April 6: ORD

Today is April 6th. It's the 96th day of the year. 269 days remain. It's week 14 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 54 and the normal low is 34. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 55 and 34.

On the warm side, in 1991 the high was 83 with a low of 58. In 2005, the high was 80 with a low of 45, a 35 degree spread. A year earlier, in 2004, the high was 72 with a low of 39, a 33 degree spread. Other warm highs were 67 in 1995, 66 in 1980 and 66 in 1992. The record high of 84 and record warmest low of 69 were set on the same day back in 1929. 18 of the last 30 highs were: 50s (8) and 60s (10). On the warmer side, three highs were: 70s (1) and 80s (2). On the colder side, nine highs were: 30s (6) and 40s (3).

In looking back through the years to the first April at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1972 the high was 65 with a low of 33, a 32 degree spread. In 1967 the high was 49 with a low of 42, a seven degree spread. In 1966 the high was 40 with a low of 35, a five degree spread. In 1965 the high was 71 with a low of 42, a bonus 70s day. In 1964 the high was 70 with a low of 45, another bonus 70s day. In 1963 the high was 72 with a low of 37, a 35 degree spread. In 1961 the high was 43 with a low of 36, a seven degree spread.

More recently, we had a small spread of seven degrees in 2003 (37/30). There were large spreads of 34 degrees in 1981 (56/22), 33 degrees in 1992 (66/33) and 31 degrees in 1995 (67/36).

On the cold side, in 1982 the high was the record coldest high of 32 with the record low of 15. Three years earlier, in 1979, the high was 36 with a low of 19. Two years ago the high was 36 with a low of 23. In 1994 the high was 36 with a low of 26. Four years before, in 1990, the high was 38 with a low of 24. Six years later, in 1996, the high was 40 with a low of 25. Another cold low was 22 in 1981. Another cold high was 37 in 2003. 13 of the last 30 lows were 30s. Nine lows were in the colder: 10s (a.k.a. teens)(2) and 20s (7). Eight lows were in the warmer: 40s (7) and 50s (1).

1982 and 1979 had some very cold low temperatures. In 1982, lows were: Rockford: 11, Barrington: 13, Chicago Botanical Gardens: 17, University of Chicago: 18, Midway: 16, Elgin: 12, Marengo: 11 and Wheaton: 14. In 1979, lows were: Midway: 16, Barrington: 18, Elgin: 15, Marengo: 18, Rockford: 13, DeKalb: 23, Wheaton: 18 and Aurora: 19.

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. In 1982, Midway had 0.7 inches, the final part of a total of 10.5 inches. In 1938, the city recorded nine (9.0") inches of snow.

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 19:25 and twilight ends at 19:54. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:57 and sunrise is at 6:25. There's a total of 12 hours, 58 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 55 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous, heading towards the full Pink moon in three days at 9:56. Illumination was 87% at midnight, will be 90% at noon and 93% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 4:47. Moonrise is at 16:31 today and moonset is at 5:10 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 16 minutes which is 46 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Good Friday is in four days. Steve, one of my brother-in-laws, celebrates a birthday in five days. Easter is in six days. One of my nieces, Sara, celebrates a birthday in ten days. -Bernie-

April 5: ORD

Today is April 5th. It's the 95th day of the year. 270 days remain. It's week 14 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 54 and the normal low is 34. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 54 and 33.

On the warm side, in 1988 the high was the record high of 85 with a low of 54, a 31 degree spread. Two years earlier, in 1986, the high was 76 with a low of 49. In 2005 the high was 76 with a low of 47. In 1997 the high was 67 with a low of 55. Six years prior, in 1991, the high was 76 with a low of 45, a 31 degree spread. The record warmest low of 69 was set in 1929. 22 of the last 30 highs were: 40s (8), 50s (8) and 60s (6). On the warmer side, four highs were: 70s (3) and 80s (1). On the colder side, four highs were in the 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first April at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 62 with a low of 31, a 31 degree spread. In 1975 the high was 35 with a low of 18, one of our coldest April 5th days. In 1967 the high was 67 with a low of 49, a bonus 60s day. In 1963 the high was 62 with a low of 29, a 33 degree spread.

More recently, we had a small spreads of six degrees in 1983 (41/35) and in 1985 (39/33). There were large spreads of 31 degrees in 1995 (49/18), 36 degrees in 1979 (55/19) and 38 degrees in 2000 (63/25).

On the cold side, in 1982 the high was 31 with a low of 22. Two decades and a year later, in 2003, the high was 33 with a low of 25. In 1996 the high was 39 with a low of 25. In 2002 the high was 41 with a low of 24. Other cold lows were the record low of 18 in 1995 and a low of 19 in 1979. The low was also 18 in 1979 at Midway, so Midway shares the record low today with O'Hare. Other cold highs were 39 in 1985, 40 two years ago, 41 in 1983 and 42 in 1981. The record coldest high of 32 was set way back in 1898. 22 of the last 30 lows were: 20s (11) and 30s (11). Two lows were in the colder: 10s (a.k.a. teens)(2). Six lows were in the warmer: 40s (4) and 50s (2).

Both 1979 and 1995 were very cold days today. In 1979, area lows were: Rockford: 17, Aurora: 17, Barrington: 9, University of Chicago: 18, DeKalb (NIU): 18, Elgin: 11, Marengo: 8, Joliet: 18, Wheaton: 16, Midway: 18 and O'Hare: 19. In 1995, Rockford: 15, Aurora: 19, Chicago Botanical Gardens: 16, Midway: 23, DeKalb(NIU): 17, Elgin: 16, Lake Villa: 16, Marengo: 15, O'Hare: 18 and Streamwood: 12.

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. In 1982, O'Hare had 9.4 inches of snow. This was 89% of it's total of 10.6 inches for the month. Midway had 9.8 inches and Rockford had 6.3 inches. So much for Spring on this day in 1982! In 1938, the city had a tenth of an inch.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:00 and sunrise is at 6:29. Sunset is at 19:24 and twilight ends at 19:52. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:59 and sunrise is at 6:27. There's a total of 12 hours, 55 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 52 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous and reached first quarter three days ago at 9:34. Illumination was 78% at midnight, will be 83% at noon and 87% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 4:21. Moonrise is at 15:19 today and moonset is at 4:47 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 2 minutes which is 45 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Palm Sunday is today. Good Friday is in five days. Steve, one of my brother-in-laws, celebrates a birthday in six days. Easter is in a week. One of my nieces, Sara, celebrates a birthday in 11 days. -Bernie-

April 4: ORD

Today is April 4th. It's the 94th day of the year. 271 days remain. It's week 14 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 53 and the normal low is 34. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 52 and 34.

On the warm side, in 1997 the high was 75 with a low of 51. In 1988 the high was 68 with a low of 47. In 1999 the high was 67 with a low of 44. Other warm highs were 68 in both 1981 and 2005. Another warm low was 48 in 1991. The record high of 79 and record warmest low of 60 were set on the same day back in 1929. 24 of the last 30 highs were: 40s (9), 50s (8) and 60s (7). On the warmer side, one high was in the 70s. On the colder side, five highs were in the 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first April at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the high was 35 with a low of 18, a cold day. In 1973 the high was 39 with a low of 34, a five degree spread. In 1972 the high was 40 with a low of 22, another cold day.

More recently, we had a small spreads of seven degrees in: 1984 (44/37), 1996 (37/30) and 2003 (39/32). There were large spreads of 32 degrees in both 1981 (68/36) and 2005 (68/36). There was also a large spread of 31 degrees in 1987 (50/19).

On the cold side, in 1982 the high was 39 with a low of 20. Two decades later, in 2002, the high was 37 with a low of 25. In 1993 the high was 41 with a low of 21. Two years ago the high was 35 with a low of 28, a seven degree spread. Other cold lows were 19 in 1987 and 21 in 1995. Other cold highs were 37 in 1996 and 39 in 2003. The record low of 16 was set in 1975 and the record coldest high of 28 was set way back in 1891. 15 of the last 30 lows were 30s. Nine lows were in the colder: 10s (a.k.a. teens)(1) and 20s (8). Six lows were in the warmer: 40s (5) and 50s (1).

Today is a not a major day in Chicago's snow history.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:02 and sunrise is at 6:30. Sunset is at 19:23 and twilight ends at 19:51. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:00 and sunrise is at 6:29. There's a total of 12 hours, 53 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 49 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous and reached first quarter two days ago at 9:34. Illumination was 68% at midnight, will be 74% at noon and 78% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 3:52. Moonrise is at 14:05 today and moonset is at 4:21 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 47 minutes which is 40 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Palm Sunday is tomorrow. Good Friday is in six days. Steve, one of my brother-in-laws, celebrates a birthday in a week. Easter is in eight days. One of my nieces, Sara, celebrates a birthday in 12 days. -Bernie-

April 3: ORD

Today is April 3rd. It's the 93rd day of the year. 272 days remain. It's week 14 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 53 and the normal low is 34. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 56 and 36.

On the warm side, in 1981 the high was 75 with a low of 59. In 1999 the high was 73 with a low of 52. Two years earlier, in 1997, the high was 67 with a low of 52. Other warm highs were 70 in 1996, 70 two years ago and 65 in 1991. The record high of 81 was set in 1956 and the record warmest low of 60 was set back in 1928. 26 of the last 30 highs were: 40s (9), 50s (8) and 60s (9). On the warmer side, four highs were 70s.

In looking back through the years to the first April at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 70 with a low of 37, a 33 degree spread and bonus 70s day. In 1976 the high was 72 with a low of 45, a bonus 70s day. In 1975 the high was 31 with a low of 19, a cold day. In 1974 the high was 65 with a low of 50, a bonus 60s day. In 1973 the high was 44 with a low of 38, a six degree spread. In 1963 the high was 70 with a low of 39, a 31 degree spread and bonus 70s day.

More recently, we had a small spread of three degrees in 1983 (40/37). There were large spreads of 32 degrees in 2004 (59/27), 33 degrees in 2005 (64/31), 35 degrees two years ago (70/35), 37 degrees in 1982 (62/25) and 38 degrees in 1996 (70/32).

On the cold side, in 1987 the high was 40 with the record low of 17. Another cold low was 22 in 1993. Other cold highs were 40 in 1983 and 40 in 2002. The record coldest high of 25 was set in 1954. 15 of the last 30 lows were 30s. Six lows were in the colder: 10s (a.k.a. teens)(1) and 20s (5). Nine lows were in the warmer: 40s (6) and 50s (3).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. At O'Hare and Midway in 1975, this was the second day of a two day storm. At O'Hare, 0.4 inches of an 11.1 inch total occurred. At Midway, 0.4 inches of a 9.8 inch total occurred.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:04 and sunrise is at 6:32. Sunset is at 19:22 and twilight ends at 19:50. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:02 and sunrise is at 6:30. There's a total of 12 hours, 50 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 46 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing gibbous and reached first quarter yesterday at 9:34. Illumination was 57% at midnight, will be 63% at noon and 68% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 3:16. Moonrise is at 12:49 today and moonset is at 3:52 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 27 minutes which is 30 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Palm Sunday is in two days. Good Friday is in seven days. Steve, one of my brother-in-laws, celebrates a birthday in eight days. Easter is in nine days. One of my nieces, Sara, celebrates a birthday in 13 days. -Bernie-

April 2: ORD

Today is April 2nd. It's the 92nd day of the year. 273 days remain. It's week 14 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 53 and the normal low is 33. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 55 and 35.

On the warm side, in 1999 the high was 75 with a low of 53. In 1981 the high was 80 with a low of 37, a 43 degree spread. In 1994 the high was 70 with a low of 40, a 30 degree spread. Other warm highs were 72 in 2003 and 69 in 1997. The record high of 82 was set in 1963 and the record warmest low of 62 was set in 1956. 12 of the last 30 highs were 50s. On the warmer side, 11 highs were: 60s (7), 70s (3) and 80s (1). On the colder side, seven highs were: 30s (4) and 40s (3).

In looking back through the years to the first April at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 38 with a low of 31, a seven degree spread. In 1977 the high was 73 with a low of 42, a 31 degree spread and bonus 70s day. In 1976 the high was 64 with a low of 34, a 30 degree spread. In 1975 the high was 34 with a low of 27, a seven degree spread. In 1974 the high was 71 with a low of 38, a 33 degree spread and bonus 70s day. In 1973 the high was 47 with a low of 40, a seven degree spread. In 1970 the high was 38 with a low of 32, a six degree spread. In 1967 the high was 72 with a low of 44, a bonus 70s day. In 1963 the high was 82 with a low of 61, a bonus 80s day.

More recently, we had small spreads of four degrees in 1983 (40/36), five degrees in 1979 (37/32) and five degrees in 1990 (40/35). There were large spreads of 30 degrees in 2001 (60/30), 33 degrees in 1997 (69/36) and 36 degrees in 2003 (72/36).

On the cold side, in 1987 the high was 37 with a low of 21. In 1993 the high was 38 with a low of 24. A year earlier, in 1992, the high was 38 with a low of 25. Other cold highs were 37 in 1979, 40 in 1983 and 40 in 1990. The record low of 18 was set way back in 1899 and record coldest high of 30 was set back in 1936. 17 of the last 30 lows were 30s. Six lows were in the colder 20s. Seven lows were in the warmer: 40s (6) and 50s (1).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. 1970 was the second day of a two day storm. At O'Hare, 4.0 inches of a 7.2 inch total occurred. At Midway, 2.5 inches of a 10.7 inch total occurred. And in Rockford, 2.8 inches of a 6.7 inch total occurred. At O'Hare and Midway in 1975, this was the first day of a two day storm. At O'Hare, 10.7 inches of an 11.1 inch total occurred. At Midway, 9.4 inches of a 9.8 inch total occurred. Rockford had 4.6 inches today in 1975.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:05 and sunrise is at 6:34. Sunset is at 19:21 and twilight ends at 19:49. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:04 and sunrise is at 6:32. There's a total of 12 hours, 47 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 44 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent and reaches first quarter today at 9:34. Illumination was 46% at midnight, will be 52% at noon and 57% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 2:31. Moonrise is at 11:34 today. Moonset is at 3:16 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 57 minutes which is 16 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Palm Sunday is in three days. -Bernie-

April 1: ORD

Today is April 1st. It's the 91st day of the year. 274 days remain. It's week 13 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 53 and the normal low is 33. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 52 and 34.

On the warm side, in 2003 the high was 81 with a low of 39, a 42 degree spread. That high of 81 was just a degree short of the record. Four years earlier, in 1999, the high was 62 with a low of 53. That low of 53 was just a degree short of the record warmest low. Other warm highs were 67 in both 1986 and 1994. Other warm lows were 46 two years ago and 47 in 2000. The record high of 82 was set in 1946 and the record warmest low of 54 was set in 1963. 20 of the last 30 highs were: 40s (10) and 50s (10). On the warmer side, seven highs were: 60s (6) and 80s (1). There have been no highs in the 70s. On the colder side, three highs were 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first April at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 67 with a low of 32, a 35 degree spread and bonus 60s day. In 1976 the high was 43 with a low of 37, a six degree spread. In 1974 the high was 71 with a low of 41, a 30 degree spread and bonus 70s day. In 1970 the high was 36 with a low of 34, a two degree spread. In 1969 the high was 64 with a low of 33, a 31 degree spread. In 1963 the high was 77 with a low of 54, another bonus 70s day. In 1959 the high was 42 with a low of 38, a four degree spread.

More recently, we had a small spread of five degrees in 1979 (39/34). There were large spreads of 30 degrees in 1986 (67/37), 30 degrees in 1994 (67/37) and 31 degrees in 1984 (55/24).

On the cold side, in 1993 the high was 35 with a low of 27. Other cold highs were 39 in 1979, 39 in 1992, 41 in 1985 and 41 in 2002. The record low of 17 and record coldest high of 26 were set on the same day way back in 1881. 16 of the last 30 lows were 30s. Eight lows were in the colder 20s. Six lows were in the warmer: 40s (5) and 50s (1).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. 1970 was the first day of a two day storm. At O'Hare, 3.2 inches of a 7.2 inch total occurred. At Midway, 8.2 inches of a 10.7 inch total occurred. And in Rockford, 3.9 inches of a 6.7 inch total occurred.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:07 and sunrise is at 6:36. Sunset is at 19:19 and twilight ends at 19:48. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:05 and sunrise is at 6:34. There's a total of 12 hours, 43 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 41 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent and will reach first quarter tomorrow at 9:34. Illumination was 35% at midnight, will be 40% at noon and 46% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 1:36. Moonrise is at 10:23 today. Moonset is at 2:31 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 13 minutes which is three minutes longer than yesterday.

April Fool's Day is today. Palm Sunday is in four days. -Bernie-

March 31: ORD

Today is March 31st. It's the 90th day of the year. 275 days remain. It's week 13 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 52 and the normal low is 33. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 55 and 35.

On the warm side, in 1986 the high was 83 with a low of 48, a 35 degree spread. Five years earlier, in 1981, the high was the record high of 87 with a low of 41, a 46 degree spread. In 1999 the high was 71 with a low of 48. A year earlier, in 1998, the high was 72 with a low of 45. Three years ago the high was 68 with a low of 45. Other warm lows were 46 in 1982 and 45 two years ago. The record warmest low of 60 was set in 1967. 20 of the last 30 highs were: 40s (11) and 50s (9). On the warmer side, nine highs were: 60s (5), 70s (2) and 80s (2). On the colder side, one high was in the 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 78 with a low of 39, a 39 degree spread and bonus 70s day. In 1975 the high was 58 with a low of 24, a 34 degree spread. In 1971 the high was 74 with a low of 42, a 32 degree spread and bonus 70s day. In 1969 the high was 33 with a low of 12, a cold day. In 1968 the high was 65 with a low of 38, a bonus 60s day. In 1967 the high was 68 with a low of 58, another bonus 60s day. In 1966 the high was 54 with a low of 22, a 32 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 35 with a low of 19, another cold day. In 1960 the high was was 38 with a low of 31, a seven degree spread.

More recently, we had small spreads of four degrees in 1989 (37/33) and seven degrees in 1990 (45/38). There were large spreads of 31 degrees in 2003 (55/24) and 37 degrees in 2000 (63/26).

On the cold side, in 1987 the high was 40 with a low of 20. Another cold high was 37 in 1989. The record low of 12 was set in 1969 and record coldest high of 21 was set in 1923. 16 of the last 30 lows were 30s. Seven lows were in the colder 20s and seven lows were in the warmer 40s.

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. Today and yesterday, back in 1926 at the University of Chicago, 8.7 inches fell. Rockford today had 13.5 of it's 16 inch total back in 1926.

Two days ago here in Crystal Lake we had somewhere between 5 and 6 and a half inches. The big event at my house was that our evergreen tree was uprooted by the storm and was draped across our driveway. I've got a couple pictures of that in the right column. Other amounts were: 6.8 inches at Bull Valley (close to Crystal Lake), 7.2 inches in Cary which is also close to Crystal Lake, 5.4 inches in St. Charles, 5 inches in DeKalb, 4.8 inches in Schaumburg, 3.8 inches in Elgin, 3 inches in Barrington, 2 inches in Harvard, 1.5 inches in Streamwood, 0.4 inches at Midway, 0.1 inches in Rockford and just a trace at O'Hare. Kind of unique that all three major regional airports (O'Hare, Midway and Rockford) hardly had any snow. So it seems that conditions were just right that a very specific area got hit.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:09 and sunrise is at 6:37. Sunset is at 19:18 and twilight ends at 19:47. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:07 and sunrise is at 6:36. There's a total of 12 hours, 41 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 38 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent and will reach first quarter in two days at 9:34. Illumination was 24% at midnight, will be 29% at noon and 35% at midnight tonight. Moonset was at 0:31. Moonrise is at 9:21 today. Moonset is at 1:36 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 10 minutes which is 20 minutes shorter than yesterday.

April Fool's Day is tomorrow. -Bernie-

March 30: ORD

Today is March 30th. It's the 89th day of the year. 276 days remain. It's week 13 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 52 and the normal low is 32. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 54 and 36.

On the warm side, in 1998 the high was the co-record high of 79 with the record warmest low of 66. Four years ago, in 2005, the high was 77 with a low of 54. In 1986 the high was the co-record high of 79 with a low of 51. Four years earlier, in 1982, the high was 63 with a low of 48. In 1999 the high was 72 with a low of 38, a 34 degree spread. Two decades earlier, in 1979, the high was 66 with a low of 43. Other warm highs were 70 in 2006 and 66 in 1993. Another warm low was 46 two years ago. 13 of the last 30 highs were 40s. On the warmer side, 15 highs were: 50s (6), 60s (4) and 70s (5). On the colder side, two highs were in the 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 57 with a low of 27, a 30 degree spread. In 1977 the high was 65 with a low of 42, a bonus 60s day. In 1969 the high was 27 with a low of 12, a cold day. In 1968 the high was 76 with a low of 34, a 42 degree spread and bonus 70s day. In 1967 the high was the co-record high of 79 with a low of 53, another bonus 70s day. In 1964 the high was 31 with a low of 2, another cold day. That low of 2 was colder than the record low. And of course, it isn't the record because O'Hare was not the official station of record for Chicago in 1964. In 1963 the high was was 75 with a low of 41, a 34 degree spread and another bonus 70s day.

More recently, we had small spreads of six degrees in 1985 (38/32) and six degrees last year (42/36). There were large spreads of 32 degrees in 1993 (66/34) and 35 degrees three years ago (70/35).

On the cold side, in 1987 the high was 34 with a low of 23. Another cold low was 22 in 1991. Another cold high was 38 in 1985. The record low of 12 and record coldest high of 27 were set on the same day in 1969. 17 of the last 30 lows were 30s. Six lows were in the colder 20s. Seven lows were in the warmer: 40s (4), 50s (2) and 60s (1).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. Today and tomorrow, back in 1926 at the University of Chicago, 8.7 inches fell. Rockford today had 2.5 of it's 16 inch total back in 1926.

Yesterday here in Crystal Lake we had somewhere between 5 and 6 and a half inches. The big event at my house was that our evergreen tree was uprooted by the storm and was draped across our driveway. I've got a couple pictures of that in the right column. Other amounts were: 6.8 inches at Bull Valley (close to Crystal Lake), 7.2 inches in Cary which is also close to Crystal Lake, 5.4 inches in St. Charles, 5 inches in DeKalb, 4.8 inches in Schaumburg, 3.8 inches in Elgin, 3 inches in Barrington, 2 inches in Harvard, 1.5 inches in Streamwood, 0.4 inches at Midway, 0.1 inches in Rockford and just a trace at O'Hare. Kind of unique that all three major regional airports (O'Hare, Midway and Rockford) hardly had any snow. So it seems that conditions were just right that a very specific area got hit.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 6:11 and sunrise was at 6:39. Sunset is at 19:17 and twilight ends at 19:45. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:09 and sunrise is at 6:37. There's a total of 12 hours, 38 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 34 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent and will reach first quarter in three days at 9:34. Illumination was 15% at midnight, will be 20% at noon and 24% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 8:30. Moonset is at 0:31 tomorrow. Moonrise is at 9:21 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 30 minutes which is the same time as yesterday.

April Fool's Day is in two days. -Bernie-

March 29: ORD

Today is March 29th. It's the 88th day of the year. 277 days remain. It's week 13 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 51 and the normal low is 32. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 53 and 35.

On the warm side, in 1986 the high was the record high of 88 with a low of 54, a 34 degree spread. In 1998 the high was 79 with a low of 44, a 35 degree spread. In 1981 the high was 63 with a low of 55. Other warm highs were 71 in 2005 and 64 in 1993. Another warm low was 46 two years ago. The record warmest low of 63 was set way back in 1910. 12 of the last 30 highs were 40s. On the warmer side, 16 highs were: 50s (6), 60s (7), 70s (2) and 80s (1). On the colder side, two highs were in the 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 68 with a low of 51, a bonus 60s day. In 1973 the high was 46 with a low of 42, a four degree spread. In 1972 the high was 38 with a low of 31, a seven degree spread. In 1970 the high was 32 with a low of 19, a cold day. In 1969 the high was 28 with a low of 16, another cold day. In 1968 the high was 66 with a low of 37, another bonus 60s day. In 1964 the high was 28 with a low of 14, another cold day. What made 1964 even more notable was that 7.4 inches of snow fell as well. In 1963 the high was was 80 with a low of 39, a bonus 80s day with a spread of 41 degrees. In 1962 the high was 64 with a low of 36, yet another bonus 60s day. In 1960 the high was 71 with a low of 40, a 31 degree spread and bonus 70s day.

More recently, we had small spreads of six degrees in 1990 (44/38), six degrees in 1995 (43/37) and seven degrees in 1992 (43/36). There were large spreads of 34 degrees in 1982 (60/26) and 38 degrees in 2005 (71/33).

On the cold side, in 1991 the high was 37 with a low of 24. Another cold high was 38 in 2003. The record low of 9 and record coldest high of 24 were set on the same day way back in 1887. 15 of the last 30 lows were 30s. Nine lows were in the colder 20s. Six lows were in the warmer: 40s (4) and 50s (2). Once again, we've shed the lows in the 10s (a.k.a. teens). That is very nice.

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. In 1972 at O'Hare, 5.9 inches fell. At Midway, 6.5 inches fell. But Rockford takes the cake as 10.4 inches fell there.

This morning we had quite a bit of snow. Totals coming tomorrow.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 6:13 and sunrise was at 6:41. Sunset is at 19:16 and twilight ends at 19:44. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:11 and sunrise is at 6:39. There's a total of 12 hours, 35 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 31 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent and reached new three days ago at 11:06. Illumination was 8% at midnight, will be 12% at noon and 15% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 7:49. Moonset is at 23:19. Moonrise is at 8:30 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 30 minutes which is 42 minutes longer than yesterday.

April Fool's Day is in three days. -Bernie-

March 28: ORD

Today is March 28th. It's the 87th day of the year. 278 days remain. It's week 13 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 51 and the normal low is 32. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 54 and 35.

On the warm side, in 1986 the high was the record high of 79 with a low of 43, a 36 degree spread. Three years later, in 1989, the high was 68 with a low of 54. In 2004 the high was 74 with a low of 48. In 1981 the high was 78 with a low of 42, a 36 degree spread. In 1998 the high was 65 with a low of 49. The year before, in 1997, the high was 62 with a low of 48. Another warm low was 44 two years ago. The record warmest low of 57 was set way back in 1910. 21 of the last 30 highs were: 40s (11) and 50s (10). On the warmer side, eight highs were: 60s (5) and 70s (3). On the colder side, one highs was in the 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 62 with a low of 50, a bonus warmer than normal day. In 1975 the high was 38 with a low of 34, a four degree spread. In 1974 the high was 40 with a low of 36, a four degree spread. In 1968 the high was 78 with a low of 52, a bonus 70s day. In 1965 the high was 39 with a low of 19, a cold day. In 1964 the high was 34 with a low of 18, another cold day. In 1962 the high was was 69 with a low of 48, another bonus 60s day. In 1960 the high was 42 with a low of 35, a seven degree spread.

More recently, we had small spreads of six degrees in 1995 (44/38), six degrees in 2007 (50/44) and seven degrees in 1980 (44/37). There were large spreads of 31 degrees in 1979 (59/28) and 33 degrees in 2005 (60/27).

On the cold side, threre were no days considered "cold" with means of 12 degrees or lower. However, a cold high was 38 degrees in 1983. The top three coldest were: 1983 (38/26), 1982 (45/21) and last year (40/27). The record low of 9 and record coldest high of 23 were set on the same day way back in 1887. 23 of the last 30 lows were: 20s (9) and 30s (14). Seven lows were in the warmer: 40s (6) and 50s (1). No lows. Do ya hear me? No lows were in the 10s (a.k.a. teens).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. In 1970 at O'Hare, this was the fifth of five days in which 11.8 inches fell. Today 1.0 inches fell.

Four days ago on March 24th, we had some really nice highs: O'Hare: 69, Northerly Island: 67, Midway: 70, Romeoville (Nat'l Weather Svc): 71, Rockford: 62, West Chicago: 70, Aurora: 68 and DeKalb: 61. O'Hare's high of 69, occurring at 16:55, and low of 48 at 0:59 on the 25th was the warmest day of the last 31 years. It was only half a degree warmer than 2003 (74/42) in 2nd place. Third place was two years ago when, although the high was just 64, the day's average was held up because the low was a balmy 52. The only other 69 degree high occurred in 1987. The other high that was warmer than this year's was 71 in 1988.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight began at 6:14 and sunrise was at 6:42. Sunset is at 19:15 and twilight ends at 19:43. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:13 and sunrise is at 6:41. There's a total of 12 hours, 33 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 29 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent and reached new two days ago at 11:06. Illumination was 3% at midnight, will be 5% at noon and 8% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 7:16. Moonset is at 22:04. Moonrise is at 7:49 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 48 minutes which is 47 minutes longer than yesterday.

April Fool's Day is in four days. -Bernie-

March 27: ORD

Today is March 27th. It's the 86th day of the year. 279 days remain. It's week 13 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 50 and the normal low is 32. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 53 and 34.

On the warm side, in 1989 the high was 75 with the record warmest low of 59. In 1998 the high was 77 with a low of 56. Way back in 1910 the low was also 56. These were the former record warmest lows. In 1985 the high was 70 with a low of 54. In 1997 the high was 75 with a low of 48. Two years ago the high was 73 with a low of 45. In 1991 the high was 74 with a low of 38, a 36 degree spread. In 2003 the high was 67 with a low of 40. The record high of 82 was set back in 1945. 17 of the last 30 highs were 40s (8) and 50s (9). On the warmer side, eight highs were: 60s (2) and 70s (6). On the colder side, five highs were 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 62 with a low of 54, a bonus 60s day. In 1975 the high was 34 with a low of 31, a three degree spread. In 1974 the high was 41 with a low of 34, a seven degree spread. In 1968 the high was 76 with a low of 54, a bonus 70s day. In 1966 the high was 38 with a low of 20, a cold day. In 1965 the high was 32 with a low of -1, a 33 degree spread and very cold. That low of -1 was colder than the record low (see below). In 1964 the high was 36 with a low of 14, another cold day. In 1963 the high was 67 with a low of 35, a 32 degree spread and bonus 60s day. In 1961 the high was 67 with a low of 39, another bonus 60s day.

More recently, we had small spreads of six degrees in 1984 (39/33) and seven degrees in 1995 (45/38). There was a large spread of 33 degrees in 1999 (57/24).

On the cold side, in 1996 the high was 36 with the record low of 12. In 1982 the high was 36 with a low of 20. Three years before that, in 1979, the high was 39 with a low of 18. The record coldest high of 26 was set way back in 1904. 21 of the last 30 lows were 20s (10) and 30s (11). Two lows were in the colder 10s (a.k.a. teens). Four lows were in the warmer 40s.

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. In 1970 at O'Hare, this was the fourth of five days in which 11.8 inches fell. Today 0.1 inches fell.

Three days ago on March 24th, we had some really nice highs: O'Hare: 69, Northerly Island: 67, Midway: 70, Romeoville (Nat'l Weather Svc): 71, Rockford: 62, West Chicago: 70, Aurora: 68 and DeKalb: 61. O'Hare's high of 69, occurring at 16:55, and low of 48 at 0:59 on the 25th was the warmest day of the last 31 years. It was only half a degree warmer than 2003 (74/42) in 2nd place. Third place was two years ago when, although the high was just 64, the day's average was held up because the low was a balmy 52. The only other 69 degree high occurred in 1987. The other high that was warmer than this year's was 71 in 1988.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:16 and sunrise is at 6:44. Sunset is at 19:14 and twilight ends at 19:42. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:14 and sunrise is at 6:42. There's a total of 12 hours, 30 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 26 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent and reached new yesterday at 11:06. Illumination was 1% at midnight, will be 2% at noon and 3% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 6:49. Moonset is at 20:50. Moonrise is at 7:16 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 1 minute which is 48 minutes longer than yesterday.

April Fool's Day is in five days. -Bernie-

March 26: ORD

Today is March 26th. It's the 85th day of the year. 280 days remain. It's week 13 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 50 and the normal low is 32. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 52 and 33.

On the warm side, two years ago the high was the record high of 79 with the record warmest low of 63. In 1998 the high was 75 with a low of 60. Seven years earlier, in 1991, the high was 75 with a low of 52. In 2004 the high was 67 with a low of 45. In 1989 the high was 76 with a low of 34, a 42 degree spread. Other warm highs were 68 in 2000, 65 in 1985, 63 in 1986 and 63 in 1981. 12 of the last 30 highs were 40s. On the warmer side, 13 highs were: 50s (4), 60s (5) and 70s (4). On the colder side, five highs were: 20s (1) and 30s (4).

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 33 with a low of 31, a two degree spread and cold. In 1977 the high was 69 with a low of 31, a 31 degree spread and bonus 60s day. In 1976 the high was 77 with a low of 53, the former record high and bonus 70s day. In 1975 the high was 35 with a low of 20, another cold day. In 1968 the high was 74 with a low of 47, a bonus 70s day. In 1967 the high was 65 with a low of 39, a bonus 60s day. In 1966 the high was 38 with a low of 23, another cold day. In 1965 the high was 28 with a low of 3, another cold day. That low of 3 was colder than the record low (see below). In 1964 the high was 25 with a low of 18, a seven degree spread and again another very cold day. In 1961 the high was 72 with a low of 47, a bonus 70s day. In 1960 the high was 34 with a low of 11, yet another cold one.

More recently, we had small spreads of seven degrees in 1982 (34/27) and seven degrees in 1987 (49/42). There were large spreads of 34 degrees in 1985 (65/31), 32 degrees in 2000 (68/36) and 30 degrees in 1986 (63/33).

On the cold side, in 1996 the high was the record coldest high of 23 with a low of 15. The record coldest high of 23 also occurred back in 1937. Five years later, in 2001, the high was 33 with a low of 16. In 1979 the high was 33 with a low of 16. Other cold highs were 34 in 1982 and 38 in 2002. The record low of 7 was set way back in 1873. 15 of the last 30 lows were 30s. Ten lows were in the colder: 10s (a.k.a. teens) (3) and 20s (7). Five lows were in the warmer: 40s (2), 50s (1) and 60s (2).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. At O'Hare in 1965, this was the seventh of seven days in which a total of 10.2 inches fell. Today 0.7 inches fell. In 1970 at O'Hare, this was the third of five days in which 11.8 inches fell. Today 4.8 inches fell. At Midway in 1970, 8.9 inches fell. This was the second of two days in which a total of 14.3 inches fell.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:18 and sunrise is at 6:46. Sunset is at 19:13 and twilight ends at 19:41. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:16 and sunrise is at 6:44. There's a total of 12 hours, 27 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 23 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent and reaches new today at 11:06. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 0% at noon and 1% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 6:25. Moonset is at 19:38. Moonrise is at 6:49 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 13 minutes which is 47 minutes longer than yesterday.

April Fool's Day is in six days. -Bernie-

March 25: ORD

Today is March 25th. It's the 84th day of the year. 281 days remain. It's week 12 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 50 and the normal low is 31. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 50 and 33.

On the warm side, two years ago the high was the record high of 79 with a low of 48, a 31 degree spread. The former record high was 75, first in 1939 and then in 1967. In 1986 the high was 72 with a low of 51. In 2004 the high was 62 with the record warmest low of 57, a five degree spread. The record warmest low of 57 also occurred in 1945. In 1988 the high was 62 with a low of 44. In 2000 the high was 61 with a low of 44. Other warm highs were 65 in 1991 and 63 in 1989. 16 of the last 30 highs were: 40s (8) and 50s (8). On the warmer side, seven highs were: 60s (5) and 70s (2). On the colder side, seven highs were: 20s (2) and 30s (5).

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 32 with a low of 25, a seven degree spread and cold. In 1977 the high was 62 with a low of 30, a 32 degree spread and bonus 60s day. In 1976 the high was 67 with a low of 34, a 33 degree spread and bonus 60s day. In 1975 the high was 32 with a low of 23, another cold day. In 1974 the high was 44 with a low of 10, a 34 degree spread. The low of 10 was colder than the record low. In 1973 the high was 47 with a low of 40, a seven degree spread. In 1968 the high was 67 with a low of 38, a bonus 60s day. In 1967 the high was 75 with a low of 41, a 34 degree spread and bonus 70s day. In 1966 the high was 37 with a low of 16, another cold day. In 1965 the high was 26 with a low of 17, another cold day. In 1963 the high was 65 with a low of 55, a bonus 60s day. In 1960 the high was 25 with a low of 9, yet another cold day. That low of 9 was another reading that was colder than the record. In 1959 the high was 43 with a low of 36, a seven degree spread.

More recently, we had small spreads of six degrees in 2005 (39/33) and seven degrees in 1980 (35/28). There were large spreads of 32 degrees in 1981 (57/25), 32 degrees in 1991 (65/33), 33 degrees in 1995 (58/25) and 40 degrees in 1996 (56/16).

On the cold side, in 1979 the high was 25 with a low of 16. In 2001 the high was 25 with a low of 19, a six degree spread. In 1983 the high was 32 with a low of 20. In 2002 the high was 31 with a low of 24, a seven degree spread. Another cold low was 16 in 1996. Other cold highs were 35 in 1980 and 38 in 1999. The record low of 12 was set in 1940 and more recently in 1974. The record coldest high of 19 was set way back in 1894. 20 of the last 30 lows were: 20s (10) and 30s (10). Three lows were in the colder 10s (a.k.a. teens). Seven lows were in the warmer: 40s (5) and 50s (2).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. At O'Hare in 1965, this was the sixth of seven days in which a total of 10.2 inches fell. Today 0.2 inches fell. In 1970 at O'Hare, this was the second of five days in which 11.8 inches fell. Today 5.8 inches fell. At Midway in 1970, 5.4 inches fell. This was the first of two days in which a total of 14.3 inches fell. In 1930 at the University of Chicago, a total of 21.6 inches fell on the 24th and 25th. 14.4 inches fell in an unspecified 24 hour time frame during these two days. Tom Skilling of WGN-TV said in his blog that the total was 19.2 inches. So there appears to be a slight discrepancy between the totals.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:20 and sunrise is at 6:48. Sunset is at 19:12 and twilight ends at 19:40. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:18 and sunrise is at 6:46. There's a total of 12 hours, 24 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 20 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 2% at midnight, will be 1% at noon and 0% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 6:03. Moonset is at 18:29. Moonrise is at 6:25 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 26 minutes which is 44 minutes longer than yesterday.

April Fool's Day is in a week. -Bernie-

March 24: ORD

Today is March 24th. It's the 83rd day of the year. 282 days remain. It's week 12 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 49 and the normal low is 31. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 52 and 32.

On the warm side, in 2003 the high was 74 with a low of 42, a 32 degree spread. Four years later, in 2007, the high was 64 with a low of 52. In 1987 the high was 69 with a low of 45. In 2000 the high was 68 with a low of 46. In 1988 the high was 71 with a low of 42. In 2004 the high was 63 with a low of 44. Other warm highs were 64 in 1989, 63 in 1996 and 62 in 1994. The record high of 79 was set in 1939 and the record warmest low of 61 was set back in 1910. 24 of the last 30 highs were: 40s (8), 50s (9) and 60s (7). On the warmer side, two highs were in the 70s. On the colder side, four highs were in the 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 70 with a low of 49, a bonus 70s day. In 1975 the high was 58 with a low of 28, a 30 degree spread. In 1974 the high was 15 with a low of 5, a very cold day and the year that the records were established (at Midway, see "cold side" below). In 1972 the high was 35 with a low of 28, a seven degree spread. In 1968 the high was 60 with a low of 32, a bonus 60s day. In 1966 the high was 27 with a low of 18, a cold day. In 1965 the high was 23 with a low of 5, another cold day. In 1963 the high was 74 with a low of 47, a bonus 70s day. In 1960 the high was 27 with a low of 13, yet another cold day. In 1959 the high was 74 with a low of 38, a 36 degree spread and bonus 70s day.

More recently, we had a small spread of seven degrees in 1985 (42/35). There were large spreads of 32 degrees in 1989 (64/32) and 33 degrees in 1992 (58/25).

On the cold side, in 1983 the high was 31 with a low of 18. In 2001 the high was 36 with a low of 21. The record low of 5 and record coldest high of 17 were set on the same day in 1974. 23 of the last 30 lows were: 20s (14) and 30s (9). One low was in the colder 10s (a.k.a. teens). Six lows were in the warmer: 40s (5) and 50s (1).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. At O'Hare in 1965, this was the fifth of seven days in which a total of 10.2 inches fell. Today 0.5 inches fell. In 1970, this was the first of five days in which 11.8 inches fell. Today 0.1 inches fell. In 1930 at the University of Chicago, a total of 21.6 inches fell on the 24th and 25th. 14.4 inches fell in an unspecified 24 hour timeframe during these two days. Tom Skilling of WGN-TV said in his blog that the total was 19.2 inches. So there appears to be a slight discrepancy between the totals.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:21 and sunrise is at 6:49. Sunset is at 19:10 and twilight ends at 19:38. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:20 and sunrise is at 6:48. There's a total of 12 hours, 21 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 17 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 6% at midnight, will be 4% at noon and 2% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 5:41. Moonset is at 17:23. Moonrise is at 6:03 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 42 minutes which is 44 minutes longer than yesterday.

April Fool's Day is in eight days. -Bernie-

March 23: ORD

Today is March 23rd. It's the 82nd day of the year. 283 days remain. It's week 12 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 49 and the normal low is 31. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 51 and 31.

On the warm side, in 1994 the high was 74 with a low of 49. Six years earlier, in 1988, the high was 68 with a low of 45. in 1979 the high was 62 with the record warmest low of 50. The record warmest low of 50 also occurred in 1936. In 1987 the high was 67 with a low of 40. In 2003 the high was 63 with a low of 41. Another warm high was 62 in 2000. Another warm low was 44 in 2007. The record high of 80 was set way back in 1907. 26 of the last 30 highs were: 40s (9), 50s (9) and 60s (8). On the warmer side, one high was in the 70s. On the colder side, three highs were in the 30s.

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 61 with a low of 32, a bonus 60s day. In 1974 the high was 25 with a low of 12, a cold day. In 1969 the high was 66 with a low of 43, a bonus 60s day. In 1966 the high was 60 with a low of 27, a 33 degree spread and bonus 60s day. In 1965 the high was 28 with a low of 8, the coldest March 23 day ever at O'Hare. In 1963 the high was 72 with a low of 30, a 42 degree spread and bonus 70s day. In 1961 the high was 43 with a low of 36, a seven degree spread. In 1960 the high was 30 with a low of 15, cold day. In 1959 the high was 65 with a low of 32, a 33 degree spread and bonus 60s day.

More recently, we had small spreads of six degrees in 1985 (44/38) and six degrees in 1993 (42/36). There was a large spread of 37 degrees in 1981 (60/23).

On the cold side, in 1983 the high was 32 with a low of 13. The record low of 9 and record coldest high of 21 were set on the same day back in 1940. 22 of the last 30 lows were: 20s (12) and 30s (10). Two lows were in the colder 10s (a.k.a. teens). Six lows were in the warmer: 40s (5) and 50s (1).

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. At O'Hare in 1965, this was the fourth of seven days in which a total of 10.2 inches fell. Today 4.9 inches fell.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:23 and sunrise is at 6:51. Sunset is at 19:09 and twilight ends at 19:37. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:21 and sunrise is at 6:49. There's a total of 12 hours, 18 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 14 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 12% at midnight, will be 9% at noon and 6% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 5:19. Moonset is at 16:17. Moonrise is at 5:41 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 58 minutes which is 41 minutes longer than yesterday. Spring began three days ago (the vernal equinox) at 6:44.

April Fool's Day is in nine days. -Bernie-

March 22: ORD

Today is March 22nd. It's the 81st day of the year. 284 days remain. It's week 12 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 48 and the normal low is 30. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 48 and 29.

On the warm side, in 1991 the high was 64 with a low of 46. Three years later, in 1994, the high was 71 with a low of 37, a 34 degree spread. Two years ago the high was 64 with a low of 44. In 2000 the high was 59 with a low of 43. Other warm highs were 69 in 1979, 64 in 1988 and 60 in 1987. The record high of 79 and the record warmest low of 59 were set on the same day back in 1938. 13 of the last 30 highs were 40s. On the warmer side, 11 highs were: 50s (5), 60s (5) and 70s (1). On the colder side, six highs were: 30s (5) and 20s (1).

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1969 the high was 60 with a low of 26, a 34 degree spread and bonus 60s day. In 1968 the high was 33 with a low of 26, a seven degree spread. In 1962 the high was 38 with a low of 33, a five degree spread. In 1961 the high was 45 with a low of 38, a seven degree spread. In 1960 the high was 35 with a low of 17, cold day.

More recently, we had a small spread of five degrees in 1993 (38/33). There were large spreads of 35 degrees in 1988 (64/29) and 38 degrees in 1979 (69/31).

On the cold side, in 1983 the high was 28 with a low of 13. In 2002 the high was 37 with a low of 14. In 1992 the high was 34 with a low of 20. Another cold high was 36 in 1984. The record low of -1 and record coldest high of 18 were on the same day way back in 1888. 24 of the last 30 lows were: 20s (14) and 30s (10). Three lows were in the colder 10s (a.k.a. teens). Three lows were in the warmer 40s.

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. At O'Hare in 1965, this was the third of seven days in which a total of 10.2 inches fell. Today 3.5 inches fell. In 1932 in Rockford, 4 inches fell following 11 inches the previous day. Last year was the second day of a two day storm. At O'Hare, 0.6 inches fell, part of a 5.4 inch total. Rockford had 0.3 inches, part of a 5.6 inch total. Midway had 0.4 inches, part of a 3 inch total. Midway's total was held down because part of it was a wintry mix (freezing rain, sleet).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:25 and sunrise is at 6:53. Sunset is at 19:08 and twilight ends at 19:36. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:23 and sunrise is at 6:51. There's a total of 12 hours, 15 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 11 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 19% at midnight, will be 15% at noon and 12% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 4:55. Moonset is at 15:12. Moonrise is at 5:19 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 10 hours, 17 minutes which is 36 minutes longer than yesterday. Spring began two days ago (the vernal equinox) at 6:44.

April Fool's Day is in ten days. -Bernie-

March 21: ORD

Today is March 21st. It's the 80th day of the year. 285 days remain. It's week 12 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 48 and the normal low is 30. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 46 and 29.

On the warm side, in 1991 the high was 71 with a low of 49. Six years later, in 1997, the high was 71 with a low of 36, a 35 degree spread. A decade later, in 2007 (two years ago), the high was 67 with a low of 37, a 30 degree spread. Other warm highs were 63 in 1990 and 60 in 1987. Another warm low was 42 in 2000. The record high of 77 was set back in 1938 and the record warmest low of 54 was set back in 1918. 21 of the last 30 highs were: 30s (12) and 40s (9). On the warmer side, nine highs were: 50s (4), 60s (3) and 70s (2).

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1977 the high was 38 with a low of 33, a five degree spread. In 1975 the high was 70 with a low of 41, a bonus 70s day. In 1972 the high was 62 with a low of 42, a bonus 60s day. In 1970 the high was 59 with a low of 29, a 30 degree spread. In 1967 the high was 38 with a low of 31, a seven degree spread. In 1965 the high was 21 with a low of 8, the coldest day ever at O'Hare for March 21st. In 1962 the high was 39 with a low of 32, a seven degree spread. In 1960 the high was 35 with a low of 10, another cold day.

More recently, we had small spreads of four degrees in 1984 (35/31), five degrees in 1982 (40/35) and five degrees last year (34/29). There were large spreads of 31 degrees in 1990 (63/32) and 32 degrees in 1987 (60/28).

On the cold side, in 1986 the high was 37 with a low of 13. Three years before, in 1983, the high was 30 with a low of 21. Five years ago, in 2004, the high was 33 with a low of 22. Another cold low was 17 in 2002. Other cold highs were 33 in 2006, 34 last year, 35 (1984, 1988, 1989), and 36 in 1992. The record low of 9 was set way back in 1888 and record coldest high of 19 was set way back in 1885. 26 of the last 30 lows were: 20s (15) and 30s (11). Two lows were in the colder 10s (a.k.a. teens). Two lows were in the warmer 40s.

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. At O'Hare in 1965, this was the second of seven days in which a total of 10.2 inches fell. Today just three tenths of an inch fell. In 1932 in Rockford, 11 inches fell. At the University of Chicago in 1932, a total of 8.9 inches fell from March 20-22. 7.8 inches of the total fell today, on the 21st. Last year was the first of a two day storm. At O'Hare, 4.8 inches fell. Rockford had 4.7 inches and Midway had 2.6 inches. Some of Midway's precipitation was a wintry mix (freezing rain, sleet).

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:27 and sunrise is at 6:55. Sunset is at 19:07 and twilight ends at 19:35. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:25 and sunrise is at 6:53. There's a total of 12 hours, 12 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 8 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent. Illumination was 27% at midnight, will be 23% at noon and 19% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 4:27. Moonset is at 14:08. Moonrise is at 4:55 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 41 minutes which is 31 minutes longer than yesterday. Spring began yesterday (the vernal equinox) at 6:44.

April Fool's Day is in 11 days. -Bernie-

March 20: ORD

Today is March 20th. It's the 79th day of the year. 286 days remain. It's week 12 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 48 and the normal low is 30. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 47 and 30.

On the warm side, in 2003 the high was 65 with a low of 43. Other warm highs were 62 in 2004, 61 (1991, 1994) and 60 in 1995. Another warm low was 43 in 2000. The record high of 76 was set back in 1921 and the record warmest low of 53 was set back in 1918. Unusual for just three years of separation for these records. 11 of the last 30 highs were 40s. On the warmer side, 11 highs were: 50s (6) and 60s (5). On the colder side, eight highs were: 30s (7) and 20s (1).

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 70 with a low of 47, a bonus 70s day. In 1975 the high was 60 with a low of 38, a bonus 60s day. In 1972 the high was 69 with a low of 38, a 31 degree spread and bonus 60s day. In 1970 the high was 41 with a low of 36, a five degree spread. In 1967 the high was 36 with a low of 33, a three degree spread. In 1966 the high was 56 with a low of 26, a 30 degree spread. In 1965 the high was 22 with a low of 0, a cold day.

More recently, we had small spreads of three degrees in 1998 (36/33), five degrees in 1983 (32/27) and seven degrees in 1993 (38/31). There was a large spread of 30 degrees in 2004 as the high was 62 with a low of 32.

On the cold side, in 1986 the high was 26 with a low of 8. Other cold highs were 32 in 1983, 36 half a decade later in 1988 and 36 a decade after that in 1998. The record low of 4 and record coldest high of 15 were set on the same day way back in 1885. 26 of the last 30 lows were: 20s (14) and 30s (12). One low was in the colder single digits. Three lows were in the warmer 40s. No lows have been in the 10s (a.k.a. teens) over the last 30 years.

Today is a major day in Chicago's snow history. At O'Hare in 1965, this was the first of seven days in which a total of 10.2 inches fell. Today just a tenth of an inch fell.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:28 and sunrise is at 6:56. Sunset is at 19:06 and twilight ends at 19:34. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:27 and sunrise is at 6:55. There's a total of 12 hours, 10 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 6 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent and reached last quarter two days ago at 12:47. Illumination was 36% at midnight, will be 32% at noon and 27% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 3:55. Moonset is at 13:05. Moonrise is at 4:27 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 9 hours, 10 minutes which is 22 minutes longer than yesterday. Spring begins today (the vernal equinox) at 6:44.

April Fool's Day is in 12 days. -Bernie-

March 19: ORD

Today is March 19th. It's the 78th day of the year. 287 days remain. It's week 12 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 47 and the normal low is 29. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 46 and 30.

On the warm side, in 1979 the high was 63 with a low of 55. Six years later, in 1985, the high was 63 with a low of 37. A decade later, in 1995, the high was 55 with a low of 45. Another warm high was 61 two years ago. The record high of 78 was set back in 1921. The record warmest low of 59 was set way back in 1903. 27 of the last 30 highs were 30s (9), 40s (10) and 50s (8). On the warmer side, three highs were 60s.

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 76 with a low of 51, a bonus 70s day. Also in 1976, the temperature fell to 25 degrees on the 21st, a huge 51 degree drop! In 1969 the high was 61 with a low of 36, a bonus 60s day. In 1968 the high was 62 with a low of 44, a bonus 60s day. In 1965 the high was 19 with a low of 7, a cold day. In 1959 the high was 65 with a low of 40, a bonus 60s day.

More recently, we had small spreads of three degrees in 1983 (35/32), four degrees in 1982 (39/35), five degrees in 1984 (33/28), five degrees in 1998 (39/34), six degrees in 1996 (38/32) and six degrees in 2000 (42/36). There was a large spread of 35 degrees in 1986 as the high was 53 with a low of 18.

On the cold side, in 1990 the high was 31 with a low of 21. A year before, in 1989, the high was 37 with a low of 15. In 1981 the high was 32 with a low of 20. Other cold highs were 33 in 1984, 33 in 1993 and 35 in 1983. The record low of 0 and record coldest high of 17 were set on the same day back in 1923. 26 of the last 30 lows were: 20s (12) and 30s (14). Two lows were in the colder 10s (a.k.a. teens). Two lows were in the warmer: 40s (1) and 50s (1).

Today is a not a major day in Chicago's snow history.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:30 and sunrise is at 6:58. Sunset is at 19:05 and twilight ends at 19:33. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:28 and sunrise is at 6:56. There's a total of 12 hours, 7 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours, 3 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent and reached last quarter yesterday at 12:47. Illumination was 45% at midnight, will be 41% at noon and 36% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 3:16. Moonset is at 12:04. Moonrise is at 3:55 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 48 minutes which is 10 minutes longer than yesterday.

My brother and his wife celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary today. -Bernie-

March 18: ORD

Today is March 18th. It's the 77th day of the year. 288 days remain. It's week 11 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 47 and the normal low is 29. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 44 and 28.

On the warm side, in 1979 the high was 70 with a low of 43. In 1995 the high was 66 with a low of 34, a 32 degree spread. Another warm high was 59 in 1986. The record high of 74 was set in 1969. The record warmest low of 59 was set way back in 1894. 18 of the last 30 highs were 40s. On the warmer side, five highs were: 50s (3), 60s (1) and 70s (1). On the colder side, seven highs were: 30s (6) and 20s (1).

In looking back through the years to the first March at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 69 with a low of 34, a 35 degree spread and bonus 60s day. In 1971 the high was 39 with a low of 34, a five degree spread. In 1969 the high was 74 with a low of 38, a 36 degree spread and bonus 70s day. That high of 74 is also the record high, although it was set at Midway. In 1968 the high was 65 with a low of 40, a bonus 60s day. In 1967 the high was 33 with a low of 11, a cold day. In 1966 the high was 61 with a low of 43, a bonus 60s day. In 1965 the high was 24 with a low of 10, a cold day. In 1964 the high was 37 with a low of 9, another cold day. In 1960 the high was 31 with a low of 17, yet another cold day.

Yesterday was quite a day. The following are highs and lows at various stations: O'Hare: the high of 74 at 15:13 tied the record set in 1894. The low was 41 at 4:15, a 33 degree spread. Northerly Island: 73/50, Romeoville: 73/42, DeKalb: 71/37, Joliet: 74/38, West Chicago: 75/41, Aurora: 73/38, Madison: 71/42, South Bend: 72/39, St. Louis: 79/50, Springfield, Il.: 76/47, Champaign: 74/38. In Fort Wayne, the high of 71 tied the record high set in 1945, 1966 and 2003. The low was 34. In Milwaukee, the high of 75 at 16:02 established a new record, breaking 73 set in 1966. The low was 38 at 2:29. In Rockford, the high of 75 at 16:45 broke the old record of 74 set in 2003. The low was 40 at 3:53, a 35 degree spread. At Midway, the high of 74 broke the old record of 73 set in 1966. The low was 47.

More recently, we had small spreads of four degrees in 1984 (31/27), five degrees in 1983 (40/35), six degrees in 1987 (42/36), six degrees last year (42/36), seven degrees in 1992 (36/29) and seven degrees in 2003 (44/37).

On the cold side, in 1993 the high was 31 with a low of 14. Four years before, in 1989, the high was 29 with a low of 17. In 1981 the high was 35 with a low of 15. Another cold high was 31 in 1984. The record low of 3 was set back in 1923. The record coldest high of 20 was set way back in 1875. 25 of the last 30 lows were: 20s (14) and 30s (11). Four lows were in the colder 10s (a.k.a. teens). One low was in the warmer 40s.

Today is a not a major day in Chicago's snow history.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 6:32 and sunrise is at 7:00. Sunset is at 19:04 and twilight ends at 19:32. Tomorrow twilight begins at 6:30 and sunrise is at 6:58. There's a total of 12 hours, 4 minutes of daylight today and 13 hours between twilights. The moon is waning gibbous and reaches last quarter today at 12:47. Illumination was 55% at midnight, will be 50% at noon and 45% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 2:29. Moonset is at 11:07. Moonrise is at 3:16 tomorrow. Moonlight time is 8 hours, 38 minutes which is 3 minutes shorter than yesterday.

My brother and his wife will celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary tomorrow. -Bernie-