 28, a six degree spread. In 1972 the high was 28 with a low of 21, a seven degree spread. In 1971 the high was 44 with a low of 40, a four degree spread. In 1967 the high was 40 with a low of 38, a two degree spread. In 1958 the high was 13 with a low of -7, a very cold day. That low of -7 ties the record low set way back in 1882 but in 1958 O'Hare was not the official station of record.

More recently, we had small spreads of three degrees in 1996 (30/27), four degrees in 1992 (28/24), five degrees in 1986 (41/36), five degrees in 1997 (31/26), five degrees in 2004 (41/36) and six degrees in 1983 (26/20).

On the cold side, two years ago the high was 21 with a cold low of 4. In 2005 the high was 28 with a cold low of 3. In 1978 the high was 21 with a low of 11. In 1995 the high was 30 with a cold low of 4. In 2000 the high was 29 with a cold low of 7. Last year the high was 24 with a low of 13. Other cold lows were 12 in 1989 and 13 in 2002. Another cold high was 26 in 1983. The record low of -7 was set in way back 1882. The record coldest high of 8 was set in 1927. 20 of the last 30 lows were 20s (12) and 30s (8). On the really cold side, four lows were 0s and six lows were 10s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:38 and sunrise is at 7:10. Chicago's twilight begins three minutes earlier and sunrise is four minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:53. Chicago's sunset is a minute earlier and twilight ends two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 11 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 15 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:39 and sunrise is at 7:11. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 74% at midnight, will be 79% at noon and 83% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 2:17 and moonrise is at 13:10. Moonset is at 3:32 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 7 minutes today.

A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in six days and Bill of Rights day is in seven days. Christmas Eve is in 16 days and Christmas Day is in 17 days. -Bernie-

December 7: ORD

Today is December 7th. It's the 342nd day of the year. 24 days remain. It's week 49 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 37 and the normal low is 23. The 30-year averages are 37 and 25.

On the warm side, in 1980 the high was 59 with the record warmest low of 45. In 2004 the high was 50 with a low of 41. In 1981 the high was 52 with a low of 38. Ten years later, in 1991, the high was 49 with a low of 39. Other warm lows were 35 in 2001, 34 in 1986, 34 in 1987, 34 in 1986 and 33 in 1979. The record high of 64 was set back in 1916. 22 of the 30 highs were 30s (12) and 40s (10). Three highs were 50s, three highs were 20s and two highs were 10s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1977 the high was 15 with a low of -1, a cold day. In 1976 the high was 19 with a low of 3, another cold day. In 1974 the high was 40 with a low of 35, a five degree spread. In 1971 the high was 44 with a low of 40, a four degree spread. In 1969 the high was 37 with a low of 33, a four degree spread. In 1966 the high was 46 with a low of 40, a six degree spread. In 1963 the high was 56 with a low of 22, a 34 degree spread. In 1958 the high was 14 with a low of 5, a cold day.

More recently, we had small spreads of two degrees in 1997 (31/29), four degrees in 1982 (36/32), four degrees in 1986 (38/34), six degrees last year (30/24) and seven degrees in 1992 (30/23).

On the cold side, in 2005 the high was 15 with a very cold low of 0. Two years ago the high was 17 with a low of 9. In 1984 the high was 27 with a low of 7. In 1989 the high was 23 with a low of 12. Another cold high was 26 in 1983. The record low of -6 was set in way back 1882 as was the record coldest high of 6. 13 of the last 30 lows were 20s. On the really cold side, three lows were 0s and four lows were 10s. The warmer lows were eight in the 30s and two in the 40s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:37 and sunrise is at 7:09. Sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:53. There's a total of 9 hours, 12 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 16 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:38 and sunrise is at 7:10. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 64% at midnight, will be 69% at noon and 74% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 1:06 and moonrise is at 12:45. Moonset is at 2:17 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 21 minutes today.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is today. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in seven days and Bill of Rights day is in eight days. Christmas Eve is in 17 days and Christmas Day is in 18 days. -Bernie-

December 6: ORD

Today is December 6th. It's the 341st day of the year. 25 days remain. It's week 49 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 38 and the normal low is 24. The 30-year averages are 38 and 23.

On the warm side, in 1980 the high was the record high of 65 with the record warmest low of 52. In 1998 the high was 62 with a low of 37. In 2004 the high was 50 with a low of 40. Three years earlier, in 2001, the high was 51 with a low of 37. Another warm high (keep in mind it's December!) was 53 in 1988. Another warm low was 33 in 1994. 14 of the last 30 highs were 30s. Five of the colder highs were 20s (4) and 10s (1). 11 of the warmer highs were 40s (6), 50s (3) and 60s (2).

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1977 the high was 28 with a low of -1, a cold day and a record low day, and although officially at Midway, O'Hare had the same temperature this instance. In 1973 the high was 32 with a low of 25, a seven degree spread. In 1971 the high was 43 with a low of 38, a five degree spread. In 1967 the high was 46 with a low of 42, a four degree spread. In 1964 the high was 18 with a low of -3, a cold day. In 1962 the high was 29 with a low of 25, a four degree spread. In 1959 the high was 31 with a low of 26, a five degree spread. In 1958 the high was 17 (near-record coldest high) with a low of 5, a cold day.

More recently, we had a big spread of 35 degrees in 1991 as the high was 41 with a low of 6. The small spreads were five degrees in 1994 (38/33), seven degrees in 1997 (32/25) and seven degrees in 2003 (37/30).

On the cold side, in 2005 the high was the near-record coldest high of 17 with a very cold low of 4. The record coldest high of 16 was set way back in 1893. Last year the high was 24 with the near-record low of 0. The record low of -1 was set in 1977. In 1984 the high was 21 with a low of 8. In 2000 the high was 20 with a low of 10. Other cold lows were 6 in 1991 and 9 in 2002. 28 of the last 30 lows were 0s (5), 10s (6), 20s (10) and 30s (7). Only two warm lows: 40 in 2004 and 52 in 1980.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:36 and sunrise is at 7:08. Sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:53. There's a total of 9 hours, 13 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 17 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:37 and sunrise is at 7:09. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 54% at midnight, will be 59% at noon and 64% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 12:22 and moonset is at 1:06 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 38 minutes.

Pearl Harbor Day is tomorrow. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in eight days and Bill of Rights day is in nine days. Christmas Eve is in 18 days and Christmas Day is in 19 days. -Bernie-

December 5: ORD

Today is December 5th. It's the 340th day of the year. 26 days remain. It's week 49 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 38 and the normal low is 24. The 30-year averages are 40 and 25.

On the warm side, in 1998 the high was 62 with the record warmest low of 55, a seven degree spread. Three years later, in 2001, the high was the record high of 68 with a low of 44. In 1982 the high was 63 with a low of 38. Three years earlier, in 1979, the high was 54 with a low of 37. One year later, in 1980, the high was 55 with a low of 36. In 1994 the high was 49 with a low of 37. Other warm lows were 33 in both 1989 and 1993. Once again, as I wrote yesterday, having a low above freezing (even if only a degree) is special this time of the year! 19 of the last 30 highs were 30s (10) and 40s (9). Five highs were 20s, two highs were 50s and three highs were 60s. One high was in the 10s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1975 the high was 64 with a low of 46, a bonus 60s day. In 1972 the high was 30 with a low of 24, a six degree spread. In 1971 the high was 40 with a low of 36, a four degree spread. In 1966 the high was 39 with a low of 34, a five degree spread. In 1960 the high was 61 with a low of 41, a bonus 60s day.

More recently, the spread was three degrees in 1996 (34/31), five degrees in 1978 (36/31), five degrees in 1983 (37/32) and six degrees in 1997 (29/23).

On the cold side, in 2005 the high was the near-record coldest high of 17 with the record low of 4. The record coldest high of 15 was set way back in 1895. A year ago the high was 30 with a low of 9. In 2002 the high was 24 with a low of 15. A decade earlier, in 1992, the high was 25 with a low of 14. A year earlier, in 1991, the high was 33 with the near-record low of 6. In 1984 the high was 28 with a low of 11. Two years ago the high was 34 with a low of 7. In 2000 the high was 29 with a low of 12. This year will be one of the coldest as the low is already in the 0s and the high is predicted to be in the low 20s. 11 of the last 30 lows were in the 30s. Seven lows were 10s, six lows were 20s, four lows were 0s, one low was in the 40s and one low was in the 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:35 and sunrise is at 7:07. Chicago's twilight is three minutes earlier and sunrise is four minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:53. Chicago's sunset is a minute earlier and end of twilight time is two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 14 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 18 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:36 and sunrise is at 7:08. The moon reaches first quarter today at 15:26. Illumination was 44% at midnight, will be 49% at noon and 54% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 12:01 and moonset is at 23:59, a minute before midnight. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 58 minutes.

Pearl Harbor Day is in two days. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in nine days and Bill of Rights day is in ten days. Christmas Eve is in 19 days and Christmas Day is in 20 days. -Bernie-

December 4: ORD

Today is December 4th. It's the 339th day of the year. 27 days remain. It's week 49 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 38 and the normal low is 24. The 30-year averages are 38 and 25.

On the warm side, in 1998 the high was the record high of 66 with the record warmest low of 55. In 2001 the high was 62 with a low of 54. In 1999 the high was 54 with a low of 44. Five years earlier, in 1994, the high was 56 with a low of 39. In 1982 the high was 47 with a low of 38. Other warm lows were 34 in 2003 and 33 ten years earlier in 1993. Having a low above freezing is special this time of the year. 20 of the last 30 highs were 30s (12) and 40s (8). Five highs were 20s, two highs were 50s and two highs were 60s. One high was in the 10s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1971 the high was 41 with a low of 34, a seven degree spread. In 1968 the high was 41 with a low of 35, a six degree spread. In 1965 the high was 38 with a low of 32, a six degree spread. In 1961 the high was 62 with a low of 31, a bonus 60s day.

More recently, the spread was five degrees in 1983 (37/32), five degrees in 2003 (39/34) and six degrees in 1997 (35/29).

On the cold side, in 1991 the high was the record coldest high of 13 with a low of 3. The former record coldest high was 18 way back in 1895. Two years ago the high was 26 with a low of 6. In 1984 the high was 24 with a low of 12. In 2002 the high was 28 with a low of 10. Three years after that, in 2005, the high was 28 with a low of 12. This year will be one of the coldest as the low will be near 10 and the high is predicted to be in the low to mid 20s. Another cold low was 8 in 1978. The record low of -1 was set way back in 1893. 12 of the last 30 lows were in the 20s. Seven lows were 10s, five lows were 30s, three lows were 0s, two lows were 50s and one low was in the 40s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:35 and sunrise is at 7:06. Chicago's twilight and sunrise times are four minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:53. Chicago's sunset is a minute earlier and end of twilight time is two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 15 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 18 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:35 and sunrise is at 7:07. The moon is waxing crescent and will reach first quarter tomorrow at 15:26. Illumination was 34% at midnight, will be 39% at noon and 44% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 11:40 and moonset is at 22:53. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 13 minutes.

Pearl Harbor Day is in three days. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in ten days and Bill of Rights day is in 11 days. -Bernie

December 3: ORD

Today is December 3rd. It's the 338th day of the year. 28 days remain. It's week 49 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 39 and the normal low is 25. The 30-year averages are 39 and 25.

On the warm side, in 1998 the high was 67 with the record warmest low of 54. The high of 67 ties the also warmest high of 67 in 1970 at O'Hare. However, the record high of 71 degrees was set at Midway, the official station at the time, in 1970. In 1982 the high was 62 with a low of 47. In 1999 the high was 57 with a low of 48. Two years later, in 2001, the high was 56 with a low of 41. In 1994 the high was 54 with a low of 42. A year later, in 1995, the high was 57 with a low of 35. Another warm high was 54 in 1988. 13 of the last 30 highs were 30s. Five highs were 20s, five highs were 50s, four highs were 40s, two highs were 60s and one high was in the 10s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1973 the high was 62 with a low of 44, a bonus 60s day. In 1970 the high was 67 (the record high of 71 was set at Midway this day) with a low of 40. In 1966 the high was 23 with a low of 2, a very cold day. In 1964 the high was 34 with a low of 29, a five degree spread. In 1961 the high was 62 with a low of 33, a bonus 60s day. In 1958 the high was 37 with a low of 31, a six degree spread.

More recently, the spread was 3 degrees in 1997 (38/35) and six degrees in 1986 (35/29).

On the cold side, two years ago the high was the record coldest high of 15 with a low of 8. The former record coldest high was 16 in 1942. In 1985 the high was 24 with a low of 5. In 2002 the high was 24 with a low of 14. In 1989 the high was 25 with a low of 15. In 1980 the high was 30 with a low of 10. In 1991 the high was 30 with a low of 13. In 1984 the high was 27 with a low of 16. Another cold low was 15 in 1978. The record low of -5 was set in 1940. 20 of the last 30 lows were 10s (9) and 20s (11). Four lows were 40s, three lows were 30s and two lows were 0s. One low was in the 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 7:05. Chicago's twilight and sunrise times are four minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:21 and twilight ends at 16:53. Chicago's sunset is a minute earlier and end of twilight time is two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 15 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 18 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:35 and sunrise is at 7:06. The moon is waxing crescent and will reach first quarter in two days at 15:26. Illumination was 25% at midnight, will be 29% at noon and 34% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 11:17 and moonset is at 21:49. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 32 minutes.

Pearl Harbor Day is in four days. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in 11 days and Bill of Rights day is in 12 days. -Bernie-

December 2: ORD

Today is December 2nd. It's the 337th day of the year. 29 days remain. It's week 49 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 39 and the normal low is 26. The 30-year averages are 41 and 26.

On the warm side, in 1982 the high was the record high of 71 with the record warmest low of 58. In 1998 the high was 61 with a low of 49. A year later, in 1999, the high was 58 with a low of 41. Five years before, in 1994, the high was 54 with a low of 38. Other warm highs were 57 in 1995 and 52 in 2001. 22 of the last 30 highs were 30s (13) and 40s (9). Four highs were 50s, two highs were 20s, one high was in the 60s and one high was in the 70s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1976 the high was 21 with a very cold low of 2. Ten of the first 13 days of 1976 had single-digit lows (77%) and the other three were in the 10s. In 1973 the high was 64 with a low of 36, one of those nice bonus 60s days. In 1972 the high was 49 with a low of 16, a 33 degree spread. In 1968 the high was 41 with a low of 35, a six degree spread. In 1967 the high was 38 with a low of 34, a four degree spread. In 1966 the high was 16 with a low of 2, a very cold day. In 1962 the high was 64 with a low of 25, a 39 degree spread but also one of the bonus 60s days.

More recently, the spread was 32 degrees in 1995 (57/25), five degrees in 1987 (33/28), seven degrees in 1986 (42/35), seven degrees in 1991 (34/27), and seven degrees in 1997 (40/33).

On the cold side, in 1985 the high was 22 with a low of 7. In 2005 the high was 24 with a low of 13. Two years ago the high was 30 with a low of 12. In 1979 the high was also 30 with a low of 12. Another cold low was 11 in 1980. The record low and record coldest highs were both set back in 1942 at -1 and 14 degrees respectively. 16 of the last 30 lows were 20s. Six lows were 10s, four lows were 30s and two lows were 40s. One low was in the 0s and one was in the 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:33 and sunrise is at 7:04. Chicago's twilight and sunrise times are four minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:22 and twilight ends at 16:53. Chicago's sunset and end of twilight times are two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 18 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 20 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:34 and sunrise is at 7:05. The moon is waxing crescent and will reach first quarter in three days at 15:26. Illumination was 17% at midnight, will be 21% at noon and 25% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 10:51 and moonset is at 20:45. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 54 minutes.

Pearl Harbor Day is in five days. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in 12 days and Bill of Rights day is in 13 days. -Bernie-

December 1: ORD

Today is December 1st. It's the 336rd day of the year. 30 days remain. It's week 49 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 40 and the normal low is 26. The 30-year averages are 40 and 26.

On the warm side, in 1982 the high was 63 with a low of 49. In 1998 the high was 57 with a low of 33. Another warm high was 52 in 1994. The record high of 68 was set in 1970. The record warmest low of 52 was set in 1914. 22 of the last 30 highs were 30s (11) and 40s (11). Four highs were 20s, three highs were 50s and one high was in the 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first December at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1974 the high was 38 with a low of 32, a six degree spread. In 1970 the high was the record high of 67 (officially warmer at Midway) with a low of 46. In 1968 the high was 37 with a low of 32, a five degree spread. In 1967 the high was 34 with a low of 27, a seven degree spread. In 1962 the high was 64 with a low of 25, a 39 degree spread. 1962 was also one of those few 60s gems, defiant against Winter which is sure to invade.

More recently, the spread was four degrees in 1992 (34/30), five degrees in 1987 (34/29), five degrees in 2000 (36/31), seven degrees in 1986 (42/35), seven degrees in 1997 (41/34) and seven degrees in 2004 (32/25). 1985 is what I call a dual day. The spread was the largest one for December 1st. It was 39 degrees. The high was 50 (one of the warmest) with a low of 11 (the coldest low of the past 30 years, though not the record low). Therefore, the warmth of the high and cold of the low, all in the same day, makes it both (a dual day) one of the warmest and one of the coldest.

On the cold side, in 1983 the high was 25 with a low of 18, a seven degree spread. Other cold lows were 13 in 2002, 18 two years ago and 19 a year ago. Other cold highs were 28 in 1988, 29 in 1979 and 29 three years ago. The record low and record coldest highs were both set way back in 1893 at -6 and 2 degrees respectively. 24 of the last 30 lows were 20s (14) and 30s (10). Five lows were 10s and one low was in the 40s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:32 and sunrise is at 7:03. Chicago's twilight and sunrise times are four minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:22 and twilight ends at 16:53. Chicago's sunset and end of twilight times are a minute earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 19 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 21 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:33 and sunrise is at 7:04. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 11% at midnight, will be 14% at noon and 17% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 10:21 and moonset is at 19:42. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 21 minutes.

Today was a major snow day for areas north and west of Chicago in 2006. At Rockford, 10.7 inches of snow fell while at O'Hare, a much lesser 5.8 inches fell.

Pearl Harbor Day is in six days. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in 13 days and Bill of Rights day is in two weeks. -Bernie-

November 30: ORD

Today is November 30th. It's the 335rd day of the year. 31 days remain. It's week 49 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 40 and the normal low is 26. The 30-year averages are 42 and 28.

On the warm side, ten years ago the high was the near record high of 65 with a low of 39. The record high of 66 was set in 1962. Remember that yesterday the high was the record high of 68 with the record warmest low of 57, both in 1998. In 1982 the high was 56 with a low of 40. In 2003 the high was 54 with a low of 38. In 2001 the high was 48 with a low of 41, a seven degree spread. In 1991 the high was 61 with a low of 25, a 36 degree spread. Another warm high was 51 in 1980. Another warm low was 37 in 1997. The record warmest low of 44 was set in 1941. 13 of the last 30 highs were 40s. Eight highs were 30s, four highs were 20s, three highs were 50s and two highs were 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1975 the high was 62 with a low of 20 (a 42 degree spread). In 1974 the high was 39 with a low of 34 (a five degree spread). In 1964 the high was 20 with a low of 6 (a very cold day). In 1962 the high was 64 with a low of 26 (a 38 degree spread). This was the day of the record high. It was even warmer at Midway, the official station. 1962 was the start of three consecutive 60s highs as it was 64 on December 1st and also 64 on the 2nd. 1958 was another very cold day as the high was 21 with the near-record low of 1.

More recently, the spread was four degrees in 2000 (36/32), five degrees in 1979 (29/24), seven degrees in 1987 (40/33) and seven degrees in 1992 (37/30).

On the cold side, in 1978 the high was 26 with a low of 11. In 1983 the high was 24 with a low of 18, a six degree spread. Three years ago the high was 27 with a low of 20, a seven degree spread. Another cold high was 29 in 1979. The record low of -1 was set back in 1947 and record coldest high of 14 was set way back in 1896. 23 of the last 30 lows were 20s (10) and 30s (13). Five lows were 10s and two lows were 40s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:31 and sunrise is at 7:02. Sunset is at 16:22 and twilight ends at 16:53. There's a total of 9 hours, 20 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 22 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:32 and sunrise is at 7:03. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 6% at midnight, will be 8% at noon and 11% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 9:45. Moonset is at 18:40 and moonrise is at 10:21 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 55 minutes today.

Pearl Harbor Day is in a week. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in two weeks and Bill of Rights day is in 15 days. -Bernie-

November 29: ORD

Today is November 29th. It's the 334rd day of the year. 32 days remain. It's week 48 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 41 and the normal low is 27. The 30-year averages are 41 and 28.

On the warm side, ten years ago the high was the record high of 68 with the record warmest low of 57. Remember that yesterday the highest was 67 in 1998, our warmest (though not the record). Seven years before this, in 1991, the high was 60 with a low of 38. Two years ago the high was 60 with a low of 38. In 1997 the high was 49 with a low of 42, a seven degree spread. Other warm lows were 39 in 2001 and 37 in 1982. 26 of the last 30 highs were 30s (15) and 40s (11). Three highs were 60s and a lone high was in the 20s (see cold side below). There have been no 50s highs.

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1976 the high was 13 with a low of 1 (a very cold day). In 1975 the high was 62 with a low of 37 (a bonus 60s day). In 1971 the high was 40 with a low of 33 (a seven degree spread). In 1968 the high was 36 with a low of 31 (a five degree spread). In 1964 the high was 18 with a low of 9 (a very cold day). In 1960 the high was 28 with a low of 21, a spread of seven degrees. Remember that yesterday in 1960 the high was 63 with a low of 28, so obviously a cold front moved through. The drop was 42 degrees. 1958 was another very cold day as the high was 22 with a low of 3.

More recently, the spread was three degrees in 1982 (40/37), five degrees in 2000 (37/32), six degrees in 2001 (45/39), six degrees in 2004 (38/32) and seven degrees in 1983 (31/24).

On the cold side, in 1989 the high was 29 with a low of 12. In 1995 the high was 33 with a low of 11. Other cold lows were 17 in 1981 and 18 last year. Other cold highs were 31 in both 1983 and 1993. The record low of -2 was set way back in 1872 and record coldest high of 10 was set back in 1929. 15 of the last 30 lows were 20s. Nine lows were 30s and four lows were 10s. One low was in the 40s and one in the 50s (see warm side above).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:30 and sunrise is at 7:01. Sunset is at 16:23 and twilight ends at 16:54. There's a total of 9 hours, 22 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 24 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:31 and sunrise is at 7:02. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 2% at midnight, will be 4% at noon and 6% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 9:02. Moonset is at 17:41 and moonrise is at 9:45 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 39 minutes today.

Pearl Harbor Day is in eight days. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in 15 days and Bill of Rights day is in 16 days. -Bernie-

November 28: ORD

Today is November 28th. It's the 333rd day of the year. 33 days remain. It's week 48 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 41 and the normal low is 27. The 30-year averages are 42 and 29.

On the warm side, two years the high was 61 with the new record warmest low of 54 (a seven degree spread). The former record warmest low of 48 occurred back in 1916. In 1998 the high was 67 (our warmest) with a low of 41. Three years ago the high was 61 with a low of 39. In 1997 the high was 56 with a low of 43. Ten years earlier, in 1987, the high was 51 with a low of 42. 23 of the last 30 highs were 30s (13) and 40s (10). Three highs were 50s and three highs were 60s. A lone high was in the 20s (see cold side below).

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1976 the high was 16 with a low of 6 (a very cold day). In 1970 the high was 42 with a low of 40 (a two degree spread). In 1968 the high was 42 with a low of 35 (a seven degree spread). In 1966 the high was 35 with a low of 30 (a five degree spread). In 1964 the high was 54 with a low of 18 (a 36 degree spread). In 1960 the high was 63 with a low of 28, one of the bonus days in the 60s. In 1960 from the 28th to the 29th, there was a 42 degree drop from that high of 63 to a low of 21 on the 29th.

More recently, the spread was three degrees in 1980 (35/32), six degrees in 1991 (38/32), seven degrees in 1982 (41/34), seven degrees in 1994 (40/33) and seven degrees in 2001 (42/35).

On the cold side, in 1995 the high was 29 with a low of 13. In 2002 the high was 33 with a low of 15. In 1981 the high was 33 with a low of 19. In 1978 the high was 34 with a low of 18. Another cold low was 18 in 1989. The record low of 0 was set way back in 1887 and record coldest high of 13 was set way back in 1891. 21 of the last 30 lows were 20s (12) and 30s (9). Five lows were 10s, three lows were 40s and one low was in the 50s (see warm side above).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:29 and sunrise is at 7:00. Sunset is at 16:23 and twilight ends at 16:54. There's a total of 9 hours, 23 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 25 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:30 and sunrise is at 7:01. The moon reached new yesterday at 10:55. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 1% at noon and 2% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 8:11. Moonset is at 16:48 and moonrise is at 9:02 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 37 minutes today.

Thanksgiving was yesterday. Pearl Harbor Day is in nine days. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in 16 days and Bill of Rights day is in 17 days. -Bernie-

November 27: ORD

Today is November 27th. It's the 332nd day of the year. 34 days remain. It's week 48 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 41 and the normal low is 27. The 30-year averages are 45 and 31.

On the warm side, in 1990 the high was the record high of 67 with the former record warmest low of 50. Two years ago the high was 62 with the record warmest low of 52. In 1989 the high was 63 with a low of 38. In 1998 the high was 64 with a low of 32 (a 32 degree spread). Four years before that, in 1994, the high was 59 with a low of 36. Three years ago the high was 55 with a low of 40. In 1984 the high was 58 with a low of 35. In 2001 the high was 52 with a low of 36. Other warm lows were 38 in 1987 and 37 in 1983 and 2004. 22 of the last 30 highs were 30s (13) and 40s (9). Four highs were 50s and four highs were 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1973 the high was 54 with a low of 48 (a six degree spread). In 1972 the high was 32 with a low of 25 (a seven degree spread). In 1971 the high was 38 with a low of 32 (a six degree spread). In 1970 the high was 42 with a low of 40 (a two degree spread). In 1964 the high was 54 with a low of 22 (a 32 degree spread). In 1960 the high was 60 with a low of 45, one of the bonus days in the 60s.

More recently, the spread was two degrees in 1978 (35/33), three degrees in 1979 (38/35), five degrees in 1987 (43/38), seven degrees in 1980 (37/30) and seven degrees in 1983 (44/37).

On the cold side, in 2002 the high was 30 with a low of 14. In 1996 the high was 31 with a low of 15. Another cold low was 19 in 1993. The record low of 2 and record coldest high of 14 were both set on the same day back in 1930. 24 of the last 30 lows were 20s (10) and 30s (14). Three lows were 10s, two lows were 50s and one low was in the 40s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:28 and sunrise is at 6:59. Sunset is at 16:23 and twilight ends at 16:54. There's a total of 9 hours, 24 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 26 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:29 and sunrise is at 7:00. The moon reaches new today at 10:55. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 0% at noon and 0% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 7:13. Moonset is at 16:02 and moonrise is at 8:11 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 49 minutes today.

Thanksgiving is today. Pearl Harbor Day is in ten days. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in 17 days and Bill of Rights day is in 18 days. -Bernie-

November 26: ORD

Today is November 26th. It's the 331st day of the year. 35 days remain. It's week 48 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 42 and the normal low is 28. The 30-year averages are 47 and 30.

On the warm side, in 1984 the high was 64 with a low of 45. Two years ago the high was 62 with a low of 45. In 1990 the high was the record high of 67 with a low of 39. Two years before that, in 1988, the high was 59 with a low of 45. A decade later, in 1998, the high was 61 with a low of 39. In 1981 the high was 62 with a low of 33. The record warmest low of 57 was set way back in 1896. 13 of the last 30 highs were 40s. Six highs were 50s, five highs were 60s, four highs were 30s and two highs were 20s. The 60s highs are back today after disappearing yesterday.

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. 1977 was a very cold day. The high was only 19. It was also 19 at Midway, so that is the official record coldest high. The low was 2 degrees at O'Hare but not at Midway. 2 degrees is the official low, but set in the 19th century (see below). In 1972 the high was 33 with a low of 31, a two degree spread. In 1971 the high was 39 with a low of 35, a four degree spread. In 1965 the high was 64 with a low of 34, a 30 degree spread. In 1960 the high was 62 with a low of 45, one of the warmest days (same as two years ago). In 1959 the high was 30 with a low of 23, a seven degree spread.

More recently, the spread was four degrees in 2000 (41/37) and five degrees in 1987 (43/38).

On the cold side, in 1996 the high was 27 with a low of 14. In 1991 the high was 37 with a low of 8. In 2002 the high was 29 with a low of 20. Other cold lows were 17 in 1980, 18 in 2005 and 19 in 1993. The record low of 2 was set way back in 1898. The record coldest high of 19 was set in 1977. 14 of the last 30 lows were 30s. Eight lows were 20s, four were 10s, three were 40s and one low was in the 0s (8 in 1991).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:26 and sunrise is at 6:57. Chicago's twilight and sunrise times are three minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:24 and twilight ends at 16:55. Chicago's sunset and end of twilight times are two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 27 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 29 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:28 and sunrise is at 6:59. The moon is waning crescent and heading towards the new moon tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day at 10:55. Illumination was 2% at midnight, will be 1% at noon and 0% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 6:11. Moonset is at 15:23 and moonrise is at 7:13 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 12 minutes today.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in 18 days and Bill of Rights day is in 19 days. -Bernie-

November 25: ORD

Today is November 25th. It's the 330th day of the year. 36 days remain. It's week 48 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 42 and the normal low is 28. The 30-year averages are 44 and 29.

On the warm side, in 1988 the high was 57 with a low of 42. A decade later, in 1998, the high was 53 with a low of 46. A year earlier, in 1997, the high was 57 with a low of 37. Two years ago the high was 58 with a low of 36. Another warm high was 54 in 1984. Another warm low was 42 in 2001. There's only one 60s high and that was in 1966 (see below). The record high of 65 was set in 1908 and record warmest low of 49 was set in 1915. 28 of the last 30 highs were in the 30s (8), 40s (11) and 50s (9). Two highs were in the 20s.

In looking back through the years to the first November at O'Hare in 1958, the following instances were notable. In 1976 the high was 60 with a low of 34. In 1976, after the nice warm-up, temperatures plummeted to lows of 6 on the 28th, 1 on the 29th and 6 on the 30th. In 1973 the high was 45 with a low of 39 (a six degree spread). In 1972 the high was 37 with a low of 33 (a four degree spread). In 1966 the high was 62 with a low of 34 (the only 60s high at O'Hare so far). In 1964 the high was 52 with a low of 19 (a 33 degree spread).

More recently, the spread was four degrees in 1993 (42/38), five degrees in 1987 (42/37), seven degrees in 1992 (46/39) and seven degrees in 2001 (49/42).

On the cold side, in 1991 the high was the record coldest high of 24 with a low of 13. Three years ago the high was 27 with a low of 13. Another cold low was 19 in 1982. Other cold highs were 31 in 2002 and 32 in 1996. The record low of 0 was set in 1950. 24 of the last 30 lows were 20s (12) and 30s (12). Three lows were 10s and three were 40s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:25 and sunrise is at 6:56. Chicago's twilight and sunrise times are three minutes earlier. Sunset is at 16:24 and twilight ends at 16:55. Chicago's sunset time is a minute earlier and end of twilight is two minutes earlier. There's a total of 9 hours, 28 minutes of daylight today and 10 hours, 30 minutes between twilights. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:26 and sunrise is at 6:57. The moon is waning crescent and heading towards the new moon on Thanksgiving Day at 10:55. Illumination was 6% at midnight, will be 4% at noon and 2% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 5:07. Moonset is at 14:50 and moonrise is at 6:11 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 43 minutes today.

Thanksgiving is in two days. A sister of mine, Regina, will celebrate a birthday in 19 days and Bill of Rights day is in 20 days. -Bernie-