August 19: ORD

Today is August 19th. It's the 231st day of the year. 134 days remain. It's week 33 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 81 and the normal low is 62. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 80 and 62.

On the hot side, in 1983 the high was the record high of 99 with a low of 71. The only other 90s high was 91 in 1980. There were three other lows in the 70s: 72 in 1995, 71 in 1993 and 70 in 1988. The record warmest low of 82 occurred back in 1916. Over the last 30 years, 27 highs were: 70s (13) and 80s (14). Two highs were in the warmer 90s and one high was in the cooler 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1968 the high was 91 with a low of 75, a hot day. In 1967 the high was 64 with a low of 57, a seven degree spread. In 1964 the high was 82 with a low of 49, a 33 degree spread. That low of 49 is cooler than the record low. In 1959 the high was 92.

More recently, there were small spreads of four degrees in 1988 (74/70) and six degrees two years ago (68/62).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest temperature was the record low of 51 in 1992. The coolest high was 68 two years ago. You have to go all the way back to 1967 to find the previous sub-70 degree high of 64 degrees. On that day in 1967 we also had 0.52 inches of rain. The record coolest high of 62 was set way back in 1897. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Over the last 30 years, 26 lows were: 50s (12) and 60s (14). Four lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight is at 5:35 and sunrise is at 6:05. Sunset is at 19:48 and twilight ends at 20:18. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:36 and sunrise is at 6:06. There's a total of 13 hours, 43 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 43 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent and will be new tomorrow at 5:02. Illumination was 2% at midnight, will be 1% at noon and 0% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 5:01 this morning. Moonset is at 19:18 this evening. Moonrise is at 6:21 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 17 minutes which is 48 minutes shorter than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, is 77 today. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary tomorrow. Labor Day is in 19 days. Patriot Day is in 23 days. -Bernie-

August 18: ORD

Today is August 18th. It's the 230th day of the year. 135 days remain. It's week 33 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 81 and the normal low is 62. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 80 and 62.

On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. There were two highs in the 90s: 91 in 1990 and 90 in 1995. There were five 70s lows. The warmest was 73 in 1995. The record high of 98 was set in 1947 and the record warmest low of 79 occurred in 1972. Over the last 30 years, 26 highs were: 70s (14) and 80s (12). Two highs were in the warmer 90s and one high was in the cooler 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1972 the high was 93 with a low of 76, a hot day. In 1963 the high was 69 with a low of 42, a cool day. That low of 42 is cooler than the record low. In 1962 the high was 82 with a low of 48, a 34 degree spread. That low of 48 is cooler than the record low. In 1961 the high was 87 with a low of 56, a 31 degree spread. In 1960 the high was 92.

More recently, there was a large spread of 30 degrees in 1982 (83/53).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest temperature was 51 in 1981. The record low of 49 was set in 1963. The coolest high was 68 two years ago. You have to go all the way back to 1963 to find the previous sub-70 degree high of 69 degrees. On that day in 1963 the low was 42, the lowest temperature of August 1963. It was also 69 on the prior day, August 17, 1963. The record coolest high of 65 was set in 1950. Over the last 30 years, 24 lows were: 50s (11) and 60s (13). Five lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight is at 5:34 and sunrise is at 6:04. Sunset is at 19:49 and twilight ends at 20:19. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:35 and sunrise is at 6:05. There's a total of 13 hours, 45 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 45 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, heading towards new in two days at 5:02. Illumination was 7% at midnight, will be 4% at noon and 2% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 3:40 this morning. Moonset is at 18:45 this evening. Moonrise is at 5:01 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 5 minutes which is 40 minutes shorter than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 tomorrow. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary in two days. Labor Day is in 20 days. Patriot Day is in 24 days. -Bernie-

August 17: ORD

Today is August 17th. It's the 229th day of the year. 136 days remain. It's week 33 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 82 and the normal low is 63. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 82 and 62.

On the hot side, in 1988 the high was the record high of 98 with a low of 77. There were two other highs in the 90s: 94 in 1983 and 93 in 1995. There were three other 70s lows: 72 in 1995, 71 in 2003 and 70 in 1990. The record warmest low of 78 occurred back in 1972. Over the last 30 years, 26 highs were: 70s (11) and 80s (15). Three highs were in the warmer 90s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 80 with a low of 47, a 33 degree spread. That low of 47 was cooler than the record low. In 1972 the high was 92 with a low of 77. In 1966 the high was 88 with a low of 57, a 31 degree spread. In 1963 the high was 69 with a low of 46, a cool day. That low of 46 is cooler than the record low. In 1962 the high was 81 with a low of 51, a 30 degree spread.

More recently, there was a small spread of four degrees in 1990 (74/70).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest lows were 49 in 1992 and 51 in 1981. The record low of 48 was set in 1976. The coolest high was 73 in 1981. The record coolest high of 66 was set back in 1924. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Over the last 30 years, 16 lows were 60s. Nine lows were in the cooler: 40s (1) and 50s (8). Four lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight was at 5:33 and sunrise was at 6:03. Sunset is at 19:51 and twilight ends at 20:21. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:34 and sunrise is at 6:04. There's a total of 13 hours, 48 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 48 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 14% at midnight, will be 10% at noon and 7% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 2:21 this morning. Moonset is at 18:06 this evening. Moonrise is at 3:40 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 45 minutes which is 24 minutes shorter than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in two days. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary in three days. -Bernie-

August 16: ORD

Today is August 16th. It's the 228th day of the year. 137 days remain. It's week 33 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 82 and the normal low is 63. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 62.

On the hot side, in 1988 the high was the co-record high of 98 with a low of 73. In 1983 the high was the co-record high of 98 with a low of 71. In 1995 the high was 94 with a low of 73. The record warmest low of 78 occurred back in 1913. There were four other 90s highs, all of them in the low 90s. There was just one other 70s low, that being 73 in 2003. Over the last 30 years, 22 highs were: 70s (9) and 80s (13). Seven highs were in the warmer 90s and one high was in the cooler 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the low was 49. In 1968 the high was 94. In 1964 the high was 83 with a low of 46, a 37 degree spread. That low of 46 is cooler than the record low. In 1963 the high was 81 with a low of 51, a 30 degree spread.

More recently, there was a large spread of 30 degrees in 2004 (78/48) and a small spread of five degrees in 2001 (70/65).

On the cool side, in 1979 the high was 72 with a low of 45. That low of 45 is cooler than the record low. The record low of 48 was set in 2004. The former record low of 49 was set at Midway in 1976. The other cool low was 50 in 1992. There were three other cool highs: 66 in 1980, 70 in 1981 and 70 in 2001. The record coolest high of 65 was set way back in 1902. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Over the last 30 years, 24 lows were: 50s (9) and 60s (15). Two lows were in the cooler 40s. Four lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight was at 5:32 and sunrise was at 6:02. Sunset is at 19:52 and twilight ends at 20:22. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:33 and sunrise is at 6:03. There's a total of 13 hours, 50 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 50 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 24% at midnight, will be 19% at noon and 14% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 1:09 this morning. Moonset is at 17:18 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 2:21 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 16 hours, 9 minutes which is one minute shorter than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in three days. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary in four days. -Bernie-

Posted by Bernie Ziegler at 12:22 0 comments

August 15: ORD

Today is August 15th. It's the 227th day of the year. 138 days remain. It's week 33 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 82 and the normal low is 63. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 82 and 63.

On the hot side, in 1988 the high was 94 with record warmest low of 74. There were three other 90s highs: 92 in 2000, 90 in 1983 and 90 in 1987. There were six other lows in the 70s, all of them in the low 70s. The record high of 98 was set in 1944. Over the last 30 years, 25 highs were: 70s (10) and 80s (15). Four highs were in the warmer 90s and one high was in the cooler 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 92. In 1966 the high was 90. In 1965 the high was 91. In 1964 the high was 78 with a low of 41, a 37 degree spread and cool day. That low of 41 is cooler than the record low. In 1963 the low was 50.

More recently, there was a large spread of 33 degrees in 1984 (87/54).

On the cool side, in 1979 the high was 69 with a low of 46. That low of 46 is cooler than the record low. The record low of 48 was set in 2004. The former record low of 51 was set at Midway in 1964. There was only one lower 70s high. This was 71 in 1992. The record coolest high of 64 was set way back in 1894. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Over the last 30 years, 16 lows were 60s. Seven lows were: 40s (2) and 50s (5). Seven lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight was at 5:31 and sunrise was at 6:01. Sunset is at 19:54 and twilight ends at 20:24. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:32 and sunrise is at 6:02. There's a total of 13 hours, 53 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 53 minutes between twilights. The moon reached last quarter two days ago at 13:55. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 34% at midnight, will be 29% at noon and 24% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 9 minutes past midnight. Moonset is at 16:19 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 1:09 tomorrow morning. Moonset is at 17:18 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 16 hours, 10 minutes which is 57 minutes longer than yesterday. This is the longest moonlight time for several days, but it is just a minute shorter tomorrow!

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in four days. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary in five days. -Bernie-

August 14: ORD

Today is August 14th. It's the 226th day of the year. 139 days remain. It's week 33 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 82 and the normal low is 63. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 80 and 62.

On the hot side, in 1995 the high was 95 with the record warmest low of 79. In 1988 the high was 92 with a very warm low of 75. There were only two other 90s highs: 90 in both 1983 and 1993. The record high of 99 was set in 1944. Over the last 30 years, 25 highs were: 70s (13) and 80s (12). Four highs were in the warmer 90s and one high was in the cooler 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1972 the high was 92. In 1970 from the 11th through the 17th, highs were at least 85. The warmest was 88 on the 15th. Lows were at least 62 except for 57 on the 17th. In 1969 from the 12th through the 18th, highs were at least 85. The warmest was 88 on the 14th. Lows were at least 68 except for 61 on the 12th. The warmest low was 74 on the 14th, and there were lows of 71 on both the 15th and 18th. In 1967 the low was 48 which is equal to the day's record low. In 1964 the high was 76 with a low of 42, a 34 degree spread and a cool day. That low of 42 was cooler than the record low. In 1963 the high was 72 with a low of 48, a cool day. That low of 48 was also equal to the day's record low. In 1959 the high was 90 with a low of 75. The low qualifies as significantly above normal.

More recently, there was a large spread of 33 degrees in 1984 (84/51).

On the cool side, in 2004 the high was 70 with a low of 50. The other low 50s lows were 51 in 1984 and 52 in 1990. The highs not to make it out of the low 70s were 67 in 1992, 70 in 1979 and 72 in 1994. The record low of 48 was set at Midway in 1964. The record coolest high of 65 was set way back in 1885. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Over the last 30 years, 28 lows were: 50s (12) and 60s (16). Two lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight is at 5:30 and sunrise is at 6:00. Sunset is at 19:55 and twilight ends at 20:25. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:31 and sunrise is at 6:01. There's a total of 13 hours, 55 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 55 minutes between twilights. The moon reached last quarter yesterday at 13:55. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 45% at midnight, will be 39% at noon and 34% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was last night at 23:20. Moonset is at 15:13 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 9 minutes past midnight tonight. Moonset is at 16:19 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 13 minutes which is 31 minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in five days. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary in six days. -Bernie-

August 13: ORD

Today is August 13th. It's the 225th day of the year. 140 days remain. It's week 33 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 82 and the normal low is 63. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 81 and 63.

On the hot side, in 1995 the high was 96 with the co-record warmest low of 77. In 1988 the high was 91 with the co-record warmest low of 77. There were only two other 70s lows: 70 in both 1985 and 1994. The record high of 98 was set in 1944. Over the last 30 years, 17 highs were in the 80s. Ten highs were in the 70s. Two highs were in the warmer 90s and one high was in the cooler 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1971 the high was 91. In 1967 the high was 77 with a low of 42, a 35 degree spread and cool day. That low of 42 was cooler than the record low. In 1964 the high was 70 with a low of 45, a cool day. That low of 45 was also cooler than the record low. In 1961 the high was 81 with a low of 48, a 33 degree spread. That low of 48 was also cooler than the record low. In 1959 the high was 91.

More recently, there was a small spread of seven degrees in 2005 (75/68).

On the cool side, there were no means of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The co-record lows were 51 degrees in 1982 and 2004. Our coolest high was the only high in the 60s, a 69 degree high in 1992. The coolest 70s high was 71 in 2004. The record coolest high of 64 was set way back in 1883. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Over the last 30 years, 16 lows were 60s. Ten lows were in the cooler 50s. Four lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight is at 5:28 and sunrise is at 5:59. Sunset is at 19:57 and twilight ends at 20:27. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:30 and sunrise is at 6:00. There's a total of 13 hours, 58 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 59 minutes between twilights. The moon reaches last quarter today at 13:55. Illumination was 56% at midnight, will be 51% at noon and 45% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 14:02 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 23:20 tonight. Moonset is at 15:13 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 42 minutes which is 33 minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in six days. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary in a week. -Bernie-

August 12: ORD

Today is August 12th. It's the 224th day of the year. 141 days remain. It's week 32 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 82 and the normal low is 63. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 80 and 61.

On the hot side, in 1995 the high was 98 with a low of 75. The other 90s high was 93 in 1988. Another warm low was 75 in 1988. The record high of 101 was set back in 1918. The record warmest low of 78 occurred way back in 1881. Over the last 30 years, 26 highs were: 70s (12) and 80s (14). Two highs were in the warmer 90s and two highs were in the cooler 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the high was 92. In 1967 the high was 74 with a low of 44, a 30 degree spread and cool day. That low of 44 was cooler than the record low. In 1964 the high was 66 with a low of 53, a cool day. in 1959 the high was 91.

More recently, there were no large spreads of at least 30 degrees or small spreads of up to seven degrees diurnal.

On the cool side, in 2004 the high was the record coolest high of 62 with a low of 49. The previous record coolest high of 64 occurred way back in 1903. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. In 1982 the high was 74 with the record low of 47. In 1992 the high was 67 with a low of 56. Other cool lows were 50 in both 1979 and 1986. Over the last 30 years, 24 lows were: 50s (9) and 60s (15). Two lows were in the cooler 40s. Four lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight is at 5:27 and sunrise is at 5:58. Sunset is at 19:58 and twilight ends at 20:28. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:28 and sunrise is at 5:59. There's a total of 14 hours of daylight today and 15 hours, 1 minute between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous, heading towards last quarter tomorrow at 13:55. Illumination was 66% at midnight, will be 61% at noon and 56% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 12:51 this afternoon. Moonrise is at 22:42 tonight. Moonset is at 14:02 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 9 minutes which is 38 minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in a week. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary in eight days. -Bernie-

August 11: ORD

Today is August 11th. It's the 223rd day of the year. 142 days remain. It's week 32 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 82 and the normal low is 63. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 79 and 62.

On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. The warmest highs were in the 90s. It was 93 in both 1995 and 2002. It was 92 in 1988. The record high of 98 was set in 1941. The warmest lows were 72 in both 1988 and 1995. The record warmest low of 77 occurred in 1944. Over the last 30 years, 25 highs were: 70s (15) and 80s (10). Three highs were in the warmer 90s. Two highs were in the cooler 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the high was 90. In 1967 the high was 70 with a low of 47, a cool day. That low of 47 is equal to the current record low. In 1965 the high was 79 with a low of 45, a 34 degree spread (or diurnal). That low of 45 is below the current record low.

More recently, there was a large spread of 30 degrees in 1982 (77/47). The small spreads were six degrees in 1997 (70/64) and seven degrees in 1994 (67/60).

On the cool side, in 2004 the high was our record coolest high of 62 with a low of 53. In 1982 the low was 47, the record low. Other cool highs were 67 in 1994, 70 in 1997 and 71 in 1979. The previous record coolest high of 65 was set back in 1903. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Over the last 30 years, 19 lows were in the 60s. Nine lows were in the cooler: 40s (1) and 50s (8). Two lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight is at 5:26 and sunrise is at 5:57. Sunset is at 19:59 and twilight ends at 20:30. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:27 and sunrise is at 5:58. There's a total of 14 hours, 2 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 4 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 76% at midnight, will be 71% at noon and 66% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 11:42 this morning. Moonrise is at 22:11 tonight. Moonset is at 12:51 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 31 minutes which is 40 minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in eight days. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary in nine days. -Bernie-

August 10: ORD

Today is August 10th. It's the 222nd day of the year. 143 days remain. It's week 32 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 82 and the normal low is 63. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 82 and 63.

On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. The warmest highs were in the 90s. It was 91 in both 1983 and 1992. It was 90 in 2005. The record high of 99 was set in 1944. The warmest low was 73 in 1988. The record warmest low of 79 occurred in 1938. Over the last 30 years, 17 highs were 80s. Three highs were in the warmer 90s. Ten highs were in the cooler: 60s (3) and 70s (7).

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1974 the high was 75 with a low of 72, a three degree spread. In 1971 the high was 93. In 1967 the high was 69 with a low of 53, a cool day. In 1966 the high was 67 with a low of 61, a six degree spread. In 1965 the high was 70 with a low of 50, a cool day. In 1960 the high was a cool 68.

More recently, there was a large spread of 30 degrees in 2002 (89/59). The small spreads were five degrees in 2006 (79/74), seven degrees in 1988 (80/73) and seven degrees in 2004 (67/60).

On the cool side, in 1982 the high was 68 with the record low of 49. In 1994 the high was 67 with a low of 56. Another cool high was 67 in 2004. The record coolest high of 66 was set way back in 1882. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Over the last 30 years, 20 lows were in the 60s. Six lows were in the cooler: 40s (1) and 50s (5). Four lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight is at 5:25 and sunrise is at 5:56. Sunset is at 20:01 and twilight ends at 20:31. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:26 and sunrise is at 5:57. There's a total of 14 hours, 5 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 6 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 84% at midnight, will be 80% at noon and 76% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 10:36 this morning. Moonrise is at 21:45 tonight. Moonset is at 11:42 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 51 minutes which is 42 minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in nine days. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary in ten days. -Bernie-

August 9: ORD

Today is August 9th. It's the 221st day of the year. 144 days remain. It's week 32 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 82 and the normal low is 63. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 64.

On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. There were two highs of 95 (2001, 2005) and two highs of 93 (1984, 1992). The record high of 97 was set back in 1913. The warmest low was 73 in 1988. The record warmest low of 77 occurred in 1934. Over the last 30 years, 15 highs were 80s. Seven highs were in the warmer 90s. Eight highs were in the cooler: 60s (1) and 70s (7).

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 83 with a low of 51, a 32 degree spread. That low of 51 equals the record low. In 1975 the high was 90. In 1972 the low was 51, a low equal to the record low. In 1971 the high was 93. In 1968 the high was 90. In 1968 the low was 55 two morning's later on the 11th. In 1964 the high was 70 with a low of 45, a cool day. The high on the 7th in 1964 was 92. That's quite a fall to 45.

More recently, there were large spreads of 34 degrees in 1985 (90/56) and 30 degrees in 2005 (95/65). The small spread was seven degrees in 1983 (79/72).

On the cool side, in 1994 the high was 66 with a low of 53. That high was the only one in the 60s. The other mid 50s lows were 54 in 1999, 55 in 1990, 56 in 1982 and 56 in 1985. The record low of 51 was set in 1972. The record coolest high of 64 was set way back in 1884. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Over the last 30 years, 16 lows were in the 60s. Nine lows were in the cooler 50s and five lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight is at 5:24 and sunrise is at 5:55. Sunset is at 20:02 and twilight ends at 20:33. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:25 and sunrise is at 5:56. There's a total of 14 hours, 7 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 9 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 91% at midnight, will be 87% at noon and 84% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 9:32 this morning. Moonrise is at 21:23 tonight. Moonset is at 10:36 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 9 minutes which is 42 minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in ten days. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary in 11 days. -Bernie-

August 8: ORD

Today is August 8th. It's the 220th day of the year. 145 days remain. It's week 32 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 82 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 84 and 65.

On the hot side, in 1983 the high was 98 with a low of 72. In 1988 the high was 99 with a low of 70. In 2001 the high was 93 with the record warmest low of 76. The other two 90s highs were 93 in 2005 and 90 in 1980. Another warm low was 75 in 1980. The record high of 100 was set in 1934. Over the last 30 years, 17 highs were 80s, five were warmer 90s and eight were cooler 70s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 79 with a low of 49, a 30 degree spread. That low of 49 was O'Hare's lowest for the date and cooler than the official record low which was set at Midway in '76 (see below). In 1970 the high was 76 with a low of 71, a five degree spread. In 1964 the low was 51, also cooler than the record low.

More recently, there were large spreads of 30 degrees in 1985 (85/55), 30 degrees in 1990 (85/55) and 30 degrees in 2005 (93/63). The small spread was seven degrees in 1987 (77/70).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest temperatures were the mid 50s lows: 53 in 1989, 54 in 1993 and three at 55. The record low of 52 was set in 1976. The coolest highs were 72 in both 1991 and 1999. The record coolest high of 62 was set way back in 1884. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Small differences in the lows over the last 30 years: the 60s have 13, the warmer 70s have ten and the cooler 50s have seven.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight is at 5:23 and sunrise is at 5:54. Sunset is at 20:04 and twilight ends at 20:34. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:24 and sunrise is at 5:55. There's a total of 14 hours, 10 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 11 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous. Illumination was 95% at midnight, will be 93% at noon and 91% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 8:29 this morning. Moonrise is at 21:02 tonight. Moonset is at 9:32 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 27 minutes which is 41 minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in 11 days. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary in 12 days. -Bernie-

August 7: ORD

Today is August 7th. It's the 219th day of the year. 146 days remain. It's week 32 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 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 84 and 64.

On the hot side, in 2001 the high was 95 with a low of 75. There were several other highs in the 90s, the hottest were in the mid 90s (94 in 1988 and 93 in 1979). The other warm lows (in the mid 70s) were 75 in 1979, 74 in 1996 and 73 in 1995. The record high of 99 and record warmest low of 79 were set on the same day back in 1918. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Little difference in the highs over the last 30 years: the 80s have 12, the cooler 70s have nine and the warmer 90s have nine.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1972 the high was just 68. in 1968 the high was 91. In 1966 the high was 86 with a low of 56, a 30 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 92 with a low of 56, a 36 degree spread.

More recently, there were large spreads of 31 degrees in 2005 (89/58), 31 degrees in 1988 (94/63) and 30 degrees in 1994 (80/50). The small spreads were six degrees in 1999 (75/69) and seven degrees in 1998 (78/71).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. 1989 was 11 degrees below normal as the high was just 72 with a low of 52. The record low of 50 occurred twice, in 1990 and four years later in 1994. The record coolest high of 65 was set way back in 1903. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. Little difference in the lows over the last 30 years: the 60s have 12, the cooler 50s have nine and the warmer 70s have nine.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight is at 5:22 and sunrise is at 5:53. Sunset is at 20:05 and twilight ends at 20:36. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:23 and sunrise is at 5:54. There's a total of 14 hours, 12 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 14 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous; the full Sturgeon moon was two days ago at 19:55. Illumination was 99% at midnight, will be 97% at noon and 95% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 7:27 this morning. Moonrise is at 20:41 tonight. Moonset is at 8:29 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 46 minutes which is 41 minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in 12 days. Steve Campbell and Christina, a sister of mine, celebrate their seventh anniversary in 13 days. -Bernie-

August 6: ORD

Today is August 6th. It's the 218th day of the year. 147 days remain. It's week 32 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 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 63.

On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. The warmest readings were the four 90s highs: 94 in 1984, 93 in 1988, 92 in 2001 and 90 in 1996. The warmest low was 74 two years ago. The record high of 101 was set in 1947. The record warmest low of 82 was set back in 1918. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. 17 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Four highs were in the warmer 90s. Nine highs were in the cooler 70s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1968 the high was 96 with a low of 77, a hot day. In 1964 the high was 85 with a low of 54, a 31 degree spread.

More recently, there were large spreads of 35 degrees in 1988 (93/58) and 30 degrees in 1987 (87/57).

On the cool side, in 1994 the high was 72 with the record low of 48. Another cool high was 70 in 1990. The record coolest high of 65 was set way back in 1893. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. 23 of the last 30 lows were: 50s (9) and 60s (14). One lows was in the cooler 40s. Six lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight is at 5:20 and sunrise is at 5:52. Sunset is at 20:06 and twilight ends at 20:37. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:22 and sunrise is at 5:53. There's a total of 14 hours, 14 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 17 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous; the full Sturgeon moon was yesterday at 19:55. Illumination was 100% at midnight, will be 100% at noon and 99% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 6:25 this morning. Moonrise is at 20:20 tonight. Moonset is at 7:27 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 5 minutes which is 40 minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in 13 days. -Bernie-

August 5: ORD

Today is August 5th. It's the 217th day of the year. 148 days remain. It's week 31 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 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 81 and 63.

On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. The warmest readings were the two 90s highs: 91 in 1984 and 90 in 1996. The warmest lows were the three in the 70s: 73 in 1996, 71 in 1998 and 70 in 1980. The record high of 102 was set back in 1918. The record warmest low of 78 was set way back in 1881. For both records, the thermometer was located near Lake Michigan. 18 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Two highs were in the warmer 90s. Ten highs were in the cooler: 60s (1) and 70s (9). Long stretches of highs under 90 characterize this day. For 11 years from 1985 through 1995 there were no 90s. For 12 years, still ongoing, from 1997 through 2008, there have been no highs in the 90s. A third of the 80s highs have been in the upper 80s (87, 88 and 89). The most recent were the past couple of years (87 last year and 88 two years ago).

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the low was 50, a temperature cooler than the record low. In 1974 and 1972 the lows were 51. In 1968 the high was 91. In 1966 the high was 82 with a low of 52, a 30 degree spread. In 1965 the high was 91. In 1962 the high was 85 with a low of 54, a 31 degree spread.

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

On the cool side, in 1994 the high was 68 with the record low of 51. Another cool low was 52. The record coolest high of 63 was set back in 1915. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. 21 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Six lows were in the cooler 50s. Three lows were in the warmer 70s. There were back to back to back cool days in 1992 (73/53), 1993 (76/52) and 1994 (68/51). Then there were a couple of warm days in 1995 (87/66) and 1996 (90/73). In 1997 another cool day occurred as the high was 73 with a low of 53.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight is at 5:19 and sunrise is at 5:51. Sunset is at 20:07 and twilight ends at 20:39. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:20 and sunrise is at 5:52. There's a total of 14 hours, 16 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 20 minutes between twilights. The moon is full today, the full Sturgeon moon occurs at 19:55. Illumination was 99% at midnight, will be 100% at noon and 100% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 5:22 this morning. Moonrise is at 19:57 tonight. Moonset is at 6:25 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 25 minutes which is 35 minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in two weeks. -Bernie-

August 4: ORD

Today is August 4th. It's the 216th day of the year. 149 days remain. It's week 31 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 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 65.

On the hot side, in 1988 the high was 97 with the record warmest low of 78. Other 90s highs were 93 in 1980 and 90 in 1984. Another warm low was 76 in 2005. The record high of 100 was set in 1947. 19 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Three highs were in the warmer 90s. Eight highs were in the cooler 70s. For the last 20 years, 1989 to 2008, there have been no highs in the 90s. It did hit 89 three times during this time (1989, 2002 and 2006).

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the low was 49, a temperature cooler than the record low. In 1975 the high was 92. In 1971 the high was just 71. In 1970 the high was just 71. In 1966 the high was 81 with a low of 48, a 33 degree spread. That low of 48 was cooler than the record low.

More recently, there was a small spread of four degrees in 1998 (72/68).

Last year O'Hare recorded 2.43 inches of rain and Rockford had 1.22 inches. I noted that I hadn't seen lightning as severe as this in a long time. This was at the Crystal Lake train depot parking lot.

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest low was the record low of 53 in 1992. The record low of 53 was originally set way back in 1894. The coolest highs were 72 degrees (1985, 1992 and 1998). The record coolest high of 62 was set back in 1915. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. 18 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Six lows were in the cooler 50s. Six were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:18 and sunrise was at 5:48. Sunset is at 20:09 and twilight ends at 20:40. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:19 and sunrise is at 5:51. There's a total of 14 hours, 21 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 22 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Sturgeon moon tomorrow. Illumination was 97% at midnight, will be 99% at noon and 99% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 4:20 this morning. Moonrise is at 19:30 tonight. Moonset is at 5:22 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 50 minutes which is 30 minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in 15 days. -Bernie-

August 3: ORD

Today is August 3rd. It's the 215th day of the year. 150 days remain. It's week 31 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 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 86 and 64.

On the hot side, in 1988 the high was 96 with the record warmest low of 80. Other hot highs were 96 in 1983, 96 in 1987 and 95 in 1982. The record high of 98 was set in 1964. 16 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Ten highs were in the warmer 90s. Four highs were in the cooler 70s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 80 with a low of 49, a 31 degree spread. In 1968 the low was 51. In 1966 the high was 77 with a low of 48, a cool day. In 1965 the high was 75 with a low of 50, a cool day. 1964 the high was 96 with a low of 76, a hot day.

More recently, there was a large spread of 34 degrees in 1983 (96/62), 32 degrees in 1994 (88/56), 31 degrees in 1985 (81/50) and 31 degrees in 2002 (90/59).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest low was 50 in 1985. The record low of 48 and record coolest high of 62 occurred on the same day way back in 1894. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. The coolest high of the past 30 years was 72 in 2000. 16 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Eight lows were in the cooler 50s. Six were in the warmer: 70s (5) and 80s (1).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:17 and sunrise was at 5:48. Sunset is at 20:10 and twilight ends at 20:41. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:18 and sunrise is at 5:48. There's a total of 14 hours, 22 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 24 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Sturgeon moon in two days. Illumination was 93% at midnight, will be 95% at noon and 97% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 3:19 this morning. Moonrise is at 18:59. Moonset is at 4:20 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 20 minutes which is 21 minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in 16 days. -Bernie-

August 2: ORD

Today is August 2nd. It's the 214th day of the year. 151 days remain. It's week 31 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 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 85 and 64.

On the hot side, in 1988 the high was 100 with the record warmest low of 79. Three years ago the high was 97 with a low of 77. In 1991 the high was the record high of 101. Another hot high was 96 in 1987. 16 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Eight highs were in the warmer: 90s (6) and 100s (2). Six highs were in the cooler 70s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the high was 78 with a low of 73, a five degree spread. In 1966 the high was 71 with a low of 52, a cool day. In 1965 the high was 73 with a low of 49, a cool day. In 1964 the high was 96 with a low of 76, a hot day. 1963 the high was 91. In 1962 the high was 83 with a low of 53, a 30 degree spread. In 1960 the high was 90.

More recently, there was a large spread of 34 degrees in 1991 (101/67).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest low was the record low of 51, set in 1985. The record coolest high of 63 occurred back in 1927. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. 16 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Eight lows were in the cooler 50s. Six were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:16 and sunrise was at 5:47. Sunset is at 20:11 and twilight ends at 20:42. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:17 and sunrise is at 5:48. There's a total of 14 hours, 24 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 26 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 88% at midnight, will be 91% at noon and 93% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 2:21 this morning. Moonrise is at 18:22. Moonset is at 3:19 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 7 hours, 59 minutes which is seven minutes longer than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in 17 days. -Bernie-

August 1: ORD

Today is August 1st. It's the 213th day of the year. 152 days remain. It's week 31 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 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 86 and 65.

On the hot side, three years ago the high was 99 with the record warmest low of 80. In 1988 the high was the record high of 100 with the former record low of 78. In 1987 the high was 97 with a low of 77. Another hot high was 95 in 1991. Another warm low was 76 in 2001. 16 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Nine highs were in the warmer: 90s (8) and 100s (1). Five highs were in the cooler 70s. An interesting side bar is that for nine years in a row, from 1992 to 2000, there were no highs in the 90s.

In looking back through the years to the first August at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the high was 94. In 1974 the high was 67 with a low of 62, a five degree spread. In 1965 the high was 69 with a low of 54, a cool day. In 1964 the high was 91. 1961 the high was 77 with a low of 71, a six degree spread.

More recently, there was a large spread of 32 degrees in 1991 (95/63).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest low was the record low of 51, set in 1990. The former record low was 52 in 1947. The coolest high of the last 30 years was 70 in 1979. The record coolest high of 66 occurred way back in 1875. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. 18 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Six lows were in the cooler 50s. Six were in the warmer: 70s (5) and 80s (1).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:15 and sunrise was at 5:46. Sunset is at 20:12 and twilight ends at 20:44. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:16 and sunrise is at 5:47. There's a total of 14 hours, 26 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 29 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 81% at midnight, will be 84% at noon and 88% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 1:29 this morning. Moonrise is at 17:37. Moonset is at 2:21 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 7 hours, 52 minutes which is six minutes shorter than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in 18 days. -Bernie-

July 31: ORD

Today is July 31st. It's the 212th day of the year. 153 days remain. It's week 31 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 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 85 and 65.

On the hot side, three years ago the high was the co-record high of 99 with a low of 76. The other co-record high (of 99) occurred in 1945. Another hot high was 95 in 1995. Another warm low was 76 in 1999. The record warmest low of 79 occurred in 1917. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. 15 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Eight highs were in the warmer 90s. Seven highs were in the cooler: 60s (1) and 70s (6). An interesting side bar is that for 11 years in a row, from 1998 to 2008, there were no lows below 62 degrees. That was broken this year. As of this writing, the temperature at O'Hare is 60 degrees.

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the low was 52. In 1975 the high was 94. In 1971 the low was 49, a temperature cooler than the official record low. In 1970 the high was 90. in 1966 the high was 82 with a low of 52, a 30 degree spread. In 1965 the high was 70.

More recently, there were large spreads of 35 degrees in 1984 (86/51) and 33 degrees in 1991 (92/59). There were small spreads of seven degrees in both 1985 (69/62) and 1989 (75/68).

On the cool side, in 1990 the high was 70 with a low of 52. The coolest low was the record low of 51, set in 1984. Another cool high was 69 in 1985. The record coolest high of 66 occurred back in 1912. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. 16 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Six lows were in the cooler 50s and six were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:14 and sunrise was at 5:45. Sunset is at 20:13 and twilight ends at 20:45. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:15 and sunrise is at 5:46. There's a total of 14 hours, 28 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 31 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 73% at midnight, will be 77% at noon and 81% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 43 minutes past midnight. Moonrise is at 16:45. Moonset is at 1:29 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 7 hours, 58 minutes which is 20 minutes shorter than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in 19 days. -Bernie-

July 30: ORD

Today is July 30th. It's the 211th day of the year. 154 days remain. It's week 31 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 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 64.

On the hot side, a decade ago, in 1999, the high was 101 with a low of 78. Other hot highs were 96 in 1995 and 95 in 1988. The record high of 102 and record warmest low of 84 were set on the same day back in 1916. Another warm low was 77 three years ago. We had very high dew points in 1999. The top was 82 degrees, making 1999 perhaps the most humid July 30 on record. 27 of the last 30 highs were: 70s (9), 80s (11) and 90s (7). One high was in the warmer 100s. Two highs were in the cooler 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 92. In 1975 the high was 93. In 1971 the high was 72 with a low of 53, a cool day. in 1965 the high was 82 with a low of 50, a 32 degree spread. That low of 50 is the same as the record low. In 1961 the high was 91.

More recently, there were large spreads of 32 degrees in 1984 (82/50) and 31 degrees in 2003 (84/53). There were small spreads of five degrees in 1985 (69/64) and six degrees in 2000 (74/68).

On the cool side, in 1992 the high was 65 with a low of 58, a seven degree spread. The coolest low was the record low of 50, set in 1984. Another cool high was 69 in 1985. The record coolest high of 62 occurred way back in 1895. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. 24 of the last 30 lows were: 50s (10) and 60s (14). Six lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 5:12 and sunrise was at 5:44. Sunset is at 20:14 and twilight ends at 20:46. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:14 and sunrise is at 5:45. There's a total of 14 hours, 30 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 34 minutes between twilights. The moon reached first quarter two days ago at 17:00 and is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 63% at midnight, will be 68% at noon and 73% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 4 minutes past midnight. Moonrise is at 15:46. Moonset is at 43 minutes past midnight tonight. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 18 minutes which is 59 minutes shorter than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in 20 days. -Bernie-

July 29: ORD

Today is July 29th. It's the 210th day of the year. 155 days remain. It's week 30 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 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 85 and 63.

On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. The hottest temperatures were 97 in 1988, 96 in 1983, 96 in 1999 and 95 in 1995. The record high of 99 was set back in 1913. Warm lows were 74 in 2006 and 73 in 1990. The record warmest low of 85 occurred back in 1916. We had very high dew points in 1999. The top was 82 degrees, making 1999 perhaps the most humid July 29 on record. 15 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Seven highs were in the warmer 90s. Eight highs were in the cooler 70s.

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 90. In 1975 the high was 92. In 1965 the high was 80 with a low of 50, a 30 degree spread. That low of 50 is the same as the record low. In 1962 the high was 71 with a low of 54, a cool day. in 1960 the high was 91. In 1959 the high was 94.

More recently, there were large spreads of 30 degrees in both 1979 (88/58) and 1994 (82/52).

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The coolest lows were the record low of 50 in 1984, 51 in 1981 and 52 in 1994. The record coolest high of 63 occurred way back in 1892. The official thermometer was located near Lake Michigan at the time. 17 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Eight lows were in the cooler 50s. Five lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:11 and sunrise is at 5:43. Sunset is at 20:16 and twilight ends at 20:47. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:12 and sunrise is at 5:44. There's a total of 14 hours, 33 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 36 minutes between twilights. The moon reached first quarter yesterday at 17:00 and is waxing gibbous. Illumination was 54% at midnight, will be 59% at noon and 63% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 14:43. Moonset is at four minutes past midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 15:46 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 17 minutes which is 37 minutes shorter than yesterday.

My tennis coach, Bob Finder, will be 77 in three weeks. -Bernie-

July 28: ORD

Today is July 28th. It's the 209th day of the year. 156 days remain. It's week 30 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 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 63.

On the hot side, in 1983 the high was the record high of 100 with a low of 78. Another hot high was 98 in 1988. Another warm low was 74 in 2002. The record warmest low of 84 occurred back in 1916. 16 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Five highs were in the warmer: 90s (4) and 100s (1). Nine highs were in the cooler: 60s (1) and 70s (8). There was a 10 year sub-90 degree period that started in 1989 and went through 1998.

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the high was 90. In 1970 the high was 90. In 1964 the high was 90. In 1962 the low was 67 with a low of 63, a four degree spread.

More recently, there were no small spreads (diurnals of seven degrees or less) or large spreads (diurnals of 30 degrees or more).

On the cool side, in 1981 the high was the record coolest at 66 degrees with a low of 52. The record low of 51 was set in 1984. 24 of the last 30 lows were: 50s (11) and 60s (13). Six lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:10 and sunrise is at 5:42. Sunset is at 20:17 and twilight ends at 20:49. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:11 and sunrise is at 5:43. There's a total of 14 hours, 35 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 39 minutes between twilights. The moon reaches first quarter today at 17:00. Illumination was 43% at midnight, will be 48% at noon and 54% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 13:36 this afternoon. Moonset is at 23:30 tonight. Moonrise is at 14:43 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 54 minutes which is 41 minutes shorter than yesterday.

-Bernie-

July 27: ORD

Today is July 27th. It's the 208th day of the year. 157 days remain. It's week 30 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 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 84 and 64.

On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. Two highs were the warmest at 93 degrees (1988 and 1989). The record high of 100 was set in 1916 and tied in 1955. The warmest lows were 70s. The warmest of the last 30 years was 73 in 1989. The record warmest low of 82 occurred back in 1916. 17 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Five highs were in the warmer 90s. Eight highs were in the cooler: 60s (1) and 70s (7). There is an ongoing, 12 year sub-90 degree period that started in 1998 (through 2009).

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the low was 52. In 1975 the high was 90. In 1972 the high was just 71. In 1970 the high was 90. In 1964 the high was 89 with a low of 59, a 30 degree spread. In 1962 the low was 51.

More recently, there was a small spread of six degrees in 1981 (69/63). The large spreads were 35 degrees in 1985 (87/52) and 33 degrees in 1979 (89/56).

On the cool side, threre were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The record low of 52 was set in 1985 and the record coolest high of 69 occurred in 1981. 15 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Nine lows were in the cooler 50s. Six lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:09 and sunrise is at 5:41. Sunset is at 20:18 and twilight ends at 20:50. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:09 and sunrise is at 5:41. There's a total of 14 hours, 37 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 41 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 33% at midnight, will be 38% at noon and 43% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 12:27 this afternoon. Moonset is at 23:02 tonight. Moonrise is at 13:36 tomorrow afternoon. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 35 minutes which is 44 minutes shorter than yesterday.

-Bernie-