Weather Records on 17 January 1938

323 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 January 1938. Highest significance: Pitea, SE.

Key Facts for 17 January 1938

On 17 January 1938, 323 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
115 were record highs and 5 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 6 monthly and 317 daily.
Pitea set a monthly record daily precipitation of 29.5 mm (1.2 in) on 17 January 1938.
Across 168 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 476 records.

Record Map

323 stations

323 station records on 17 January 1938 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 January 1938: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Pitea	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Ravensthorpe	Australia	Record daily precipitation	41.7 mm (1.6 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Araluen Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	122.9 mm (4.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Grass Patch	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Boyatup	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Towera	Australia	Record daily precipitation	82.6 mm (3.3 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Kalgoorlie Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Bourke North	Australia	Record daily precipitation	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Kenora	Canada	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Penrith Ladbury Avenue	Australia	Record daily precipitation	81.3 mm (3.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Enngonia (Belalie)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Jena Sternwarte	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	11.2 C (52.2 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Daveyhurst Mulwarrie	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Cudal Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Cumnock (Willow Park)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Yalgoo	Australia	Record daily precipitation	33.3 mm (1.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Koyah	India	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Codg Codgen	Australia	Record daily precipitation	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Dullabcherra	India	Record daily precipitation	41.1 mm (1.6 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Cape York Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	109.2 mm (4.3 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Regina Int'l A	Canada	Record daily snowfall	8.1 cm (3.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Rose Isle	Australia	Record daily precipitation	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Lismore (Centre Street)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Bendoc Park	Australia	Record daily precipitation	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Blackheath (Lawrence St)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Mulga Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Cargo Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Pennant Hills (Yarrara Road)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Putbus	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	8.4 C (47.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Monierkhal	India	Record daily precipitation	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Berry Masonic Village	Australia	Record daily precipitation	56.6 mm (2.2 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Gerringong (Mayflower Village)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	68.6 mm (2.7 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Setif	Algeria	Record high maximum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Cooya Pooya	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Scaddan Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Eden (Caravan Park)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Kukicherra	India	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Belele	Australia	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Katoomba (Murri St)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	52.1 mm (2.1 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Kingfisher	United States	Record high minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Welland	Canada	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Augsburg (Sankt Stephan)	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	3.6 C (38.5 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Pokegama Dam	United States	Record daily snowfall	16.0 cm (6.3 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Peak Hill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Fanny Cove	Australia	Record daily precipitation	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Esperance Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	22.4 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Kenora	Canada	Record daily precipitation	20.3 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Haparanda	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	21.5 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Bulong	Australia	Record daily precipitation	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Roseau	United States	Record daily precipitation	12.7 mm (0.5 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Landsort	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	13.0 mm (0.5 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Kanowna	Australia	Record daily precipitation	21.6 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Dum Dooma /Sookerating Aab	India	Record daily precipitation	24.4 mm (1.0 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Gotska Sandon	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	13.3 mm (0.5 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Regina Int'l A	Canada	Record daily precipitation	8.1 mm (0.32 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Brakfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	21.6 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Kiruna	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	8.4 mm (0.33 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Cobar (Paddington)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	19.1 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Trundle (Brookview St)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	22.1 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Winnemucca AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	11.9 mm (0.5 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

323 records

Records set or tied on 17 January 1938 by type: Highest daily maximum 74, Lowest daily maximum 4, Highest daily minimum 41, Lowest daily minimum 1, Heaviest daily rainfall 189, Heaviest daily snowfall 11, Deepest snow cover 3.

Records on 17 January 1938 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	74
Lowest daily maximum	4
Highest daily minimum	41
Lowest daily minimum	1
Heaviest daily rainfall	189
Heaviest daily snowfall	11
Deepest snow cover	3

Records on 17 January 1938 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 6, daily 317.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

273 broken records

Margins by which the 273 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 165.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 January 1938

Top 20 records on 17 January 1938 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 January 1938	Pitea, SE	monthly rain	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	6.7 mm (0.26 in)	64 years	61 of 100 (Major)
17 January 1938	Ravensthorpe, AU	monthly rain	41.7 mm (1.6 in)	15.8 mm (0.6 in)	19 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Araluen Post Office, AU	daily rain	122.9 mm (4.8 in)	79.2 mm (3.1 in)	32 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Grass Patch, AU	monthly rain	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	16.5 mm (0.6 in)	0 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Boyatup, AU	monthly rain	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	13.5 mm (0.5 in)	20 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Towera, AU	daily rain	82.6 mm (3.3 in)	67.1 mm (2.6 in)	15 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Kalgoorlie Post Office, AU	daily rain	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	15 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Bourke North, AU	daily rain	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	52.3 mm (2.1 in)	11 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Kenora, CA	daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	19 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Penrith Ladbury Avenue, AU	daily rain	81.3 mm (3.2 in)	43.7 mm (1.7 in)	39 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Enngonia (Belalie), AU	daily rain	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	39.1 mm (1.5 in)	46 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Jena Sternwarte, DE	daily high max	11.2 C (52.2 F)	0.8 C (1.4 F)	103 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Daveyhurst Mulwarrie, AU	daily rain	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	19.5 mm (0.8 in)	23 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Cudal Post Office, AU	daily rain	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	26.6 mm (1.0 in)	46 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Cumnock (Willow Park), AU	daily rain	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	29.7 mm (1.2 in)	46 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Yalgoo, AU	daily rain	33.3 mm (1.3 in)	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	2 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Koyah, IN	daily rain	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	39.8 mm (1.6 in)	8 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Codg Codgen, AU	daily rain	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	22.3 mm (0.9 in)	16 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Dullabcherra, IN	daily rain	41.1 mm (1.6 in)	37.5 mm (1.5 in)	8 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1938	Cape York Post Office, AU	daily rain	109.2 mm (4.3 in)	56.4 mm (2.2 in)	23 years	35 of 100 (Notable)

Significance is a score from 0 to 100 combining margin, the age of the old record and the length of the station's record. How it is computed.

The Same Date in Other Years

1795 to 1938

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1795 to 1938. 1938 had 323 records.

Counts for years before the ledger starts come from the same station rules.

Records on 01-17 in each year
Year	Records
1795	1
1800	2
1802	1
1804	1
1805	2
1809	1
1812	1
1820	1
1826	2
1828	1
1838	2
1845	3
1854	1
1858	1
1861	1
1864	3
1865	1
1866	1
1869	1
1870	2
1871	1
1874	1
1875	1
1876	2
1877	1
1878	1
1880	1
1881	2
1883	3
1884	1
1885	2
1886	1
1888	1
1889	4
1890	2
1891	4
1893	5
1894	5
1895	3
1896	4
1897	6
1899	5
1900	5
1901	1
1902	4
1903	3
1904	9
1905	2
1906	19
1907	38
1908	10
1909	13
1910	21
1911	49
1912	8
1913	66
1914	13
1915	19
1916	47
1917	32
1918	37
1919	45
1920	148
1921	70
1922	25
1923	122
1924	278
1925	184
1926	118
1927	144
1928	309
1929	118
1930	942
1931	130
1932	489
1933	203
1934	120
1935	444
1936	377
1937	196
1938	323
1939	375
1940	566
1941	644
1942	601
1943	1,086
1944	333
1945	511
1946	1,089
1947	354
1948	613
1949	566
1950	731
1951	535
1952	773
1953	531
1954	632
1955	303
1956	431
1957	1,040
1958	555
1959	760
1960	657
1961	537
1962	625
1963	537
1964	450
1965	1,180
1966	275
1967	423
1968	400
1969	526
1970	931
1971	871
1972	884
1973	1,147
1974	1,327
1975	647
1976	717
1977	2,352
1978	1,458
1979	1,182
1980	601
1981	821
1982	1,899
1983	592
1984	888
1985	988
1986	848
1987	1,375
1988	751
1989	745
1990	1,986
1991	776
1992	958
1993	1,685
1994	1,805
1995	1,186
1996	1,353
1997	791
1998	832
1999	775
2000	1,060
2001	744
2002	505
2003	764
2004	1,245
2005	682
2006	1,055
2007	1,911
2008	1,114
2009	851
2010	876
2011	972
2012	847
2013	643
2014	548
2015	489
2016	458
2017	1,002
2018	1,273
2019	582
2020	828
2021	375
2022	1,022
2023	808
2024	1,585
2025	586
2026	370

Download the Data

Data for records on 1938-01-17: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.

Sources: Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Made with Natural Earth. Public domain map data. Borders are Natural Earth's de facto depiction. Data as of 2026-10-17 (17 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2026-10-15. Last revised 15 October 2026 (2026-10-15).

Margin	Records
0 to 25	243
25 to 50	23
50 to 75	4
75 to 100	1
100 to 125	1
125 to 150	0
150 to 175	1