September 9: ORD

Today is September 9th. It's the 253rd day of the year. 113 days remain. It's week 37 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 76 and the normal low is 56. The 29-year averages are 79 and 59.

On the hot side, in 1983 the high was the record high of 95 with a low of 70. In 1991 the high was 94 with a low of 70. In 2002 the high was 90 with a low of 66. The other hot high of 87 occurred in 2005. The other warm low was 67 in 2000. The record warmest low of 75 was set in 1912. 24 of the 29 highs have been in the 70s (14) and 80s (10). The record high and record low were set within three years of each other (95 in 1983 and 43 in 1986), In 1982, there was a 34 degree difference between the high and low (high of 81, low of 47).

On the cool side, in 1986 the high was 73 with the record low of 43. In 1995 the high was 69 with a low of 48. The other cool high was 67 in 1992. The other cool lows were 45 in 1981, 47 in 1982 and 48 in 1979. The record coolest high of 56 was set way back in 1883. 22 of the 29 lows have been 50s (10) and 60s (12). The most recent 40s low was 48 in 1995.

Yesterday was just the third day since 1979 that the high was in the 60s.
The high of 67 tied the same high as in 1992. These two highs of 67 have been the coolest highs for the period of 1979-2008. The low of 52 produced a mean of 59.5 which proved to be the third coolest day overall from 1979-2008. The high occurred at ORD at 10:07, before the rain hit and the low occurred at 19:27. In Rockford the high of 63 occurred at 8:23 and the low of 50 occurred at 23:59. Some other cool highs from around the area were 63 in DeKalb, 65 in Aurora, 68 at Romeoville and West Chicago, 70 at Midway International and 71 at Northerly Island.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:59 and sunrise is at 6:27. Sunset is at 19:13 and twilight ends at 19:41. Twilight begins tomorrow at 6:00 and sunrise is at 6:29. There's a total of 12 hours, 46 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 42 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous, having reached first quarter last Sunday at 9:04. Illumination was 66% at midnight, will be 70% at noon and 74% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 16:18 and moonset is at 1:10 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 7 hours, 51 minutes today.

Patriot Day is in two days. My eldest sister, Mary Ann, and her husband William, will be celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary in four days. Another sister, Maria, and her husband Buddy will be celebrating their eighth wedding anniversary in five days. Both couples currently reside in Tampa, home of those amazing Rays. Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is in eight days. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago. The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

September 8: ORD

Today is September 8th. It's the 252nd day of the year. 114 days remain. It's week 37 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 76 and the normal low is 56. The 29-year averages are 79 and 59.

On the hot side, in 1985 the high was 94 with a low of 67. In 1991 the high was 88 with a low of 67. Other hot highs were 92 in 2002 and 90 in 1983. The other warm low was 67 in 2000. The record high of 96 was set in 1960 and the record warmest low of 76 was set in 1922. 24 of the 29 highs have been in the 70s (11) and 80s (13). In 2002 the difference between the high and low was 32 degrees (92/60) and 30 degrees in 1986 (73/43).

For yesterday, September 7, I reported that for the past ten years there have been no highs below 74 degrees (since 1998). In 1997 the high was 72 and two years before that it was 68 degrees. According to the Weather Channel, the high was expected to be right at 74. The high did reach 74 at 14:09, so the streak continues. The high at Rockford was also 74 degrees, occurring at 15:07. The high was also 74 at Midway and DuPage airports. It was slightly warmer on the lakefront (76 degrees).

Now back to September 8th. On the cool side, in 1986 the high was 73 with the record low of 43. In 1979 the high was 66 with a low of 51. The other cool high was 65 in 1995. The other cool lows were 47 in 1982, 50 in 1981 and 52 in 1983. The record coolest high of 54 was set way back in 1883. 27 of the 29 lows have been 50s (11) and 60s (16). 1983 was a dual day: high of 90 with a low of 52, a 38 degree difference. By dual day, I mean that both the high and low were notable, but putting the high and low together, the mean is near normal.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:58 and sunrise is at 6:26. Sunset is at 19:14 and twilight ends at 19:43. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:59 and sunrise is at 6:27. There's a total of 12 hours, 48 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 45 minutes between twilights. The moon reached first quarter yesterday at 9:04. Illumination was 56% at midnight, will be 61% at noon and 66% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 15:35 and moonset is at 0:09 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 25 minutes today.

Patriot Day is in three days. My eldest sister, Mary Ann, and her husband William, will be celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary in five days. Another sister, Maria, and her husband Buddy will be celebrating their 7th wedding anniversary in six days. Both couples currently reside in Tampa, home of those amazing Rays. Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is in nine days. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago. The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

September 7: ORD

Today is September 7th. It's the 251st day of the year. 115 days remain. It's week 37 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 77 and the normal low is 57. The 29-year averages are 80 and 59.

On the hot side, in 1985 the high was the near-record high of 99 (record high is 100 set in 1960) with a low of 73. In 2001 the high was 87 with a low of 68. In 2005 the high was 88 with a low of 67. Other hot highs were 90 (1984, 1991), 89 in 2002 and 88 in 2000. Other warm lows were 67 in 1989 and 70 last year. The record warmest low of 78 was set in 1922. 22 of the 29 highs have been in the 70s (11) and 70s (11). For the past ten years there have been no highs below 74 degrees (since 1998). In 1997 the high was 72 and two years before that it was 68 degrees. According to the Weather Channel, the high is expected to be right at 74 today.

I reported that for yesterday, for 14 years in a row, no highs had failed to reach 75 degrees at O'Hare (from 1994 onward). As of 9:00 yesterday morning, the National Weather Service and The Weather Channel had forecast a high of 72 degrees. If this held, it would be the coolest high since 1993 when it had hit just 68. The outcome was that the high at O'Hare was 74 at 14:02. So, the 14 year streak of at least 75 degrees has been broken! Other highs around the area were 73 at Rockford at 14:24, 74 at Midway, 77 at Northerly Island, 74 at the weather service in Romeoville and 75 at the airport in West Chicago.

Now back to September 7th. On the cool side, in 1986 the high was 66 with the record low of 42. Other cool highs were 66 in 1979, 68 in 1995 and 69 in 1982. Other cool lows were 44 in 1988, 49 in 1993, 50 in 1999 and 52 in 1981. The record coolest high of 61 was set in 1924. 24 of the 29 lows have been 50s (12) and 60s (12).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:57 and sunrise is at 6:25. Sunset is at 19:16 and twilight ends at 19:44. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:58 and sunrise is at 6:26. There's a total of 12 hours, 51 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 47 minutes between twilights. The moon reaches first quarter today at 9:04. Illumination was 47% at midnight, will be 52% at noon and 56% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 14:44 and moonset is at 23:15. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 31 minutes today.

Grandparent's Day is today and Patriot Day is in four days. My eldest sister, Mary Ann, and her husband William, will be celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary in six days. Another sister, Maria, and her husband Buddy will be celebrating their 7th wedding anniversary in a week. Both couples currently reside in Tampa, home of the amazing Rays. Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship day, is in ten days. This is a newer holiday, having been enacted by Congress just four years ago. The website "www.patriotism.org" says that Constitution Day is "a birthday for our country and it serves as a means for American citizens to express their pride in their citizenship. Constitution Day also designates a time to honor the Constitution of America and learn more about the famous piece of legislation." -Bernie-

September 6: ORD

Today is September 6th. It's the 250th day of the year. 116 days remain. It's week 36 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 78 and the normal low is 57. The 29-year averages are 80 and 59.

On the hot side, in 1990 the high was the near-record high of 96 (record high is 97 set in 1954 and tied in 1960) with a low of 71. In 1985 the high was 93 with a low of 73. In 1998 the high was 92 with a low of 70. Other hot highs were 88 in 1987 and 87 in 2005. Other warm lows were 73 last year, 68 in 1989 and 67 in 1992. The record warmest low of 78 was set way back in 1881. 22 of the 29 highs have been in the 80s (14) and 70s (8). For 14 years in a row (and running), no highs have been below 75 degrees (from 1994 onward). As of 9:00 this morning, the National Weather Service and The Weather Channel are forecasting a high of 72 degrees. If this holds, it would be the coolest high since 1993 (see below).

On the cool side, in 1988 the high was 66 with a low of 43. In 1984 the high was 73 with the record low of 42. In 1986 the high was 67 with a low of 49. Other cool highs were 68 in both 1982 and 1993. Another cool low was 47 in 2000. The record coolest high of 61 was set way back in 1885. 21 of the 29 lows have been 50s (12) and 60s (9). Four lows a piece have been in the 40s and 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:56 and sunrise is at 6:24. Sunset is at 19:18 and twilight ends at 19:46. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:57 and sunrise is at 6:25. There's a total of 12 hours, 54 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 50 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent, heading towards the first quarter tomorrow at 9:04. Illumination was 38% at midnight, will be 42% at noon and 47% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 13:47 and moonset is at 22:29. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 42 minutes today.

Grandparent's Day is tomorrow and Patriot Day is in five days. -Bernie-

September 5: ORD

Today is September 5th. It's the 249th day of the year. 117 days remain. It's week 36 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 78 and the normal low is 57. The 29-year averages are 80 and 58.

On the hot side, in 1983 the high was 95 with a low of 68. In 1985 the high was 92 with a low of 71. Last year the high was 90 with a low of 66. Other hot highs were 92 in 1999 and 90 in 1995. Another warm low was 71 in 1990. The record high of 98 was set way back in 1899 and the record warmest low of 77 was set in 1912. 13 of the 29 highs have been in the 80s and seven have been in the 70s.

On the cool side, in 1988 the high was 64 with the co-record low of 44. In 1984 the high was 69 with the other co-record low of 44. Other cool highs include 65 in 1994 and 67 in 2000. Other cool lows were 48 in 1997 and again in 2003. The record coolest high of 62 was set in 1909. 15 of the 29 lows have been 50s and eight have been 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:55 and sunrise is at 6:23. Sunset is at 19:20 and twilight ends at 19:48. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:56 and sunrise is at 6:24. There's a total of 12 hours, 57 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 53 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent, heading towards the first quarter on Sunday at 9:04. Illumination was 29% at midnight, will be 33% at noon and 38% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 12:45 and moonset is at 21:49. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 4 minutes today.

Grandparent's Day is in two days and Patriot's Day is in six days. -Bernie-

September 4: ORD

Today is September 4th. It's the 248th day of the year. 118 days remain. It's week 36 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 78 and the normal low is 58. The 29-year averages are 80 and 58.

On the hot side, in 1983 the high was the record high of 95 with a low of 67. In 1990 the high was 91 with a low of 66. In 1999 the high was 92 with a low of 65. Other hot highs were 89 last year and 88 in 1995. Other warm lows were 71 in 1985 and 68 in 1980. The record warmest low of 74 was set in 1971. 16 highs have been in the 70s and nine have been in the 80s (of the past 29).

On the cool side, in 1997 the high was 71 with a co-record low of 45. In 1994 the high was 66 with a low of 53. In 1984 the high was 73 with a low of 47. The other co-record low of 45 occurred in 1982. The record coolest high of 60 was set in 1902. 25 of the 29 lows have been 50s (14) and 60s (11).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:54 and sunrise is at 6:22. Sunset is at 19:21 and twilight ends at 19:50. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:55 and sunrise is at 6:23. There's a total of 12 hours, 59 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 56 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent, heading towards the first quarter on Sunday at 9:04. Illumination was 20% at midnight, will be 24% at noon and 29% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 11:40 and moonset is at 21:16. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 36 minutes today.

Grandparent's Day is in three days and Patriot's Day is in seven days. Today is the second anniversary of the death of the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin (the defensive act of a sting ray). -Bernie-

September 3: ORD

Today is September 3rd. It's the 247th day of the year. 119 days remain. It's week 36 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 78 and the normal low is 58. The 29-year averages are 80 and 59.

On the hot side, in 1985 the high was 88 with a low of 72. In 2000 the high was 85 with a low of 69. Last year the high was 88 with a low of 66. Other hot highs were 91 in 1983 and 90 in 1999. Other warm lows were 68 in 1986 and 67 in 1991. The record high of 97 was set in 1953 and the record warmest low of 75 was set in 1973. 16 highs have been in the 80s and eight highs have been in the 70s.

On the cool side, in 1997 the high was 67 with a low of 50. The other cool highs were 66 in 1981 and 68 in 1994. The other cool lows were 48 in 1982, 49 in 1987 and 51 in 1984. The record low of 47 was set in 1974 and the record coolest high of 59 was set in 1891. 26 of the 29 lows have been 60s (14) and 50s (12).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:53 and sunrise is at 6:21. Sunset is at 19:23 and twilight ends at 19:52. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:54 and sunrise is at 6:22. There's a total of 13 hours, 2 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 59 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 13% at midnight, will be 16% at noon and 20% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 10:34 and moonset is at 20:49. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 15 minutes today.

Grandparent's Day is in four days and Patriot's Day is in eight days. -Bernie-

September 2: ORD

Today is September 2nd. It's the 246th day of the year. 120 days remain. It's week 36.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 78 and the normal low is 58. The 29-year averages are 80 and 59.

On the hot side, in 2000 the high was 91 with a low of 67. In 1979 the high was 86 with a low of 70. Other hot highs were 90 in 1999 and 88 in 1983. The record high of 101 was set in 1953 and the record warmest low of 78 was set in 1913. 15 of the 29 highs have been in the 80s and 11 have been 70s.

On the cool side, in 1994 the high was 68 with a low of 49. In 1987 the high was 70 with a low of 51. The other cool high was 71 degrees in 1981. The other 40s low was 49 in 2001. The record low of 44 was set in 1946 and the record coolest high of 63 was set in 1935. 15 lows have been in the 60s and 11 lows have been in the 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:51 and sunrise is at 6:20. Sunset is at 19:25 and twilight ends at 19:53. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:53 and sunrise is at 6:21. There's a total of 13 hours, 5 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 2 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 7% at midnight, will be 10% at noon and 13% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 9:28 and moonset is at 20:25. Moonrise is at 10:34 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 57 minutes today.

Grandparent's Day is in five days and Patriot's Day is in nine days. -Bernie-

September 1: ORD

Today is September 1st. It's the 245th day of the year. 121 days remain. It's week 36.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 78 and the normal low is 58. The 29-year averages are 81 and 59.

On the hot side, in 2000 the high was 93 with a low of 67. In 1990 the high was 89 with a low of 67. In 1979 the high was 85 with a low of 68. In 1984 the high was 96 with a low of 57 (a 39 degree difference). The record high of 101 was set in 1953 and the record warmest low of 76 was set in 1973. 24 of the 29 highs have been in the 80s (16) and 70s (8).

On the cool side, in 1994 the high was 68 with a low of 50. In 2001 the high was 67 with a low of 52. Another cool high was 65 degrees in 2003. Other cool lows were 50 in both 1987 and 1992. The record low of 45 was set in 1949 and the record coolest high of 62 was set in 1909. A tight race for the lead in low temps over the last 29 years: 15 have been 50s and 14 have been 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:50 and sunrise is at 6:19. Sunset is at 19:26 and twilight ends at 19:55. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:51 and sunrise is at 6:20. There's a total of 13 hours, 7 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 5 minutes between twilights. The moon was new Saturday at 14:58. Illumination was 2% at midnight, 4% at noon and 7% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 8:20 and moonset is at 20:03. Moonrise is at 9:28 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 43 minutes today.

Labor Day is today. Grandparent's Day is in six days and Patriot's Day is in ten days. -Bernie-

August 31: ORD

Today is August 31st. It's the 244th day of the year. 122 days remain. Week 36 begins.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 78 and the normal low is 59. The 29-year averages are 80 and 59.

On the hot side, in 2000 the high was the only 90s high for the date of 92 with a low of 68. In 1980 the high was 85 with the only 70s low of 71. In 1995 the high was 87 with a low of 68. For 15 straight years (1980-1994) there were no upper 80s highs (or warmer). Another warm low was 68 in 1981. The record high of 99 was set in 1953 and the record warmest low of 76 was set in 1941. 28 of the 29 highs have been in the 70s (13) and 80s (15).

On the cool side, in 1994 the high was 71 with a low of 52. In 1987 the high was 72 with a low of 52. Another cool high was 70 degrees in 2003. Other cool lows were 51 in 1984 and 52 (1985, 1992, 1999). The record low of 47 was set way back in 1872 and the record coolest high of 62 was set way back in 1892. 28 of the 29 lows have been 50s (14) and 60s (14).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:49 and sunrise is at 6:18. Sunset is at 19:28 and twilight ends at 19:57. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:50 and sunrise is at 6:19. There's a total of 13 hours, 10 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 8 minutes between twilights. The moon was new yesterday at 14:58. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 1% at noon and 2% at midnight tonight. Although you won't see it, moonrise is at 7:12 and moonset is at 19:42. Moonrise is at 8:20 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 30 minutes today.

Labor Day is in tomorrow. Grandparent's Day is in seven days and Patriot's Day is in 11 days. -Bernie-

August 30: ORD

Today is August 30th. It's the 243rd day of the year. 123 days remain. This is week 35.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 79 and the normal low is 59. The 29-year averages are 80 and 61.

On the hot side, in 1995 the high was 92 with a low of 74. In 1991 the high was 87 with a low of 71. In 1993 the high was 90 with a low of 68. In 1983 the high was 85 with a low of 72. Another hot high was 88 in 1979. Another warm low was 68 in 2001. The record high of 96 was set in 1953 and the record warmest low of 76 was set way back in 1881. We're in a current streak of 12 straight years of no highs in the upper 80s (87, 88, 89) or higher (that is from 1996 onward). 25 of the 29 highs have been in the 70s (11) and 80s (14).

On the cool side, in 1986 the high was 76 with the near-record low of 48 (record is 47, set in 1946). In 1999 the high was 69 with a low of 55. Another cool low was 49 degrees in 1988. The record coolest high of 58 was set in 1915. 22 of the 29 lows have been 50s (11) and 60s (11).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:48 and sunrise is at 6:17. Sunset is at 19:30 and twilight ends at 19:59. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:49 and sunrise is at 6:18. There's a total of 13 hours, 13 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 11 minutes between twilights. The moon is new today at 14:58. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 0% at noon and 0% at midnight tonight. Although you wouldn't see it, moonrise was at 6:01 and moonset is at 19:20. Moonrise is at 7:12 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 19 minutes today (although not noticeable).

Labor Day is in two days. Grandparent's Day is in eight days and Patriot's Day is in 12 days. -Bernie-

August 29: ORD

Today is August 29th. It's the 242nd day of the year. 124 days remain. This is week 35.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 79 and the normal low is 60. The 29-year averages are 81 and 61.

On the hot side, in 1984 the high was 94 with a low of 71. In 1991 the high was 92 with a low of 73. In 1995 the high was 88 with a low of 73. In 1980 the high was 92 with a low of 68. The record high of 98 was set in 1953 and the record warmest low of 74 occurred in 1973. 24 of the 29 highs have been in the 70s (10) and 80s (14).

On the cool side, in 1982 the high was 72 with the record low of 43 (it was also 43 in 1965). In 1986 the high was 71 with a low of 44. In 1988 the high was 72 with a low of 48. In 2004 the high was 69 with a low of 53. Another cool high was 71 two years ago. Another cool low was 51 in 1992. The record coolest high of 62 was set way back in 1893. 14 of the 29 lows have been 60s and eight lows have been 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:47 and sunrise is at 6:16. Sunset is at 19:31 and twilight ends at 20:00. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:48 and sunrise is at 6:17. There's a total of 13 hours, 15 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 13 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 3% at midnight, will be 1% at noon and 0% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 4:47 and moonset is at 18:56. Moonrise is at 6:01 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 9 minutes today.

Labor Day is in three days. Grandparent's Day is in nine days and Patriot's Day is in 13 days. -Bernie-

August 28: ORD

Today is August 28th. It's the 241st day of the year. 125 days remain. It's week 35 of 2008.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 79 and the normal low is 60. The 29-year averages are 81 and 62.

On the hot side, in 1991 the high was 95 with a low of 71. In 1980 the high was 95 with a low of 69. In 1990 the high was 93 with a low of 69. 1990 was the year of the infamous deadly Plainfield tornado. Tennis ball sized hail was reported (two and a half inch size). In 1983 the high was 92 with a low of 69. In 1984 the high was 94 with a low of 66. In 1999 the high was 90 with a low of 70. Last year the high was 91 with a low of 67. The record high of 97 occurred in 1955 and the record warmest low of 77 occurred in 1973. 12 of the 29 highs so far have been in the 70s. There have been eight 90s highs and six highs in the 80s. The record high of 97 also occurred in 1953. There was a 33-degree difference between the high and low in 2003: 92 and 59.

On the cool side, in 1986 the high was 65 with the record low of 42. In 1982 the high was 66 with a low of 43. In 1992 the high was 69 with a low of 51. Another cool high was 71 in 1987. Another cool low was 51 in 1988. The record coolest high of 63 occurred way back in 1891. 17 of the 29 lows have been 60s and eight lows have been 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:46 and sunrise is at 6:15. Sunset is at 19:33 and twilight ends at 20:02. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:47 and sunrise is at 6:16. There's a total of 13 hours, 18 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 16 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 8% at midnight, will be 5% at noon and 1% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 3:30 and moonset is at 18:29. Moonrise is at 4:47 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 59 minutes today.

Labor Day is in four days. Grandparent's Day is in ten days and Patriot's Day is in two weeks. -Bernie-

August 27: ORD

Today is August 27th. It's the 240th day of the year. 126 days remain. It's week 35 of 2008.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 79 and the normal low is 60. The 29-year averages are 81 and 64.

On the hot side, in 1990 the high was 93 with a low of 72. In 1993 the high was 94 with a low of 70. In 1980 the high was 91 with a low of 71. In 1991 the high was 92 with a low of 70. Another hot high was 90 in 1984. There have been no 90s highs for 14 straight years (and running) since 1993. The record high of 97 was set in 1973 as was the record warmest low of 77. 14 of the 29 highs so far have been in the 80s.

On the cool side, in 1986 the high was 67 with a low of 48. In 1982 the high was 71 with the record low of 47. In 1992 the high was 63 with a low of 55. Other cool highs were 66 in 1987 and 69 in 1988. Another cool low was 56 in 1985. The record coolest high of 61 was set in 1915. 20 of the 29 lows have been 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:45 and sunrise is at 6:14. Sunset is at 19:35 and twilight ends at 20:04. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:46 and sunrise is at 6:15. There's a total of 13 hours, 21 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 19 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 16% at midnight, 12% at noon and will be just 8% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 2:13 and moonset is at 17:55. Moonrise is at 3:30 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 42 minutes today.

Labor Day is in five days. Grandparent's Day is in 11 days and Patriot's Day is in 15 days. -Bernie-

August 26: ORD

Today is August 26th. It's the 239th day of the year. 127 days remain. It's week 35 of 2008.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 79 and the normal low is 60. The 29-year averages are 83 and 64.

On the hot side, in 1993 the high was 94 with a low of 74. In 2003 the high was 92 with a low of 71. In 1980 the high was 92 with a low of 69. In 1995 the high was 91 with a low of 69. In 1990 the high was 88 with a low of 70. In 1991 the high was 93 with a low of 65. In 1983 the high was 89 with a low of 68. Other warm lows were 69 in 1994, 69 two years ago, 67 in 1981 and 67 in 2004. The record high of 97 was set in 1973 as was the record warmest low of 77. 16 of the 29 highs so far have been in the 80s, seven in the 70s and five in the 90s.

On the cool side, in 1987 the high was 65 with a low of 57. The other cool low was 54 in 1988. The record low of 47 was set way back in 1887 and the record coolest high of 61 was set way back in 1885. 19 of the 29 lows have been 60s and seven have been 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:44 and sunrise is at 6:13. Sunset is at 19:36 and twilight ends at 20:05. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:45 and sunrise is at 6:14. There's a total of 13 hours, 23 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 21 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 25% at midnight, will be 20% at noon and 16% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 0:59 and moonset is at 17:13. Moonlight time is 16 hours, 14 minutes today.

Labor Day is in six days. Grandparent's Day is in 12 days and Patriot's Day is in 16 days. -Bernie-

August 25: ORD

Today is August 25th. It's the 238th day of the year. 128 days remain. It's the 35th week of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 80 and the normal low is 60. The 29-year averages are 82 and 63.

On the hot side, in 2003 the high was the co-record high of 95 degrees with a low of 71. In 1995 the high was 90 with a low of 73. In 1991 the high was the other co-record high of 95 with a low of 66. In 1993 the high was 89 with a low of 70. In 1992 the high was 89 with a low of 69. In 1994 the high was 90 with a low of 67. Have you noticed that five of the six hottest days occurred between 1991-1995? It's so. Another hot high was 87 degrees in 1980. Other warm lows were 69 in 2001 and 68 (1981, 1990). The record warmest low of 74 was set in 1959. 16 of the 29 highs have been in the 80s and eight have been in the 70s. The highs in 1953 and 1959 were also 95 degrees.

On the cool side, in 1987 the high was the only 60s high of 62 with a low of 56. In 1982 the high was 75 with a low of 54. In 1985 the high was 73 with a low of 56. In 1997 the high was 72 with a low of 58. The record low of 47 was set in 1917 and the record coolest high of 63 was set in 1965. There have been 17 lows in the 60s over the past 29 years and nine lows in the 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:42 and sunrise is at 6:12. Sunset is at 19:38 and twilight ends at 20:07. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:44 and sunrise is at 6:13. There's a total of 13 hours, 26 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 25 minutes between twilights. The moon reached last quarter on Saturday at 18:50. Moon illumination was 36% at midnight, will be 30% at noon and 25% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was yesterday at six minutes 'til midnight and moonset is today at 16:19. Moonlight time is 16 hours, 19 minutes today.

Labor Day is in a week. Grandparent's Day is in 13 days and Patriot's Day is in 17 days. -Bernie-

August 24: ORD

Today is August 24th. It's the 237th day of the year. 129 days remain. It's the start of the 35th week of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 80 and the normal low is 61. The 29-year averages are 81 and 62.

On the hot side, three years back to back to back were the hottest: first place was 1992 as the high was 88 with a low of 69. Second place was 1994 as the high was 87 with a low of 69. Third place was 1993 as the high was 87 with a low of 68. Other highs of note were the lone 90s high of 90 degrees in 1983 and a high of 87 in 1991. There have been no upper 80s highs (or warmer) from 1995 onward. There were two dual days: 1989 (73/67) and 1999 (74/67). These days are noted for their cool highs and warm lows, and thus means that are normal. The record high of 100 was set in 1947 and the record warmest low of 78 was set in 1975. 28 of the 29 highs have been 70s (10) and 80s (18). Many days just fell short of hottest honors.

On the cool side, in 1987 the high was 72 with a low of 51. In 1984 the high was 76 with a low of 51. Other cool highs were 73 in 1989 and 74 (1979, 1999). The record low of 48 was set in 1942 and the record coolest high of 63 was set way back in 1891. The breakdown of the lows has been 18 occurrences in the 60s and 11 occurrences in the 50s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:41 and sunrise is at 6:11. Sunset is at 19:40 and twilight ends at 20:09. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:42 and sunrise is at 6:12. There's a total of 13 hours, 29 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 28 minutes between twilights. The moon reached last quarter yesterday at 18:50. Moon illumination was 47% at midnight, 41% at noon and 36% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 15:14 and moonrise is at 23:54. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 20 minutes today.

Labor Day is in eight days. Grandparent's Day is in 14 days and Patriot's Day is in 18 days. -Bernie-

August 23: ORD

Today is August 23rd. It's the 236th day of the year. 130 days remain. It's the 34th week of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 80 and the normal low is 61. The 29-year averages are 81 and 62.

On the hot side, in 1998 the high was 90 with a low of 71. In 1993 the high was 91 with a low of 69. Last year the high was 87 with a low of 69. Other hot highs include 89 two years ago and 88 in 1995. Other warm lows were 69 in 2001, 67 in 2000 and 67 in 2002. There were no upper 80s highs (or higher) from 1979 to 1992 and no upper 60s lows (or higher) in the same period. 2001 was what I call a dual day: the high and low were notable (74/69) but the mean was only half a degree above normal. The record high of 97 was set in 1947 and the record warmest low of 76 was set in 1968. 27 of the 29 highs so far have been 70s (13) and 80s (14).

On the cool side, in 1987 the high was 73 with a low of 54. In 1984 the high was 74 with a low of 55. In 1997 the high was 76 with a low of 54. In 2005 the high was 73 with a low of 58. There have been no highs in the lower 70s (70,71,72) nor lows in the lower 50s from 1979-2007. Other cool highs were 74 degrees in both 1989 and 2001. The record low of 51 was set way back in 1888 and the record coolest high of 62 was set way back in 1890. 19 of the 29 lows have been 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:40 and sunrise is at 6:10. Sunset is at 19:41 and twilight ends at 20:11. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:41 and sunrise is at 6:11. There's a total of 13 hours, 31 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 31 minutes between twilights. The moon reaches last quarter today at 18:50. Moon illumination was 59% at midnight, will be 53% at noon and 47% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 14:01 and moonrise is at 23:01. Moonlight time is 15 hours exactly today.

Labor Day is in nine days. Grandparent's Day is in 15 days and Patriot's Day is in 19 days. -Bernie-

August 22: ORD

Today is August 22nd. It's the 235th day of the year. 131 days remain. It's the 34th week of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 80 and the normal low is 61. The 29-year averages are 82 and 62.

On the hot side, in 1996 the high was 89 with a low of 70. Last year the high was 90 (the first high of 90 or more since 1976 when it was also 90) with a low of 69. Other hot highs include 89 in 1991, 87 in 1986 and 87 two years ago. The other warm low was 71 in 1989. The record high of 99 was set in 1936 and the record warmest low of 76 was set in 1968. 20 of the 29 highs so far have been 80s.

On the cool side, in 2004 the high was 80 with the record low of 49. The former record low of 51 occurred in 1890 and was repeated in 1992. In 1997 the high was 75 with a low of 55. In 1985 the high was 76 with a low of 55. Another cool high of 72 occurred in 1990. Other cool lows were 51 in 1992, 54 in 1999 and 55 in 1994. The record coolest high of 60 was set in 1890. 19 of the 29 lows have been 60s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:39 and sunrise is at 6:09. Sunset is at 19:43 and twilight ends at 20:12. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:40 and sunrise is at 6:10. There's a total of 13 hours, 34 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 33 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous and was 69% illuminated at midnight, will be 64% at noon and 59% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 12:45 and moonrise is at 22:19. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 26 minutes today.

Labor Day is in ten days. Grandparent's Day is in 16 days and Patriot's Day is in 20 days. -Bernie-

August 21: ORD

Today is August 21st. It's the 234th day of the year. 132 days remain. It's the 34th week of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 81 and the normal low is 61. The 29-year averages are 82 and 60.

On the hot side, in 2003 the high was 95 with a low of 72. In 1983 the high was 95 with a low of 67. In 1998 the high was 89 with a low of 70. In 1996 the high was 90 with a low of 66. Last year the high was 87 with a low of 69. Other hot highs include 89 in 1995, 87 in 1989 and 87 in 2002. Other warm lows include 67 in 1987, 67 in 1990, 68 in 1979 and 69 in 1980. The record high of 99 was set in 1955 and the record warmest low of 82 was set in 1916. 26 of the last 29 highs have been 80s (16) and 70s (10).

On the cool side, in 1985 the high was 74 with a low of 52. In 2004 the high was 74 with a low of 52. In 1992 the high was 81 with a low of 49. In 1994 the high was 74 with a low of 56. In 1999 the high was 76 with a low of 54. In 1997 the high was 74 with a low of 57. The record low of 46 was set in 1950 and the record coolest high of 66 was set in 1939. 26 of the 29 lows have been 50s (13) and 60s (13).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:38 and sunrise is at 6:08. Sunset is at 19:44 and twilight ends at 20:14. Twilight begins tomorrow at 5:39 and sunrise is at 6:09. There's a total of 13 hours, 36 minutes of daylight today and 14 hours, 36 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous with 79% illumination at midnight, 75% at noon and 69% at midnight tonight. Moonset is at 11:30 and moonrise is at 21:45. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 45 minutes today.

Labor Day is in 11 days, Grandparent's Day is in 17 days and Patriot's Day is in three weeks. **** Bernie ****