May 24: ORD

Today is May 24th. It's the 144th day of the year. 221 days remain. It's week 21 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 73 and the normal low is 50. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 70 and 49.

On the warm side, in 1991 the high was 85 with the record warmest low of 68. The former record warmest low of 67 occurred in 1933. Two years earlier, in 1989, the high was 86 with a low of 65. Two years ago the high was 88 with a low of 63. To round out the highs in the 80s, it was 84 in 1997, 80 in 2000 and 80 three years ago. The record high of 93 was last tied in 1950, as it was also 93 in 1921. 19 of the 30 (63%) highs were: 60s (10) and 70s (9). Six highs were in the warmer 80s and five highs were in the cooler: 40s (1) and 50s (4).

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 91 with a low of 64, a hot day. In 1972 the high was 86 with a low of 54, a 32 degree spread. In 1965 the high was 83 with a low of 53, a 30 degree spread. In 1961 the high was 80 with a low of 45, a 35 degree spread.

More recently, there was a small spread of six degrees in 1999 (54/48). There were large spreads of 34 degrees in 1985 (78/44), 32 degrees in 1983 (76/44), 31 degrees in 1997 (84/53) and 31 degrees in 2006 (80/49).

On the cool side, there was one day of a mean of 11.5 or more degrees below normal. That was in 1992 when the high was 46 with the record low of 34. Other cool highs of note were 61 in 1982, 60 in 2001, 57 in 1995, 56 in 1987, 56 in 1996 and 54 in 1999. The record coolest high of 44 occurred back in 1925. 17 of the 30 lows were 40s. One low was in the colder 30s. 12 lows were in the warmer: 50s (9) and 60s (3).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 4:51 and sunrise was at 5:24. Sunset is at 20:17 and twilight ends at 20:50. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:50 and sunrise is at 5:23. There's a total of 14 hours, 53 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 59 minutes between twilights. The moon is new today at 7:11. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 0% at noon and 1% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 5:03. Moonset is at 21:07. Moonrise is at 5:59 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 16 hours, 4 minutes which is 30 minutes longer than yesterday.

Memorial Day is tomorrow. -Bernie-

May 23: ORD

Today is May 23rd. It's the 143rd day of the year. 222 days remain. It's week 21 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 72 and the normal low is 50. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 70 and 50.

On the warm side, two years ago the high was 89 with a low of 60. In 1991 the high was 82 with a low of 66. In 1989 the high was also 82. To round out the highs in the 80s, it was 81 in 2000, 81 in 2004 and 80 in 1994. The only other 60s low was 61 in 1981. The record high of 92 was set in 1977. It was also 92 degrees in 1921 and 1964. The record warmest low of 71 was set in 1964. 20 of the 30 (67%) highs were: 60s (10) and 70s (10). Six highs were in the warmer 80s and four highs were in the cooler 50s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 91 with a low of 66, a hot day and year of the record high. In 1968 the high was 55 with a low of 52, a three degree spread. In 1967 the high was 72 with a low of 40, a 32 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 88 with a low of 70, a hot day and year of the record high and record warmest low. In 1963 the high was 60 with a low of 32, a cool day.

More recently, there were large spreads of 37 degrees in 2006 (75/38), 33 degrees in 1985 (73/40) and 32 degrees in 1997 (73/41).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of 11.5 or more degrees below normal. However, the two coolest days were within half a degree of each other. In 1987 the high was 55 with a low of 47. Last year the high was 57 with a low of 46. Other cool highs of note were 57 in 1982 and 58 in 1988. The only low in the 30s was 38 three years ago. That low of 38 was just a degree warmer than the record low of 37, set back in 1917. The record coolest high of 50 occurred back in 1931. 26 of the 30 (87%) lows were: 40s (16) and 50s (10). One low was in the colder 30s. Three lows were in the warmer 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 4:52 and sunrise was at 5:25. Sunset is at 20:16 and twilight ends at 20:49. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:51 and sunrise is at 5:24. There's a total of 14 hours, 51 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 57 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, heading towards new tomorrow at 7:11. Illumination was 2% at midnight, will be 1% at noon and 0% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 4:18. Moonset is at 19:52. Moonrise is at 5:03 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 34 minutes which is 41 minutes longer than yesterday.

Memorial Day is in two days. -Bernie-

May 22: ORD

Today is May 22nd. It's the 142nd day of the year. 223 days remain. It's week 21 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 72 and the normal low is 50. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 72 and 49.

On the warm side, in 1991 the high was 84 with a low of 67. Three years later, in 1994, the high was 89 with a low of 58, a 31 degree spread. Two years earlier, in 1992, the high was 83 with a low of 63. Another warm high was 87 in 2007. The record high of 94 was set back in 1925. The record warmest low of 75 was set in 1977. 28 of the 30 (93%) highs were: 60s (11), 70s (10) and 80s (7). Two highs were in the cooler 50s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 91 with a low of 70, a hot day and year of the record warmest low. In 1970 the high was 86 with a low of 54, a 32 degree spread and hot day. In 1969 the high was 54 with a low of 41, a cool day. In 1967 the high was 57 with a low of 40, a cool day. In 1966 the high was 76 with a low of 43, a 33 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 89 with a low of 65, a hot day. In 1963 the high was 54 with a low of 35, a cool day. The low was colder than the record low. In 1962 the high was 84 with a low of 51, a 33 degree spread. In 1961 the high was 60 with a low of 36, a cool day. The low was equal to the record low.

More recently, there was a small spread of seven degrees in 1998 (60/53). There were large spreads of 38 degrees in 1979 (75/37), 36 degrees in 1980 (82/46), 32 degrees two years ago (87/55) and 31 degrees in 1993 (76/45).

On the cool side, three years ago the high was 62 with the record low of 36. The former record low was 37 in 1997. It was also 37 at O'Hare in 1979. Lows were 36 in 1961 and 35 in 1963. These were not official because O'Hare was not the official station of record for Chicago during these years. Other cool highs of note were 59 in 1986, 59 last year and 60 in 1998. The record coolest high of 44 occurred back in 1917. 24 of the 30 (80%) lows were: 40s (11) and 50s (13). Four lows were in the colder 30s. Two lows were in the warmer 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 4:53 and sunrise was at 5:26. Sunset is at 20:15 and twilight ends at 20:48. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:52 and sunrise is at 5:25. There's a total of 14 hours, 49 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 55 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, heading towards new in two days at 7:11. Illumination was 7% at midnight, will be 4% at noon and 2% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 3:42. Moonset is at 18:35. Moonrise is at 4:18 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 53 minutes which is 48 minutes longer than yesterday.

National Maritime Day is today. Memorial Day is in three days. -Bernie-

May 21:ORD

Today is May 21st. It's the 141st day of the year. 224 days remain. It's week 21 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 71 and the normal low is 50. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 72 and 47.

On the warm side, in 1987 the high was 89 with a low of 59, a 30 degree spread. Other highs of note are 87 in 1994, 86 in 1992 and 84 in 1991. The record high of 92 was set in 1977. The record warmest low of 71 was set in 1921. 11 of the last 30 highs have been 70s. Seven highs were in the warmer 80s. 12 highs were in the cooler: 50s (5) and 60s (7).

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 57 with a low of 41, a cool day. In 1977 the high was 91 with a low of 67, a hot day. In 1974 the high was 84 with a low of 66, a warm day. In 1970 the high was 86 with a low of 66, a hot day. In 1969 the high was 57 with a low of 42, a cool day. In 1965 the high was 83 with a low of 50, a 33 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 81 with a low of 39, a 42 degree spread. In 1961 the high was 58 with a low of 36, a cool day. In 1959 the high was 86 with a low of 64, a hot day.

More recently, we had large spreads of 37 degrees in 1980 (82/45), 36 degrees in 1994 (87/51), 36 degrees two years ago (80/44), 32 degrees in 1981 (79/47), 30 degrees in 1989 (80/50), 30 degrees in 1991 (84/54), 30 degrees in 1992 (86/56) and 30 degrees in 2005 (73/43).

On the cool side, in 2002 the high was 58 with the record low of 31 (former record lows were 36 in both 1883 and 1997). In 1997 the high was 58 with a low of 36. In 1979 the high was 58 with a low of 38. Other highs of note were 57 in 2003 and 58 in 1990. The record coolest high of 42 occurred way back in 1883. 27 of 30 (90%) lows were: 40s (15) and 50s (12). Three lows were in the colder 30s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 4:54 and sunrise was at 5:27. Sunset is at 20:14 and twilight ends at 20:47. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:53 and sunrise is at 5:26. There's a total of 14 hours, 47 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 53 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, heading towards new in three days at 7:11. Illumination was 14% at midnight, will be 10% at noon and 7% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 3:14. Moonset is at 17:19. Moonrise is at 3:42 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 5 minutes which is 46 minutes longer than yesterday.

National Maritime Day is tomorrow. Memorial Day is in four days. -Bernie-

May 20: ORD

Today is May 20th. It's the 140th day of the year. 225 days remain. It's week 20 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 71 and the normal low is 50. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 71 and 47.

On the warm side, in 2004 the high was 84 with the warmest and only 60s low of 63. Another high of note was 84 in 1992. The record high of 95 and record warmest low of 70 were set on the same day in 1977. 25 of 30 (83%) highs have been: 60s (10) and 70s (15). Three highs were in the warmer 80s. Two highs were in the cooler: 40s (1) and 50s (1).

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 78 with a low of 46, a 32 degree spread. In 1977 the high was 93 with a low of 64, a hot day and year of the record high and warmest low. In 1975 the high was 87 with a low of 67, another hot day. In 1972 the high was 87 with a low of 54, a 33 degree spread and hot. In 1970 the high was 85 with a low of 52, a 33 degree spread. In 1965 the high was 74 with a low of 40, a 34 degree spread.

More recently, we had large spreads of 41 degrees in 1981 (76/35), 37 degrees in 1994 (78/41), 36 degrees three years ago (74/38), 34 degrees in 1979 (78/44), 33 degrees in 1992 (84/51) and 31 degrees in 1980 (74/43).

On the cool side, in 2002 the high was 48 (the only 40s high) with the record low of 33 (former record low was 35 in 1981). In 1986 the high was 56 (only 50s high) with a low of 41. Other lows of note were 35 in 1981 and 38 three years ago. The record coolest high of 40 occurred way back in 1895. 25 of 30 (83%) lows were: 40s (16) and 50s (9). Four lows were in the colder 30s. One low was in the warmer 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 4:55 and sunrise was at 5:27. Sunset is at 20:13 and twilight ends at 20:46. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:54 and sunrise is at 5:27. There's a total of 14 hours, 46 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 51 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, having reached last quarter three days ago at 2:26. Illumination was 22% at midnight, will be 18% at noon and 14% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 2:49. Moonset is at 16:08. Moonrise is at 3:14 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 19 minutes which is 46 minutes longer than yesterday.

National Maritime Day is in two days. Memorial Day is in five days. -Bernie-

May 19: ORD

Today is May 19th. It's the 139th day of the year. 226 days remain. It's week 20 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 71 and the normal low is 49. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 70 and 49.

On the warm side, in 1996 the high was 90 with the warmest and only 70s low of 72. In 1998 the high was 91 with a low of 66. Another high of note was 83 in 1987. The record high of 94 was set in 1975 and tied in 1977. The record warmest low of 74 was set in 1911. 22 highs over the last 30 years have been: 60s (9) and 70s (13). Five highs were in the warmer: 80s (3) and 90s (2). Three highs were in the cooler: 40s (1) and 50s (2).

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 93 with a low of 63, a hot day, 30 degree spread and year of the record high. In 1976 the high was 76 with a low of 39, a 37 degree spread. In 1975 the high was 91 with a low of 66, a hot day and year of the record high. In 1970 the high was 85 with a low of 55, a 30 degree spread. In 1968 the high was 50 with a low of 40, a cool day. In 1964 the high was 86 with a low of 47, a 39 degree spread and hot day. In 1962 the high was 91 with a low of 69, a hot day. In 1960 the high was 67 with a low of 61, a six degree spread. In 1959 the high was 87 with a low of 63, a hot day.

More recently, we had large spreads of 38 degrees in 1985 (79/41), 34 degrees in 1992 (75/41), 32 degrees in 1987 (83/51), 30 degrees in 1988 (74/44) and 30 degrees in 1995 (76/46).

On the cool side, in 2000 the high was 48 (the only 40s high) with a low of 44, a four degree spread. Two years later, in 2002, the high was 54 with a low of 38. In 1986 the high was 55 with a low of 42. The record low of 36 was set in 1993 and this tied the original record low which was set way back in 1894. The record coolest high of 41 was set way back in 1895. 25 of the last 30 lows were: 40s (17) and 50s (8). Two lows were in the colder 30s. Three lows were in the warmer: 60s (2) and 70s (1).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 4:56 and sunrise was at 5:28. Sunset is at 20:12 and twilight ends at 20:45. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:55 and sunrise is at 5:27. There's a total of 14 hours, 44 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 49 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, having reached last quarter two days ago at 2:26. Illumination was 31% at midnight, was 27% at noon and 22% at midnight tonight. Moon rise was at 2:27. Moon set was at 15:00. Moon rise is at 2:49 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 33 minutes which is 44 minutes longer than yesterday.

National Maritime Day is in three days. Memorial Day is in six days. -Bernie-

May 18: ORD

Today is May 18th. It's the 138th day of the year. 227 days remain. It's week 20 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 70 and the normal low is 49. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 70 and 49.

On the warm side, in 1996 the high was 90 with the record-tying warmest low of 72 (tied with 1911). In 1984 the high was 91 with a low of 61, a 30 degree spread. In 1998 the high was 90 with a low of 62. In 1979 the high was 85 with a low of 60. In 1982 the high was 82 with a low of 61. The record high of 93 was set in 1962. 24 highs over the last 30 years have been: 50s (7), 60s (8) and 70s (9). Six highs were in the warmer: 80s (3) and 90s (3).

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 92 with a low of 64, a hot day. In 1975 the high was 86 with a low of 50, a 36 degree spread and hot day. In 1971 the high was 85 with a low of 69, a warm day. In 1970 the high was 78 with a low of 45, a 33 degree spread. in 1969 the high was 47 with a low of 45, a two degree spread and cool. In 1967 the high was 85 with a low of 55, a 30 degree spread. in 1965 the high was 82 with a low of 46, a 36 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 89 with a low of 56, a 33 degree spread and hot. In 1962 the high was 91 with a low of 71, a hot day and year of the record high. In 1961 the high was 55 with a low of 41, a cool day.

More recently, we had large spreads of 36 degrees in 1997 (77/41), 33 degrees in 1993 (70/37), 30 degrees in 1987 (81/51) and 30 degrees in 1988 (70/40).

On the cool side, in 2002 the high was 54 with the record low of 34 degrees (broke the former record of 35 set way back in 1894). Other cool highs were 54 in 1991, 55 in 1986, 55 last year, 57 in 1981 and 58 in 1995. Another cold low was 37 in 1993. The record coolest high of 45 was set way back in 1900. 16 of the last 30 lows were 40s. Three lows were in the colder 30s. 11 lows were in the warmer: 50s (6), 60s (4) and 70s (1).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 4:57 and sunrise was at 5:29. Sunset is at 20:11 and twilight ends at 20:44. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:56 and sunrise is at 5:28. There's a total of 14 hours, 42 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 47 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, having reached last quarter yesterday at 2:26. Illumination was 41% at midnight, will be 36% at noon and 31% at midnight tonight. Moon rise was at 2:06. Moon set was at 13:55. Moon rise is at 2:27 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 49 minutes which is 42 minutes longer than yesterday.

National Maritime Day is in four days. Memorial Day is in a week. -Bernie-

May 17: ORD

Today is May 17th. It's the 137th day of the year. 228 days remain. It's week 20 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 70 and the normal low is 48. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 71 and 48.

On the warm side, in 2001 the high was 85 with a low of 62. In 1982 the high was 87 with a low of 56, a 31 degree spread. Other 80s highs of note were 89 in 1987, 88 in 1996, 86 in 1998, 85 in 1984 and 82 in 1992. Another warm low was 62 in 1999. The record high of 94 was set in 1962 and record warmest low of 70 was set in 1977. 25 of the highs over the last 30 years have been: 60s (9), 70s (6) and 80s (10). Five highs were in the cooler: 40s (1) and 50s (4).

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 86 with a low of 63, a hot day and year of the record warmest low. In 1975 the high was 74 with a low of 43, a 31 degree spread. In 1972 the high was 80 with a low of 50, a 30 degree spread. In 1971 the high was 88 with a low of 48, a 40 degree spread and hot. In 1967 the high was 74 with a low of 44, a 30 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 80 with a low of 49, a 31 degree spread. In 1962 the high was 92 with a low of 71, a hot day. 1962 was also the year of the record high.

More recently, we had a small spread of seven degrees in 1980 (56/49). The large spreads were: 40 degrees in 1984 (85/45), 39 degrees in 1996 (88/49), 38 degrees in 1987 (89/51), 36 degrees in 1998 (86/50), 35 degrees in 1989 (80/45) and 30 degrees in 1992 (82/52).

On the cool side, in 2002 the record coolest high of 45 was established (broke the former record of 46 degrees in 1945). The low in 2002 was 36. This ties the record which was set in 1973. In 1983 the high was 58 with a low of 37. Other cool highs were 55 in 1981, 56 in 1980 and 59 in 1994. 15 of the last 30 lows were 40s. Three lows were in the colder 30s. 12 lows were in the warmer: 50s (10) and 60s (2).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 4:58 and sunrise was at 5:30. Sunset is at 20:10 and twilight ends at 20:42. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:57 and sunrise is at 5:29. There's a total of 14 hours, 40 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 44 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, having reached last quarter today at 2:26. Illumination was 51% at midnight, will be 46% at noon and 41% at midnight tonight. Moon rise was at 1:44. Moon set was at 12:51. Moon rise is at 2:06 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 7 minutes which is 40 minutes longer than yesterday.

National Maritime Day is in five days. Memorial Day is in eight days. -Bernie-

May 16: ORD

Today is May 16th. It's the 136th day of the year. 229 days remain. It's week 20 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 70 and the normal low is 47. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 71 and 48.

On the warm side, in 2001 the high was 89 with a low of 64. A decade earlier, in 1991, the high was 86 with a low of 63. The next year, 1992, the high was 88 with a low of 58, a 30 degree spread. In 1998 the high was 82 with a low of 62. In 1986 the high was 79 with a low of 62. Other mid 80s highs were all 83 degrees, in 1982, 1987 and 1999. Other warm lows were 60 in 1990 and 59 in 1995. The record high of 94 and record warmest low of 69 were set on the same day in 1962. 14 of the highs over the last 30 years have been 60s. 15 highs were in the warmer: 70s (8) and 80s (7). One high was in the cooler 50s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 86 with a low of 61, a warm day. In 1969 the high was 85 with a low of 60, a warm day. In 1962 the high was 92 with a low of 69, a hot day. 1962 was also the year of the record high and record warmest low.

More recently, we had a small spread of 6 degrees in 1996 (57/51). The large spreads were: 40 degrees in 1987 (83/43), 35 degrees in 1997 (68/33), 33 degrees in 2004 (70/37), 33 degrees last year (73/40) and 32 degrees in 1981 (75/43).

On the cool side, no means were at least 11 and a half degrees below normal, but there were some cooler temperatures. In 1996 the high was just 57, O'Hare's only sub-60 degree high for the date. Colder lows were 35 in 1983 and the record low of 33, occurring in 1997. The former record low of 34 occurred way back in 1888. The record coolest high of 44 was set way back in 1891. 15 of the last 30 lows were 40s. Four lows were in the colder 30s. 11 lows were in the warmer: 50s (6) and 60s (5).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 4:59 and sunrise was at 5:31. Sunset is at 20:09 and twilight ends at 20:41. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:58 and sunrise is at 5:30. There's a total of 14 hours, 38 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 42 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous, heading towards the last quarter tomorrow at 2:26. Illumination was 60% at midnight, will be 56% at noon and 51% at midnight tonight. Moon rise was at 1:21. Moon set was at 11:48. Moon rise is at 1:44 tomorrow. Moon set is at 12:51 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 27 minutes which is 36 minutes longer than yesterday.

Armed Forces Day is today. A sister of mine, Maria, celebrates a birthday today. National Maritime Day is in six days. Memorial Day is in nine days. -Bernie-

May 15: ORD

Today is May 15th. It's the 135th day of the year. 230 days remain. It's week 20 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 69 and the normal low is 47. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 69 and 48.

On the warm side, in 1998 the high was 86 with a low of 64. In 1991 the high was 87 with a low of 57, a 30 degree spread. In 1988 the high was 80 with a low of 63. In 2001 the high was 88 with a low of 55, a 33 degree spread. In 1982 the high was 85 with a low of 56. Two years ago the high was 80 with a low of 57. The record high of 91 and record warmest low of 71 were set on the same day in 1962. There's a fairly even distribution of highs over the last 30 years: 50s (7), 60s (9), 70s (8) and 80s (6).

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1971 the high was 83 with a low of 58, a warm day. In 1968 the high was 82 with a low of 60, a warm day. In 1965 the high was 81 with a low of 60, a warm day. In 1964 the high was 81 with a low of 45, a 36 degree spread. In 1962 the high was 89 with a low of 71, a hot day. 1962 was also the year of the record high and record warmest low.

More recently, we had large spreads of 35 degrees in 1992 (77/42) and 35 degrees in 2002 (75/40).

On the cool side, in 1997 the high was 51 with a low of 38. In 1983 the high was 53 with a low of 37. The other highs in the mid 50s were 54 in 2005, 55 in 2004, 57 in 2003 and 57 last year. The other 30s lows were 38 in 1984 and 39 in 2004. The record low of 35 was set way back in 1895. The record coolest high of 44 was set back in 1904. 17 of the last 30 lows were 40s. Four lows were in the colder 30s. Nine lows were in the warmer: 50s (7) and 60s (2).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:00 and sunrise was at 5:32. Sunset is at 20:08 and twilight ends at 20:40. Tomorrow twilight begins at 4:59 and sunrise is at 5:31. There's a total of 14 hours, 36 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 40 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous, heading towards the last quarter on Sunday. Illumination was 69% at midnight, will be 65% at noon and 60% at midnight tonight. Moon rise was at 0:54. Moon set was at 10:45. Moon rise is at 1:21 tomorrow. Moon set is at 11:48 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 51 minutes which is 31 minutes longer than yesterday.

Armed Forces Day is tomorrow. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday tomorrow. National Maritime Day is in a week. Memorial Day is in ten days. -Bernie-

May 14: ORD

Today is May 14th. It's the 134th day of the year. 231 days remain. It's week 20 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 69 and the normal low is 47. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 69 and 47.

On the warm side, in 1982 the high was the record of 92 degrees with a low of 60. In 1991 the high was 87 with a low of 60. Two years ago the high was 90 with a low of 56. In 1985 the high was 86 with a low of 54. Other 80s highs were 84 in 1987, 84 in 1998, 81 in 1988 and 80 in 1993. The record warmest low of 68 was set in 1962. 14 highs were in the 60s. On the warmer side, ten highs were: 70s (2), 80s (6) and 90s (2). On the cooler side, six highs were in the 50s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 48 with a low of 44, a four degree spread and cold day. In 1973 the high was 53 with a low of 34, a cool day. In 1968 the high was 78 with a low of 61, a warm day. In 1965 the high was 84 with a low of 46, a 38 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 68 with a low of 36, a 32 degree spread. In 1962 the high was 86 with a low of 67, a hot day and year of the record warmest low. In 1961 the high was 83 with a low of 60, a warm day. In 1960 the high was 77 with a low of 43, a 34 degree spread.

More recently, we had a small spread of five degrees in 1981 (50/45). The large spreads were: 42 degrees in 1988 (81/39), 37 degrees in 1993 (80/43), 33 degrees in 1984 (69/36), 32 degrees in 1998 (84/52) and 30 degrees in 1987 (84/54).

On the cool side, in 1981 the high was 50 with a low of 45. In 1996 the high was 57 with a low of 38. The other highs in the mid 50s were 55 in 1997 and 56 in 2006. The other 30s lows were 36 in 1984 and 39 in 1988. The record low of 32 and record coldest high of 40 were both set on the same day way back in 1895. 18 of the last 30 lows were 40s. Three lows were in the colder 30s. Nine lows were in the warmer: 50s (7) and 60s (2).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:01 and sunrise was at 5:33. Sunset is at 20:07 and twilight ends at 20:39. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:00 and sunrise is at 5:32. There's a total of 14 hours, 34 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 38 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous, heading towards the last quarter on Sunday. Illumination was 78% at midnight, will be 74% at noon and 69% at midnight tonight. Moon rise was at 0:23. Moon set was at 9:43. Moon rise is at 0:54 tomorrow. Moon set is at 10:45 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 20 minutes which is 38 minutes longer than yesterday.

Armed Forces Day is in two days. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in two days. National Maritime Day is in eight days. Memorial Day is in 11 days. -Bernie-

May 13: ORD

Today is May 13th. It's the 133rd day of the year. 232 days remain. It's week 19 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 69 and the normal low is 46. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 68 and 46.

On the warm side, in 1991 the high was the record of 89 degrees which tied the record set in 1956. The low was 64 in 1991. In 2004 the high was 78 with a low of 65. The only other 80s high was 86 in 1982. The only other 60s low was 61 in 1983. The record warmest low of 72 occurred in 1956. 28 highs were in the: 50s (7), 60s (10) and 70s (11). On the warmer side, two highs were in the 40s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 82 with a low of 57, a warm day. In 1975 the high was 73 with a low of 37, a 36 degree spread. In 1971 the high was 73 with a low of 37, a 36 degree spread. In 1968 the high was 77 with a low of 43, a 34 degree spread. In 1966 the high was 44 with a low of 40, a four degree spread and cold day. In 1964 the high was 51 with a low of 40, a cool day. In 1962 the high was 84 with a low of 57, a warm day. In 1961 the high was 86 with a low of 61, a hot day.

More recently, we had a small spread of five degrees in 1999 (53/48). The large spreads were: 38 degrees in 1987 (78/40), 35 degrees in 1982 (86/51), 33 degrees last year (73/40), 32 degrees in 1984 (72/40) and 31 degrees in 2001 (68/37).

On the cool side, in 1996 the high was 56 with the record low of 34. The record low also occurred way back in 1888. A decade later (and three years ago), the high was 50 with a low of 42. The other 30s lows were 37 in 2001 and 39 in 1997. The other cool highs were 53 in 1999, 55 in 1997, 56 in 2002 and 57 in 1993. Just outside the cool zone, the high was 59 in 1989. The record coldest high of 41 was set way back in 1883. 21 of the last 30 lows were 40s. Three lows were in the colder 30s. Six lows were in the warmer: 50s (3) and 60s (3).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:02 and sunrise was at 5:34. Sunset is at 20:06 and twilight ends at 20:38. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:01 and sunrise is at 5:33. There's a total of 14 hours, 32 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 36 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous, heading towards the last quarter on Sunday. Illumination was 85% at midnight, will be 81% at noon and 78% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 8:42. Moon rise is at 0:23 tomorrow. Moon set is at 9:43 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 42 minutes which is 44 minutes longer than yesterday.

Armed Forces Day is in three days. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in three days. National Maritime Day is in nine days. Memorial Day is in 12 days. -Bernie-

May 12: ORD

Today is May 12th. It's the 132nd day of the year. 233 days remain. It's week 19 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 68 and the normal low is 46. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 67 and 47.

On the warm side, in 2004 the high was 85 degrees with the record warmest low of 66. In 1991 the high was 84 with a low of 63. In 2000 the high was 85 with a low of 60. In 1992 the high was 77 with a low of 62. Other 80s highs were 84 in 1993, 81 in 1982, 80 in 1988 and 80 in 1985. The only upper 70s high was 79 in 1998. The record high of 92 occurred in 1956. 29 highs were in the: 50s (8), 60s (8), 70s (6) and 80s (7). On the cooler side, one high was in the 40s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1974 the high was 55 with a low of 48, a seven degree spread. In 1970 the high was 81 with a low of 49, a 32 degree spread. In 1968 the high was 77 with a low of 46, a 31 degree spread. In 1967 the high was 52 with a low of 38, a cool day. In 1966 the high was 44 with a low of 40, a four degree spread and cold day. In 1965 the high was 81 with a low of 47, a 34 degree spread. In 1961 the high was 83 with a low of 50, a 33 degree spread.

More recently, we had large spreads of 43 degrees in 1993 (84/41), 32 degrees in 1998 (79/47), 31 degrees in 1981 (62/31) and 30 degrees in 1982 (81/51).

On the cool side, in 2006 the high was 47 with a low of 36. A decade earlier, in 1996, the high was 50 with a low of 35. The other 30s lows were the record low of 31 in 1981, 38 in 1989 and 38 in 2001. The other cool highs (lower and mid 50s) were: 50 in 2002, 54 in 1979, 55 in 1990, 55 in 2005 and 56 last year. The record coldest high of 44 was set way back in 1882. 16 of the last 30 lows were 40s. Five lows were in the colder 30s. Nine lows were in the warmer: 50s (5) and 60s (4).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:03 and sunrise was at 5:35. Sunset is at 20:05 and twilight ends at 20:37. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:02 and sunrise is at 5:34. There's a total of 14 hours, 30 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 34 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous, heading towards the last quarter on Sunday. Illumination was 91% at midnight, will be 88% at noon and 85% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 7:44. Moon rise is at 23:46 and moon set is at 8:42 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 7 hours, 58 minutes which is 8 minutes longer than yesterday.

Armed Forces Day is in four days. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in four days. National Maritime Day is in ten days. Memorial Day is in 13 days. -Bernie-

May 11: ORD

Today is May 11th. It's the 131st day of the year. 234 days remain. It's week 19 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 68 and the normal low is 46. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 71 and 48.

On the warm side, in 1982 the high was a record 89 degrees with a low of 58, a 31 degree spread. Three years later, in 1985, the high was 87 with a low of 60. In 1992 the high was 84 with a low of 61. Five years prior, in 1987, the high was 88 with a low of 53, a 35 degree spread. In 1991 the high was 85 with a low of 56. Other 80s highs were 82 in 2004 and 80 in 1986. Six of the highs in the 80s occurred between 1982 and 1992. 2004 was the lone exception. Another upper 50s low was 58 in 2000. The record warmest low of 70 occurred way back in 1881. 25 highs were in the: 60s (7), 70s (11) and 80s (7). On the cooler side, five highs were in the: 40s (1) and 50s (4).

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 66 with a low of 59, a seven degree spread. In 1977 the high was 73 with a low of 39, a 34 degree spread. In 1972 the high was 73 with a low of 42, a 31 degree spread. In 1971 the high was 74 with a low of 44, a 30 degree spread. In 1966 the high was 45 with a low of 34, a cold day. In 1961 the high was 77 with a low of 44, a 33 degree spread. In 1960 the high was 46 with a low of 37, a cold day.

More recently, we had large spreads of 30 degrees in 1986 (80/50), 30 degrees in 1988 (75/45) and 33 degrees in 1983 (73/40).

On the cool side, in 1981 the high was 45 with the record low of 33. 15 years later, in 1996, the high was 52 with a low of 38. The other 30s lows were 38 in 2006, 37 in 1990 and 36 in 1989. The record coldest high of 41 was set way back in 1907. 23 of the last 30 lows were: 40s (12) and 50s (11). Five lows were in the colder 30s. Two lows were in the warmer 60s.

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. In 1966, O'Hare recorded 1.6 inches of snow. Rockford had an inch.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:05 and sunrise was at 5:36. Sunset is at 20:04 and twilight ends at 20:36. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:03 and sunrise is at 5:35. There's a total of 14 hours, 28 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 31 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous, having reached the full Flower moon three nights ago at 23:01. Illumination was 96% at midnight, will be 94% at noon and 91% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 6:51. Moon rise is at 23:01 and moon set is at 7:44 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 7 hours, 50 minutes which is 7 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Armed Forces Day is in five days. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in five days. National Maritime Day is in 11 days. Memorial Day is in two weeks. -Bernie-

May 10: ORD

Today is May 10th. It's the 130th day of the year. 235 days remain. It's week 19 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 68 and the normal low is 45. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 72 and 48.

On the warm side, in 1979 the high was 90 degrees with a low of 67. The record high of 89 occurred way back in 1896. Keep in mind, O'Hare was not the official station of record for Chicago in 1979. This is why that high of 90 is not considered the record. In 1979 Midway was the official station of record and the high was 86 there. In 1987 the high was 88 with a low of 61. That high of 88 fell a degree short of tying the record high. In 1993 the high was 87 with a low of 62. In 2005 the high was 82 with a low of 60, a 36 degree spread. A year earlier, in 2004, the high was 84 with a low of 56. Two years ago the temperatures repeated, as the high was 84 with a low of 56. In 1982 the high was 86 with a low of 53, a 33 degree spread. In 2001 the high was 81 with a low of 58. Other 80s highs were 83 in 1992 and 82 in 1985. The record warmest low of 69 was set way back in 1896, part of that scorching record-high day. 26 highs were in the: 60s (9), 70s (8) and 80s (9). On the warmer side, one high was in the 90s. On the cooler side, three highs were in the: 30s (1) and 50s (2). There have been no highs in the 40s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 72 with a low of 41, a 31 degree spread. In 1977 the high was 62 with a low of 31, a 31 degree spread. In 1975 the high was 75 with a low of 45, a 30 degree spread. In 1972 the high was 67 with a low of 35, a 32 degree spread. In 1971 the high was 73 with a low of 42, a 31 degree spread. In 1970 the high was 77 with a low of 58, a warm day. In 1966 the high was 52 with a low of 24, a cold day. In 1960 the high was 39 with a low of 37, a two degree spread and cold day. That high of 39 ties the record coldest high, but unofficially. In 1959 the high was 82 with a low of 61, a warm day.

More recently, we had a small spread of five degrees in 1995 (54/49). The large spreads were: 42 degrees in 1983 (70/28), 32 degrees in 1999 (74/42), 31 degrees in 1984 (68/37) and 30 degrees in 1985 (82/52).

On the cool side, in 1981 the high was the record coldest high of 39 with a low of 35, a four degree spread. In 1990 the high was 50 with a low of 36. Another cold low was 28 in 1983. The other 30s lows were 37 in 1984, 38 last year, 39 in 1989 and 39 in 1996. The only other 50s high was 54 in 1995. The record low of 28 was set in 1983, the year of our biggest spread (see previous section). 19 of the last 30 lows were: 40s (11) and 50s (8). Seven lows were in the colder: 20s (1) and 30s (6). Four lows were in the warmer 60s.

Today is not a major day in Chicago's snow history. Stay tuned, for in one day we had what was our last snow event for the Spring. However, Tom Skilling answered a question from someone who's mother remembered snow on a Mother's Day. Skilling said that back in 1954 Midway recorded a trace of snow on a chilly, rainy day. The low that day was 36 but some suburban areas were near freezing. Skilling pointed out that two years later, in 1956, the high was 89 and this was the warmest Mother's Day. Keep in mind that the first Mother's Day was in 1914.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:06 and sunrise was at 5:37. Sunset is at 20:03 and twilight ends at 20:34. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:05 and sunrise is at 5:36. There's a total of 14 hours, 26 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 28 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous, having reached the full Flower moon two nights ago at 23:01. Illumination was 99% at midnight, will be 97% at noon and 96% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 6:05. Moon rise is at 22:08 and moon set is at 6:51 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 7 hours, 57 minutes which is 21 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Mother's Day is today. Armed Forces Day is in six days. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in six days. National Maritime Day is in 12 days. Memorial Day is in 15 days. -Bernie-

May 9: ORD

Today is May 9th. It's the 129th day of the year. 236 days remain. It's week 19 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 67 and the normal low is 45. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 72 and 48.

On the warm side, in 1979 the high was a near-record 89 degrees with a low of 69. In 1993 the high was 87 with a low of 60. In 1987 the high was 85 with a low of 55, a 30 degree spread. In 2004 the high was 88 with a low of 52, a 36 degree spread. A year later in 2005, the high was 77 with a low of 62. Two years prior, in 2003, the high was 84 with a low of 54, a 30 degree spread. Two years ago the high was 77 with a low of 61. Other 80s highs were 81 in 1985 and 80 in 2001. The record high of 94 and record warmest low of 69 were set on the same day back in 1934. O'Hare also had a low of 69 in 1979, but at the time O'Hare was not the official station of record for Chicago. Midway had a low of 67 in 1979 and furthermore, O'Hare's low was also 67 in 1965. 12 highs were in the 70s. On the warmer side, seven highs were in the 80s. On the cooler side, 11 highs were in the: 50s (4) and 60s (7).

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 51 with a low of 32, a cool day. In 1974 the high was 49 with a low of 37, a cold day. In 1970 the high was 78 with a low of 61, a warm day. In 1966 the high was 44 with a low of 27, a cold day. 1966 was also the year of the record coolest high (42 at Midway). In 1965 the high was 82 with a low of 67, a warm day. In 1963 the high was 86 with a low of 55, a 31 degree spread and hot day. In 1960 the high was 41 with a low of 36, a five degree spread. That high of 41 was actually colder than the record coldest high, but keep in mind, O'Hare was not the official station of record for Chicago in 1960.

More recently, we had large spreads of 34 degrees in 1981 (72/38) and 30 degrees in 1982 (76/46).

On the cool side, in 1983 the high was 55 with the record low of 27. All of the coldest temperatures happened in four of the five years from 1980 to 1984. Besides that record low in 1983, lows were 35 in 1980, 38 in 1981 and 37 in 1984. 1982 ranks as one of the warmer days (see prior section). The record coolest high of 42 was set in 1966. 22 of the last 30 lows were 40s (11) and 50s (11). Four lows were in the colder: 20s (1) and 30s (3). Four lows were in the warmer 60s.

Today is not a major day in Chicago's snow history. Stay tuned, for in two days we had what was our last snow event for the Spring.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:07 and sunrise is at 5:38. Sunset is at 20:02 and twilight ends at 20:33. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:06 and sunrise is at 5:37. There's a total of 14 hours, 24 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 26 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous, having reached the full Flower moon last night at 23:01. Illumination was 100% at midnight, will be 99% at noon and 99% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 5:26. Moon rise is at 21:08 and moon set is at 6:05 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 18 minutes which is 32 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Mother's Day is tomorrow. Armed Forces Day is in seven days. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in seven days. National Maritime Day is in 13 days. Memorial Day is in 16 days. -Bernie-

May 8: ORD

Today is May 8th. It's the 128th day of the year. 237 days remain. It's week 19 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 67 and the normal low is 45. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 70 and 48.

On the warm side, in 1979 the high was a near-record 90 degrees with an above-record low of 68. The record warmest low is 67, set in 1963 at Midway. The 68 degree low at O'Hare is not the official reading of record for Chicago since O'Hare was not the official station of record in 1979; Midway was. In 2000 the high was 85 with a near-record low of 66. In 1993 the high was 85 with a low of 59. In 1990 the high was 81 with a low of 60. In 1988 the high was 85 with a low of 52, a 33 degree spread. To complete the listing of days of 11.5 or more degrees above normal mean, two years ago the high was 82 with a low of 54. Other 80s highs were 84 in 2004 and 85 in 2005. The only other mid 70s high was 76 in 2001. There were two other lows in the 50s: 52 in 1998 and 51 in 1997. The record high of 91 was set in 1963. 1963 was a scorchingly hot day as it's mean was 22 and a half degrees above normal. 24 of the last 30 highs were: 60s (9), 70s (8) and 70s (7). On the warmer side, one high was in the 90s. On the cooler side, one high was in the 40s and five highs were in the 50s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 70 with a low of 34, a 36 degree spread. In 1976 the high was 64 with a low of 34, a 30 degree spread. In 1974 the high was 45 with a low of 42, a three degree spread and cool day. In 1972 the high was 44 with a low of 39, a five degree spread and cool day. In 1971 the high was 74 with a low of 41, a 33 degree spread. In 1970 the high was 86 with a low of 63, a hot day. In 1968 the high was 78 with a low of 57, a warm day. In 1966 the high was 45 with a low of 35, a cool day. In 1965 the high was 83 with a low of 61, a warm day. In 1964 the high was 79 with a low of 61, a warm day. In 1963 the high was 90 with a low of 67, a hot day. In 1960 the high was 41 with a low of 35, a six degree spread.

More recently, we had large spreads of 31 degrees in 1981 (63/32), 32 degrees in 1992 (72/40), 35 degrees in 2004 (84/49) and 42 degrees in 2005 (85/43).

On the cool side, in 1983 the high was 48 with the record low of 29. The year later, 1984, the high was 51 with a low of 38. Another cold low was 32 in 1981. The only other 30s low was 39 in 1994. Another cool high was 54 in 1980. The record coolest high of 42 was set in 1960. 18 of the last 30 lows were 40s. Four lows were in the colder: 20s (1) and 30s (3). Eight lows were in the warmer: 50s (5) and 60s (3).

Today is not a major day in Chicago's snow history. Stay tuned, for in three days we had what was our last snow event for the Spring.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:08 and sunrise is at 5:40. Sunset is at 20:01 and twilight ends at 20:32. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:07 and sunrise is at 5:38. There's a total of 14 hours, 21 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 24 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Flower moon tonight at 23:01. Illumination was 99% at midnight, will be 100% at noon and 100% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 4:53. Moon rise is at 20:03 and moon set is at 5:26 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 50 minutes which is 39 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Mother's Day is in two days. Armed Forces Day is in eight days. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in eight days. National Maritime Day is in two weeks. Memorial Day is in 17 days. -Bernie-

May 7: ORD

Today is May 7th. It's the 127th day of the year. 238 days remain. It's week 19 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 67 and the normal low is 44. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 67 and 46.

On the warm side, in 2000 the high was 77 with a low of 64. In 1979 the high was 81 with a low of 57. In 1993 the high was 78 with a low of 55. Other 80s highs were 84 in 1988 and 83 two years ago. Other mid 70s highs were 75 in 1990, 75 in 1995 and 73 in 1985. There were three other lows in the mid 50s: 55 in 1998, 53 in 1999 and 53 in 2001. The record high of 87 was set in 1964 and the record warmest low of 68 was set way back in 1880. 27 of the last 30 highs were: 50s (9), 60s (8) and 70s (10). On the warmer side, three highs were 80s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 52 with a low of 33, a cool day. In 1974 the high was 54 with a low of 32, a cool day. In 1973 the high was 60 with a low of 53, a seven degree spread. In 1972 the high was 47 with a low of 42, a five degree spread. In 1970 the high was 78 with a low of 38, a 40 degree spread. In 1969 the high was 76 with a low of 58, a warm day. In 1966 the high was 73 with a low of 35, a 38 degree spread. In 1965 the high was 83 with a low of 61, a warm day. In 1964 the high was 85 with a low of 61, the year of the current record high (87 at Midway) and a warm day. In 1963 the high was 81 with a low of 49, a 32 degree spread and warm day. In 1960 the high was 51 with a low of 36, a cool day.

More recently, we had small spreads of four degrees in 1998 (59/55) and five degrees in 1999 (58/53). The large spreads were 44 degrees in 1988 (84/40), 37 degrees in 1992 (71/34), 36 degrees two years ago (83/47), 35 degrees in 1985 (73/38) and 34 degrees three years ago (71/37).

On the cool side, in 1989 the high was 57 with the record low of 29. Another cold low was 32 in 1981. Other cool highs were 53 in 1994 and 55 in 2004. The record coolest high of 43 occurred in 1931. 14 of the last 30 lows were 40s. Seven lows were in the colder: 20s (1) and 30s (6). Nine lows were in the warmer: 50s (8) and 60s (1).

Today is not a major day in Chicago's snow history. Stay tuned, for in four days we had what was our last snow event for the Spring.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:10 and sunrise is at 5:41. Sunset is at 20:00 and twilight ends at 20:31. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:08 and sunrise is at 5:40. There's a total of 14 hours, 19 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 21 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Flower moon tomorrow at 23:01. Illumination was 96% at midnight, will be 98% at noon and 99% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 4:25. Moon rise is at 18:56 and moon set is at 4:53 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 29 minutes which is 43 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Mother's Day is in three days. Armed Forces Day is in nine days. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in nine days. National Maritime Day is in 15 days. Memorial Day is in 18 days. -Bernie-

May 6: ORD

Today is May 6th. It's the 126th day of the year. 239 days remain. It's week 18 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 67 and the normal low is 44. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 70 and 46.

On the warm side, in 2000 the high was 86 with a low of 62. In 1986 the high was 84 with a low of 63. In 2004 the high was 83 with a low of 55. In 1982 the high was 82 with a low of 54. In 1998 the high was 77 with a low of 58. In 2002 the high was 75 with a low of 60. Last year the high was 81. The other upper 70s highs were 78 in 1993, 77 in 1988 and 77 in 1983. There were two other lows in the mid 50s: 54 in both 1979 and 2001. The record high of 91 was set in 1949 and the record warmest low of 66 was set in 1965. 13 of the last 30 highs were 70s. On the warmer side, five highs were 80s. 12 highs were in the cooler: 40s (2), 50s (5) and 60s (5).

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 43 with a low of 35, a cold day. In 1974 the high was 51 with a low of 36, a cool day. In 1970 the high was 51 with a low of 34, a cool day. In 1969 the high was 78 with a low of 63, a warm day. In 1968 the high was 61 with a low of 31, a 30 degree spread. In 1966 the high was 70 with a low of 40, a 30 degree spread. In 1965 the high was 77 with a low of just 66, a warm day. In 1964 the high was 77 with a low of just 65, a warm day. In 1963 the high was 69 with a low of 38, a 31 degree spread. In 1959 the high was 85 with a low of 53, a 32 degree spread and warm day.

More recently, we had a small spread of six degrees in 1991 (48/42). The large spreads were 36 degrees in 1987 (76/40), 35 degrees last year (81/46), 33 degrees in 1993 (78/45), 33 degrees in 1995 (72/39), 32 degrees in 1980 (73/41), 32 degrees in 1988 (77/45) and 31 degrees in 1983 (77/46).

On the cool side, in 1989 we had our record coolest high of 42 with a near-record low of 31. The record low of 30 was set in 1992. In 1981 the high was 50 with a low of 36. Other cool highs were 48 in 1991, 53 in 1996 and 54 in 1994. 14 of the last 30 lows were 40s. Six lows were in the colder 30s. Ten lows were in the warmer: 50s (7) and 60s (3).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. Twenty years ago (1989) we had half an inch of snow at O'Hare. Rockford had but a trace. But this was not the last event. Stay tuned, for in five days we had an event.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:11 and sunrise is at 5:42. Sunset is at 19:58 and twilight ends at 20:30. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:10 and sunrise is at 5:41. There's a total of 14 hours, 16 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 19 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Flower moon in two days at 23:01. Illumination was 91% at midnight, will be 94% at noon and 96% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 4:00. Moon rise is at 17:48 and moon set is at 4:25 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 12 minutes which is 45 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Mother's Day is in four days. Armed Forces Day is in ten days. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in ten days. National Maritime Day is in 16 days. Memorial Day is in 19 days. -Bernie-

May 5: ORD

Today is May 5th. It's the 125th day of the year. 240 days remain. It's week 18 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 66 and the normal low is 44. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 69 and 46.

On the warm side, in 1982 the high was 88 with a low of 61. In 2000 the high was 84 with a warmest (but not record) low of 64. Two decades earlier, in 1980, the high was 88 with a low of 52, a 36 degree spread. In 1999 we had our only upper 70s high of 78 with a low of 61. In 1986 the high was 80 with a low of 58. The only upper 50s low was 57 in 1985. The record high of 94 was set in 1949 and the record warmest low of 70 was set a decade later in 1959. 22 of the last 30 highs were: 60s (14) and 70s (8). On the warmer side, four highs were 80s. Four highs were in the cooler 40s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1978 the high was 43 with a low of 37, a six degree spread and cold day. In 1977 the high was 79 with a low of 59, a warm day. In 1976 the high was 78 with a low of 42, a 36 degree spread and warm day. In 1969 the high was 77 with a low of 60, a warm day. In 1968 the high was 53 with a low of 34, a cool day. In 1967 the high was 52 with a low of 32, a cool day. In 1966 the high was 83 with a low of 55, a warm day. In 1965 the high was 77 with a low of 47, a 30 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 83 with a low of 64, a warm day. In 1962 the high was 83 with a low of 60, a warm day. In 1960 the high was 77 with a low of 61, a warm day. In 1959 the high was 92 with a low of 70, a hot day. And although 1959 was NOT the year of the record high (94 in 1949), it was the year of the record warmest low (70 also at Midway).

More recently, we had large spreads of 32 degrees in 1995 (72/40) and 30 degrees in 1988 (70/40).

On the cool side, in 1992 we had our coolest high of 52 with the record low of 32. The other 50s highs were 57 in 1996, 58 in 2006 and 59 in 1989. The record coldest high of 43 was set at Midway in 1978. 20 of the last 30 lows were: 40s (11) and 50s (9). Seven lows were in the colder 30s. Three lows were in the warmer 60s.

Today is not a major day in Chicago's snow history. Stay tuned for an event that occurred tomorrow and 20 years ago!

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:12 and sunrise is at 5:43. Sunset is at 19:57 and twilight ends at 20:28. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:11 and sunrise is at 5:42. There's a total of 14 hours, 14 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 16 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Flower moon in three days at 23:01. Illumination was 84% at midnight, will be 88% at noon and 91% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 3:37. Moon rise is at 16:40 and moon set is at 4:00 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 47 minutes which is 47 minutes shorter than yesterday.

National Teacher Day is today. Mother's Day is in five days. Armed Forces Day is in 11 days. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in 11 days. National Maritime Day is in 17 days. Memorial Day is in 20 days. -Bernie-

May 4: ORD

Today is May 4th. It's the 124th day of the year. 241 days remain. It's week 18 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 66 and the normal low is 43. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 66 and 44.

On the warm side, in 2000 the high was 81 with a low of 63. In 1981 the high was 78 with a low of 59. A year earlier, in 1980, the high was 86 with a low of 49, a 37 degree spread. A couple of years later, in 1982, the high was 83 with a low of 51, a 32 degree spread. In 1999 the high was 81 with a low of 53. The record high of 92 occurred in 1952 and the record warmest low of 66 occurred three years later in 1955. 21 of the last 30 highs were: 50s (8) and 60s (13). On the warmer side, eight highs were: 70s (4) and 80s (4). One high was in the cooler 40s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1976 the high was 68 with a low of 36, a 32 degree spread. In 1969 the high was 83 with a low of 52, a 31 degree spread and warm day. In 1967 the high was 43 with a low of 33, a cool day. In 1966 the high was 62 with a low of 32, a 30 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 82 with a low of 60, a warm day. In 1962 the high was 83 with a low of 55, a warm day. In 1960 the high was 80 with a low of 54, another warm day. In 1959 the high was 90 with a low of 64, a hot day.

More recently, we had a small spread of six degrees in 1990 (49/43). The large spreads were 35 degrees in 2002 (69/34) and 30 degrees in 1994 (66/36).

On the cool side, there have been no days of a mean that was at least 12 degrees below normal. However, we have had some cool highs over the years: 49 in 1990, 54 in 1992 and 54 in 1996. The cold lows were 33 in 2005 and 34 in 2002. The record low of 32 was set in 1954. The record coldest high of 41 was set back in 1907. 24 of the last 30 lows were: 30s (11) and 40s (13). Six lows were in the warmer: 50s (5) and 60s (1).

Today is not a major day in Chicago's snow history. Stay tuned for an event that occurred two days from now and 20 years ago!

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:14 and sunrise is at 5:45. Sunset is at 19:56 and twilight ends at 20:27. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:12 and sunrise is at 5:43. There's a total of 14 hours, 11 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 13 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 75% at midnight, will be 80% at noon and 84% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 3:15. Moon rise is at 15:31 and moon set is at 3:37 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 44 minutes which is 45 minutes shorter than yesterday.

National Teacher Day is tomorrow. Mother's Day is in six days. Armed Forces Day is in 12 days. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in 12 days. National Maritime Day is in 18 days. Memorial Day is in three weeks. -Bernie-

May 3: ORD

Today is May 3rd. It's the 123rd day of the year. 242 days remain. It's week 18 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 66 and the normal low is 42. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 64 and 42.

On the warm side, in 2001 the high was 86 (our only 80s high) with a low of 58. Other warm highs were 79 in 1982, 78 in 1981, 78 in 1999, 77 in 2000 and 76 in 1980. Another warm low was 57 in 1993. The record high of 92 occurred in 1955 and the record warmest low of 68 occurred four years later in 1959. 14 of the last 30 highs were 50s. On the warmer side, 16 highs were: 60s (7), 70s (8) and 80s (1).

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1970 the high was 73 with a low of 38, a 35 degree spread. In 1969 the high was 82 with a low of 52, a 30 degree spread and warm day. In 1967 the high was 50 with a low of 31, a cool day. In 1965 the high was 82 with a low of 48, a 34 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 80 with a low of 49, a 31 degree spread. In 1962 the high was 77 with a low of 45, a 32 degree spread. In 1959 the high was 89 with a low of 67, a hot day.

More recently, we had a small spread of seven degrees in 1998 (56/49). The large spreads were 37 degrees in 1985 (71/34), 33 degrees in 1980 (76/43), 33 degrees in 1982 (79/46) and 30 degrees in 1981 (78/48).

On the cool side, in 2004 the high was 54 with the record low of 30. The former record low of 32 occurred in 1971. The year later, 2005, the high was 52 with a low of 33. Other cool highs were 50 in 1987, 51 in 1983, 53 in 1984 and 53 in 2002. The record coldest high of 41 was set back in 1935. 27 of the last 30 lows were: 30s (12) and 40s (15). Three lows were in the warmer 50s.

Today is not a major day in Chicago's snow history. Stay tuned for an event that occurred three days from now and 20 years ago!

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:15 and sunrise is at 5:46. Sunset is at 19:55 and twilight ends at 20:26. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:14 and sunrise is at 5:45. There's a total of 14 hours, 9 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 11 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous and reached first quarter two days ago at 15:44. Illumination was 65% at midnight, will be 71% at noon and 75% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 2:51. Moon rise is at 14:22 and moon set is at 3:15 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 29 minutes which is 45 minutes shorter than yesterday.

National Teacher Day is in two days. Mother's Day is in a week. Armed Forces Day is in 13 days. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in 13 days. National Maritime Day is in 19 days. Memorial Day is in 22 days. -Bernie-

May 2: ORD

Today is May 2nd. It's the 122nd day of the year. 243 days remain. It's week 18 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 66 and the normal low is 42. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 64 and 43.

On the warm side, in 2001 the high was 81 with the record warmest low of 65. The warmer 70s highs were 76 in 1982, 76 in 1992, 75 in 1980, 75 in 1988 and 74 last year. The record high of 91 occurred in 1959. 28 of the last 30 highs were: 50s (11), 60s (7) and 70s (10). On the warmer side, one high was in the 80s. On the cooler side, one high was in the 40s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1978 the high was 55 with a low of 29, note the cold low! In 1971 the high was 50 with a low of 35, a cool day. In 1970 the high was 46 with a low of 39, another cool day. In 1969 the high was 84 with a low of 55, a warm day. In 1968 the high was 85 with a low of 35, a huge 50 degree spread. In 1967 the high was 49 with a low of 36, yet another cool one. In 1966 the high was 58 with a low of 28, a 30 degree spread and just a degree above the record low. In 1965 the high was 84 with a low of 49, a 35 degree spread and warm day. In 1959 the high was 89 with a low of 61, a hot day. And yes, 1959 (see above) was the year of the record high.

More recently, we had no small spreads. The large spreads were 38 degrees in 1982 (76/38), 36 degrees in 1988 (75/39), 31 degrees in 1999 (73/42), 31 degrees in 1980 (75/44) and 30 degrees in 1990 (68/38).

On the cool side, in 2005 the high was 44 with a low of 35. That high of 44 was the only high below 50 at O'Hare since at least 1979. The year earlier, 2004, the high was 51 with a low of 32. Other cool highs were 50 in 1989, 53 in 2002, 53 in 2003 and 54 in 1997. The record low of 27 was set way back in 1875. The record coldest high of 37 was set back in 1940. 24 of the last 30 lows were: 30s (9) and 40s (15). Six lows were in the warmer: 50s (5) and 60s (1).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. 1940 holds the record for the latest two inches or more. According to the record, 2.2 inches of snow fell in Chicago between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. There is no indication of how much fell on what day. Tom Skilling says that 3.7 inches fell at the University of Chicago on the 1st and 2nd. Rockford had a total of 2 inches of snow (1.5 on the 1st and 0.5 on the 2nd).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:17 and sunrise is at 5:47. Sunset is at 19:54 and twilight ends at 20:25. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:15 and sunrise is at 5:46. There's a total of 14 hours, 7 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 8 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous and reached first quarter yesterday at 15:44. Illumination was 54% at midnight, will be 60% at noon and 65% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 2:24. Moon rise is at 13:10 and moon set is at 2:51 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 14 minutes which is 43 minutes shorter than yesterday.

National Teacher Day is in three days. Mother's Day is in eight days. Armed Forces Day is in two weeks. A sister of mine, Maria, will celebrate a birthday in two weeks. National Maritime Day is in 20 days. Memorial Day is in 23 days. -Bernie-

May 1: ORD

Today is May 1st. It's the 121st day of the year. 244 days remain. It's week 18 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 65 and the normal low is 42. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 63 and 42.

On the warm side, in 2001 the high was 83 with a low of 62. Six years later, in 2007, the high was 83 with a low of 50, a 33 degree spread. In 1992 the high was 88 with a low of 41, a huge 47 degree spread. The warmest 70s high was 74 last year. Another warm low was 54 in 2006. The record high of 90 occurred in 1951. The record warmest low of 68 was set way back in 1899. 21 of the last 30 highs were: 50s (10) and 60s (11). On the warmer side, seven highs were: 70s (4) and 80s (3). On the cooler side, two highs were in the 40s.

In looking back through the years to the first May at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: in 1978 the high was 49 with a low of 32, a cool day. In 1973 the high was 75 with a low of 60, a warm day. In 1966 the high was 48 with a low of 31, another cool day. In 1965 the high was 87 with a low of 44, a huge 43 degree spread and warm day.

More recently, we had a small spreads of five degrees in 2004 (48/43) and in 2006 (59/54). The large spreads were 33 degrees in 1999 (72/39), 32 degrees in 1987 (70/38) and 31 degrees in 1988 (68/37).

On the cool side, no days were significantly below normal (11.5 degrees or more below normal mean). However, the record low of 30 occurred in 1979. The cool highs were 48 in 2004, 49 in 2005 and 53 in 1995. The record coldest high of 38 was set back in 1909. 26 of the last 30 lows were: 30s (12) and 40s (14). Four lows were in the warmer: 50s (3) and 60s (1).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. 1940 holds the record for the latest two inches or more. According to the record, 2.2 inches of snow fell in Chicago between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. There is no indication of how much fell on what day. Tom Skilling says that 3.7 inches fell at the University of Chicago on the 1st and 2nd. Rockford had a total of 2 inches of snow (1.5 on the 1st and 0.5 on the 2nd).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:18 and sunrise is at 5:49. Sunset is at 19:53 and twilight ends at 20:24. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:17 and sunrise is at 5:47. There's a total of 14 hours, 4 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 6 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent and reaches first quarter today at 15:44. Illumination was 43% at midnight, will be 49% at noon and 54% at midnight tonight. Moon set was at 1:53. Moon rise is at 11:56 and moon set is at 2:24 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 57 minutes which is 37 minutes shorter than yesterday.

National Teacher Day is in four days. Mother's Day is in nine days. -Bernie-