Weather Records on 19 October 1938

400 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 19 October 1938. Highest significance: Decatur Wtp, US.

Key Facts for 19 October 1938

On 19 October 1938, 400 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
269 were record highs and 17 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 3 monthly and 397 daily.
Decatur Wtp set a daily record precipitation of 64.8 mm (2.6 in) on 19 October 1938.
Across 159 earlier years (1806 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 458 records.

Record Map

400 stations

400 station records on 19 October 1938 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 19 October 1938: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Decatur Wtp	United States	Record daily precipitation	64.8 mm (2.6 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Quincy	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Champaign 3S	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Palmyra	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Farmersburg	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Mtn Grove 2 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	88.4 mm (3.5 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Storlien	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Hoopeston	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Fayetteville	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Brunswick	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Tuscola	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Morgan City	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Fort Simpson	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	21.1 C (70.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Leipzig-Holzhausen	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	10.2 C (50.4 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Warrenton 1 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Philipsburg	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
State College	United States	Record high maximum temperature	28.3 C (82.9 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Marlinton	United States	Record high maximum temperature	28.9 C (84.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Clayoquot	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	21.1 C (70.0 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Hay River	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	21.1 C (70.0 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Hay River	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Burkes Garden	United States	Record high maximum temperature	27.8 C (82.0 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Staunton Wtp	United States	Record high maximum temperature	30.6 C (87.1 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Washington	United States	Record high maximum temperature	31.1 C (88.0 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Ft Smith	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.4 mm (1.7 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Crescent City 3 NNW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Anderson	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.3 mm (1.9 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Fulton	United States	Record daily precipitation	51.3 mm (2.0 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Centralia	United States	Record high maximum temperature	23.9 C (75.0 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Bayard	United States	Record high maximum temperature	28.9 C (84.0 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Tartu	Estonia	Record daily precipitation	19.2 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Nelyambo	Australia	Record daily precipitation	13.0 mm (0.5 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Klerkskraal (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	20.3 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Lubeck-Werft	Germany	Record daily precipitation	11.0 mm (0.4 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Jhb-Braamfontein (Cem)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Hillston (Willanthry)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	0.8 mm (0.03 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Kremsmuenster	Austria	Record high minimum temperature	12.0 C (53.6 F)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Fort Chipewyan	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Tshakhuma	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	24.4 mm (1.0 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Emporium 1 E	United States	Record high maximum temperature	26.7 C (80.1 F)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Lewisburg 3 N	United States	Record high maximum temperature	29.4 C (84.9 F)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Lawn Hill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	1.5 mm (0.06 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Yellow Mountain	Australia	Record daily precipitation	15.2 mm (0.6 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Atlin	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Battleford	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	20.6 C (69.1 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Soltau	Germany	Record daily precipitation	10.2 mm (0.4 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Arantangi	India	Record daily precipitation	54.4 mm (2.1 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Bloomington Normal	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Carlinville	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.7 mm (1.7 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Morrisonville 4 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Cooperstown	United States	Record high maximum temperature	23.9 C (75.0 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Raleigh State UNIV	United States	Record high maximum temperature	29.4 C (84.9 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Salisbury	United States	Record high maximum temperature	32.8 C (91.0 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Ephrata	United States	Record high maximum temperature	26.7 C (80.1 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Harrisburg - Coop	United States	Record high maximum temperature	25.0 C (77.0 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Greenwood	United States	Record high maximum temperature	31.7 C (89.1 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Quantico 1 S	United States	Record high maximum temperature	30.0 C (86.0 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Aberdeen	United States	Record high maximum temperature	24.4 C (75.9 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Viroqua	United States	Record high maximum temperature	28.3 C (82.9 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Jackson 4 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	20.3 mm (0.8 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

400 records

Records set or tied on 19 October 1938 by type: Highest daily maximum 215, Lowest daily maximum 6, Highest daily minimum 54, Lowest daily minimum 11, Heaviest daily rainfall 111, Deepest snow cover 3.

Records on 19 October 1938 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	215
Lowest daily maximum	6
Highest daily minimum	54
Lowest daily minimum	11
Heaviest daily rainfall	111
Heaviest daily snowfall	0
Deepest snow cover	3

Records on 19 October 1938 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 3, daily 397.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

333 broken records

Margins by which the 333 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 102.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

19 October 1938

Top 20 records on 19 October 1938 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
19 October 1938	Decatur Wtp, US	daily rain	64.8 mm (2.6 in)	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	32 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
19 October 1938	Quincy, US	daily rain	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	0 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
19 October 1938	Champaign 3S, US	daily rain	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	32 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
19 October 1938	Palmyra, US	daily rain	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	28.2 mm (1.1 in)	0 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Farmersburg, US	daily rain	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	21 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Mtn Grove 2 N, US	monthly rain	88.4 mm (3.5 in)	20.8 mm (0.8 in)	8 years	30 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Storlien, SE	daily rain	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	11.2 mm (0.4 in)	16 years	29 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Hoopeston, US	daily rain	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	21 years	29 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Fayetteville, US	daily rain	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	21.6 mm (0.9 in)	39 years	28 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Brunswick, US	daily rain	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	14.5 mm (0.6 in)	43 years	28 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Tuscola, US	daily rain	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	17.5 mm (0.7 in)	32 years	27 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Morgan City, US	daily rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	25 years	27 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Fort Simpson, CA	daily high max	21.1 C (70.0 F)	9.4 C (16.9 F)	28 years	26 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Leipzig-Holzhausen, DE	daily high min	10.2 C (50.4 F)	0.2 C (0.4 F)	63 years	26 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Warrenton 1 N, US	daily rain	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	16.5 mm (0.6 in)	39 years	26 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Philipsburg, US	daily snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	33 years	26 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	State College, US	daily high max	28.3 C (82.9 F)	5.0 C (9.0 F)	33 years	24 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Marlinton, US	daily high max	28.9 C (84.0 F)	6.7 C (12.1 F)	27 years	24 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Clayoquot, CA	daily high max	21.1 C (70.0 F)	3.3 C (5.9 F)	29 years	23 of 100 (Routine)
19 October 1938	Hay River, CA	daily high max	21.1 C (70.0 F)	5.0 C (9.0 F)	37 years	22 of 100 (Routine)

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

1806 to 1938

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1806 to 1938. 1938 had 400 records.

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

Records on 10-19 in each year
Year	Records
1806	2
1808	1
1811	2
1812	1
1826	1
1835	2
1843	1
1845	1
1849	1
1851	1
1854	1
1856	1
1862	1
1864	1
1866	2
1870	1
1874	5
1875	1
1877	3
1879	1
1880	1
1881	3
1885	1
1888	4
1889	1
1890	2
1891	6
1893	1
1894	2
1895	3
1896	5
1897	5
1898	10
1899	3
1900	5
1901	8
1902	6
1903	4
1904	32
1905	26
1906	24
1907	13
1908	20
1909	14
1910	40
1911	14
1912	15
1913	16
1914	25
1915	25
1916	61
1917	114
1918	24
1919	23
1920	82
1921	88
1922	110
1923	89
1924	153
1925	194
1926	141
1927	340
1928	157
1929	131
1930	635
1931	236
1932	327
1933	497
1934	288
1935	432
1936	409
1937	476
1938	400
1939	264
1940	864
1941	237
1942	270
1943	523
1944	295
1945	377
1946	297
1947	1,056
1948	855
1949	903
1950	1,126
1951	231
1952	253
1953	1,004
1954	490
1955	475
1956	490
1957	348
1958	527
1959	365
1960	546
1961	319
1962	341
1963	796
1964	585
1965	495
1966	988
1967	464
1968	522
1969	532
1970	374
1971	933
1972	2,304
1973	745
1974	922
1975	436
1976	1,386
1977	353
1978	440
1979	1,237
1980	659
1981	494
1982	855
1983	930
1984	1,724
1985	974
1986	505
1987	511
1988	646
1989	1,891
1990	732
1991	882
1992	1,145
1993	1,044
1994	746
1995	814
1996	829
1997	1,025
1998	790
1999	709
2000	1,039
2001	630
2002	1,018
2003	1,448
2004	1,569
2005	980
2006	1,023
2007	1,282
2008	407
2009	1,207
2010	567
2011	742
2012	981
2013	467
2014	1,077
2015	767
2016	1,013
2017	500
2018	516
2019	518
2020	1,032
2021	599
2022	1,675
2023	1,136
2024	859
2025	498

Download the Data

Data for records on 1938-10-19: 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 20	317
20 to 40	14
40 to 60	1
60 to 80	0
80 to 100	0
100 to 120	1