August 7: ORD

Today is August 7th. It's the 219th day of the year. 146 days remain. It's week 32 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 84 and 64.

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

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

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

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

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

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

August 6: ORD

Today is August 6th. It's the 218th day of the year. 147 days remain. It's week 32 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 63.

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

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

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

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

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

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

August 5: ORD

Today is August 5th. It's the 217th day of the year. 148 days remain. It's week 31 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 81 and 63.

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

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

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

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

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

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

August 4: ORD

Today is August 4th. It's the 216th day of the year. 149 days remain. It's week 31 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 65.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

August 3: ORD

Today is August 3rd. It's the 215th day of the year. 150 days remain. It's week 31 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 86 and 64.

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

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

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

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

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

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

August 2: ORD

Today is August 2nd. It's the 214th day of the year. 151 days remain. It's week 31 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 85 and 64.

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

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

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

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

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

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

August 1: ORD

Today is August 1st. It's the 213th day of the year. 152 days remain. It's week 31 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 86 and 65.

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

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

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

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

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

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

July 31: ORD

Today is July 31st. It's the 212th day of the year. 153 days remain. It's week 31 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 85 and 65.

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

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

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

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

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

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

July 30: ORD

Today is July 30th. It's the 211th day of the year. 154 days remain. It's week 31 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 83 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 64.

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

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

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

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

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

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

July 29: ORD

Today is July 29th. It's the 210th day of the year. 155 days remain. It's week 30 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 85 and 63.

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

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

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

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

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

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

July 28: ORD

Today is July 28th. It's the 209th day of the year. 156 days remain. It's week 30 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 63.

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

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

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

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

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

-Bernie-

July 27: ORD

Today is July 27th. It's the 208th day of the year. 157 days remain. It's week 30 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 84 and 64.

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

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

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

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

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

-Bernie-

July 26: ORD

Today is July 26th. It's the 207th day of the year. 158 days remain. It's week 30 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 65.

On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. In 1997 the high was 97 with a low of 73. Another warm low was 73 in 1982. The record high of 99 was set in 1955. The record warmest low of 80 occurred back in 1916. 20 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Three highs were in the warmer 90s. Seven highs were in the cooler: 60s (1) and 70s (6). There have been two periods of sub 90 degree weather. The first of these was nine years from 1988 to 1996 and the second is still ongoing, 12 years from 1998 through 2009.

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1972 the high was 70 with a low of 63, a mere seven degree spread. In 1966 the high was 93. In 1962 the low was a very cool 49.

More recently, there was a small spread of five degrees in 1981 (71/66).

On the cool side, in 1984 the high was 67 with a low of 55. Another cool high was 71 in 1981. The record low of 53 was set in 1962 and tied in 1991. The record coolest high of 66 occurred way back in 1891. 16 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Seven lows were in the cooler 50s. Seven lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:08 and sunrise is at 5:40. Sunset is at 20:19 and twilight ends at 20:51. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:09 and sunrise is at 5:41. There's a total of 14 hours, 39 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 43 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 23% at midnight, will be 28% at noon and 33% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 11:17 this morning. Moonset is at 22:36 tonight. Moonrise is at 12:27 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 11 hours, 19 minutes which is 48 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Parent's Day is today. -Bernie-

July 25: ORD

Today is July 25th. It's the 206th day of the year. 159 days remain. It's week 30 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 84 and 65.

On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees above normal. In 1987 the high was 95 with a low of 74. In 1999 the high was 96 with a low of 73. Another warm low was 73 in 2006. The record high of 101 was set in 1940. The record warmest low of 77 occurred back in 1892. 20 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Four highs were in the warmer 90s. Six highs were in the cooler 70s.

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1966 the high was 92. In 1965 the high was 88 with a low of 58, a 30 degree spread. In 1960 the high was 92.

More recently, there were no large or small temperature spreads.

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. In 2004 the high was just 73, the coolest high of the past 30 years. The record coolest high of 64 occurred in 1920. The cool lows were 57 in both 1998 and 2000. The record low of 53 was set in 1911. 18 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Four lows were in the cooler 50s. Eight lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:07 and sunrise is at 5:39. Sunset is at 20:20 and twilight ends at 20:52. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:08 and sunrise is at 5:40. There's a total of 14 hours, 41 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 45 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 14% at midnight, will be 18% at noon and 23% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 10:05 this morning. Moonset is at 22:12 tonight. Moonrise is at 11:17 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 7 minutes which is 50 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Parent's Day is tomorrow. -Bernie-

July 24: ORD

Today is July 24th. It's the 205th day of the year. 160 days remain. It's week 30 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 85 and 64.

On the hot side, in 2005 the high was 102 with the co-record warmest low of 78. The other co-record warmest low (also 78 degrees) occurred in 1940. Another warm low was 75 in 1987. Another hot high was 94 in 1999. The record high of 105 was set back in 1934, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Chicago's history. An interesting sidebar was that for ten straight years from 1989 to 1998, there were no highs of 90 or above. 18 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Eight highs were in the warmer: 90s (7) and 100s (1). Four highs were in the cooler 70s.

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1964 and 1966 the highs were 92.

More recently, there was a large temperature spread (diurnal) of 32 degrees in 1988 as the high was 91 with a low of 59.

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. In 2004 the high was just 71, the coolest high of the past 30 years. The record coolest high of 66 was set way back in 1896. Another cool high was 74 in 1992. The coolest low was the record low of 53 degrees, set in 2000. Other cool lows were 54 in 2003 and 55 in 2004. 16 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Eight lows were in the cooler 50s. Six lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:06 and sunrise is at 5:39. Sunset is at 20:21 and twilight ends at 20:53. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:07 and sunrise is at 5:39. There's a total of 14 hours, 42 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 47 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent. Illumination was 7% at midnight, will be 10% at noon and 14% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 8:50 this morning. Moonset is at 21:47 tonight. Moonrise is at 10:05 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 12 hours, 57 minutes which is 52 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Parent's Day is in two days. -Bernie-

July 23: ORD

Today is July 23rd. It's the 204th day of the year. 161 days remain. It's week 30 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 82 and 63.

On the hot side, there were no days in which the mean was at least 11.5 degrees above normal. The hot highs were 94 in 1979 and two decades later in 1999. The record high of 99 was set back in 1914. The warm lows were 74 in 1984 and 73 in both 1983 and 2001. The record warmest low of 78 occurred in 1965. 16 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Four highs were in the warmer 90s. Ten highs were in the cooler: 60s (1) and 70s (9).

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1976 the high was 92. In 1972 the low was just 77. In 1965 the high was 94. In 1964 the high was 92.

More recently, there were no large or small daily temperature spreads.

On the cool side, in 1992 the high was the record coldest high of 64 with a low of 60, a four degree spread. In 2000 the high was 73 with a low of 52. The high was just 73 in 2004 as well. The record low of 51 was set in 1947. 18 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Seven lows were in the cooler 50s. Five lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:05 and sunrise is at 5:38. Sunset is at 20:22 and twilight ends at 20:54. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:06 and sunrise is at 5:39. There's a total of 14 hours, 44 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 49 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent, having reached new two nights ago at 21:35. Illumination was 2% at midnight, will be 4% at noon and 7% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 7:32 this morning. Moonset is at 21:21 tonight. Moonrise is at 8:50 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 13 hours, 49 minutes which is 52 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Parent's Day is in three days. -Bernie-

July 22: ORD

Today is July 22nd. It's the 203rd day of the year. 162 days remain. It's week 29 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 64.

On the hot side, in 1991 the high was the record high of 101 with a low of 74. In 1983 the high was 100 with a low of 73. Other hot highs were 95 in 2001 and 93 in 1984. The other warm low was 76 in 2002. The record warmest low of 80 occurred in 1972. 22 of the last 30 highs were: 70s (12) and 80s (10). Eight highs were in the warmer: 90s (6) and 100s (2).

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the high was 90. In 1974 the high was just 71. In 1973 the high was 79 with a low of 72, a seven degree spread. In 1972 the high was 93 with a low of 79, a hot day. In 1966 the high was 84 with a low of 48, a 36 degree spread. In 1965 the high was 93. In 1964 the high was 93. In 1960 the high was 92.

More recently, there was a large spread of 30 degrees in 1984 (93/63) and a small spread of four degrees in 1997 (71/67).

On the cool side, in 2000 the high was 72 with a low of 53. The other cool highs were 71 in both 1992 and 1997. The record low of 49 and record coolest high of 68 were set on the same day in 1947. 17 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Seven lows were in the cooler 50s. Six lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:04 and sunrise is at 5:37. Sunset is at 20:22 and twilight ends at 20:55. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:05 and sunrise is at 5:38. There's a total of 14 hours, 45 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 51 minutes between twilights. The moon is waxing crescent, having reached new last night at 21:35. Illumination was 0% at midnight, will be 1% at noon and 2% at midnight tonight. Moonrise is at 6:10 this morning. Moonset is at 20:51. Moonrise is at 7:32 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 14 hours, 41 minutes which is 46 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Parent's Day is in four days. -Bernie-

July 21: ORD

Today is July 21st. It's the 202nd day of the year. 163 days remain. It's week 29 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 83 and 65.

On the hot side, in 2002 the high was 96 with a low of 78. The high was also 96 in 1983. The record high of 103 was set way back in 1901. The other real warm low was 76 in 1998. The record warmest low of 80 occurred in 1972. 14 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Seven highs were in the warmer 90s. Nine highs were in the cooler: 60s (2) and 70s (7).

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1973 the high was 78 with a low of 71, a seven degree spread. In 1972 the high was 93 with a low of 79, a hot day. In 1970 the low was a cool 51. In 1968 the high was 92. In 1966 the high was 81 with a low of 48, a 33 degree spread. In 1964 the high was 92. In 1960 the high was 91. In 1959 the high was 92.

More recently, there was a large spread of 33 degrees in 1979 (86/53).

On the cool side, the cool highs were the co-record coolest highs of 67 in 1992 and 1996. Another cool high of 71 occurred in 1981. The coolest low of 53 occurred in 1979. The record low of 51 was set in 1970. 14 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Seven lows were in the cooler 50s. Nine lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:03 and sunrise is at 5:36. Sunset is at 20:23 and twilight ends at 20:56. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:04 and sunrise is at 5:37. There's a total of 14 hours, 47 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 53 minutes between twilights. The moon reaches new tonight at 21:35. Illumination was 1% at midnight, will be 0% at noon and 0% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 4:48 this morning. Moonset is at 20:15. Moonrise is at 6:10 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 15 hours, 27 minutes which is 34 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Parent's Day is in five days. -Bernie-

July 20: ORD

Today is July 20th. It's the 201st day of the year. 164 days remain. It's week 29 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 85 and 65.

On the hot side, there were no days of a mean of 11.5 degrees or more above normal. The record high of 101 was set in 1980. In 1980 the low was 69, so the spread on that day was 32 degrees. Other hot highs were 96 in both 1987 and 1991. The warmest low was 74 in 1991. The record warmest low of 79 occurred in 1977. 13 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Nine highs were in the warmer: 90s (8) and 100s (1). Eight highs were in the cooler 70s.

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1978 the high was 90. In 1977 the high was 90. In 1976 the high was 92. In 1972 the high was 91. In 1970 the high was 72. In 1966 the low was 51. In 1964 the high was 90.

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

On the cool side, there were no days of a mean of at least 11.5 degrees below normal. The lowest temperature was 54 in 1979. The record low of 53 was set in 1970. The coolest highs were 71 in 1996 and 72 in 1989. The record coolest high of 65 occurred in 1950. 18 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Six lows were in the cooler 50s. Six lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:02 and sunrise is at 5:35. Sunset is at 20:24 and twilight ends at 20:57. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:03 and sunrise is at 5:36. There's a total of 14 hours, 49 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 55 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, heading towards new tomorrow at 21:35. Illumination was 5% at midnight, will be 3% at noon and 1% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 3:30 this morning. Moonset is at 19:31. Moonrise is at 4:48 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 16 hours, 1 minute which is 12 minutes shorter than yesterday.

Parent's Day is in six days. -Bernie-

July 19: ORD

Today is July 19th. It's the 200th day of the year. 165 days remain. It's week 29 of the year.

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

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the normal high is 84 and the normal low is 64. I've calculated the 30-year averages at 86 and 65.

On the hot side, 1991 was the only significantly way above normal day as the high was 99 with a low of 72. Other real hot highs were 96 in 1983 and 95 in 1986. The record high of 101 was set in 1930. The warmest lows were 76 in 1981, 75 in 1987 and 74 in 1986. The record warmest low of 78 occurred in 1977. 20 of the last 30 highs were 80s. Six highs were in the warmer 90s. Four highs were in the cooler: 60s (1) and 70s (3).

In looking back through the years to the first July at O'Hare in 1959, the following instances were notable: In 1975 the high was 90. In 1974 the high was 93. In 1969 the high was 76 with a low of 69, a seven degree spread. In 1962 the high was 83 with a low of 53, a 30 degree spread.

More recently, there were large spreads of 30 degrees in 1984 (84/54) and 30 degrees in 2003 (83/53). The small spread was six degrees in 1989 (71/65).

On the cool side, 2000 was the only significantly way below normal day as the high was 69 with a low of 56. There were four other 50s lows (53 in 2003, 54 in 1984, 55 in 1979 and 58 in 1992). The record low of 50 was set way back in 1873. There were three highs in the 70s (71 in 1989, 78 in 1985 and 78 last year). The record coolest high of 65 occurred back in 1912. 19 of the last 30 lows were 60s. Five lows were in the cooler 50s. Six lows were in the warmer 70s.

The following astronomical data is provided by the United States Naval Observatory. In Crystal Lake, twilight begins at 5:01 and sunrise is at 5:34. Sunset is at 20:25 and twilight ends at 20:58. Tomorrow twilight begins at 5:02 and sunrise is at 5:35. There's a total of 14 hours, 51 minutes of daylight today and 15 hours, 57 minutes between twilights. The moon is waning crescent, heading towards new in two days. Illumination was 12% at midnight, will be 8% at noon and 5% at midnight tonight. Moonrise was at 2:22 this morning. Moonset is at 18:35. Moonrise is at 3:30 tomorrow morning. Moonlight time is 16 hours, 13 minutes which is nine minutes longer than yesterday.

Parent's Day is in a week. -Bernie-