Weather Records on 20 November 1938

167 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 November 1938. Highest significance: Oxford, GB.

Key Facts for 20 November 1938

On 20 November 1938, 167 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
33 were record highs and 10 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 6 monthly and 161 daily.
Oxford set a daily record precipitation of 26.7 mm (1.1 in) on 20 November 1938.
Across 156 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 456 records.

Record Map

167 stations

167 station records on 20 November 1938 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 November 1938: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Oxford	United Kingdom	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Camden 3 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	52.1 mm (2.1 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Randleman	United States	Record daily precipitation	82.0 mm (3.2 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Greensboro	United States	Record daily precipitation	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Cheraw	United States	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Clarksville	United States	Record daily precipitation	82.6 mm (3.3 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Winston Salem Reynolds AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	68.6 mm (2.7 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Argyle Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	64.8 mm (2.6 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Wallace	United States	Record daily snowfall	19.3 cm (7.6 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Rockingham	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Chappells 2 NNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Reidsville	United States	Record daily precipitation	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Blair	United States	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Malta	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Santuck	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Catawba	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.4 mm (2.1 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Saint Ignatius	United States	Record daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Cascade 5 S	United States	Record daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Randolph 5 NNE	United States	Record daily precipitation	85.1 mm (3.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Moorestown 4 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Cascade 5 S	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Philippi	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Millsboro	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Aiken 5SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Saint Ignatius	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Moncure 3 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Winnsboro	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Richmond City Locks	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Chapel Hill 2 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Fayetteville (Pwc)	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Monroe 2 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Waynesville 1 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Danville 2 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Melbourne Regional Office	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	37.4 C (99.3 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Pelzer	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Sfax El-Maou	Tunisia	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Greenwood	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Rowlesburg 1	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Salisbury	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Columbia 2SSE	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Rocky Mt	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Graham 2 ENE	United States	Record daily precipitation	75.2 mm (3.0 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Statesville 2 NNE	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Winthrop UNIV	United States	Record daily precipitation	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Haverhill	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Greenville	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.3 mm (1.5 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Saluda	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Robe Comparison	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	31.2 C (88.2 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
New London	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Beaufort Wwtp	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Mildura Post Office	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	22.8 C (73.0 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Pte de Chassiron	France	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Malta	United States	Record daily precipitation	12.4 mm (0.5 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Hull	United Kingdom	Record daily precipitation	18.3 mm (0.7 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Saint Ignatius	United States	Record daily precipitation	17.3 mm (0.7 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Culbertson	United States	Record daily precipitation	5.8 mm (0.23 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Storrs	United States	Record daily precipitation	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Asheville Pearson St	United States	Record daily precipitation	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Society Hill 6 S	United States	Record daily precipitation	22.4 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Goldbutte 7 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	14.7 mm (0.6 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

167 records

Records set or tied on 20 November 1938 by type: Highest daily maximum 22, Lowest daily maximum 3, Highest daily minimum 11, Lowest daily minimum 7, Heaviest daily rainfall 112, Heaviest daily snowfall 8, Deepest snow cover 4.

Records on 20 November 1938 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	22
Lowest daily maximum	3
Highest daily minimum	11
Lowest daily minimum	7
Heaviest daily rainfall	112
Heaviest daily snowfall	8
Deepest snow cover	4

Records on 20 November 1938 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 6, daily 161.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

144 broken records

Margins by which the 144 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 180.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 November 1938

Top 20 records on 20 November 1938 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 November 1938	Oxford, GB	daily rain	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	12.2 mm (0.5 in)	95 years	62 of 100 (Major)
20 November 1938	Camden 3 W, US	daily rain	52.1 mm (2.1 in)	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	86 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Randleman, US	daily rain	82.0 mm (3.2 in)	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	16 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Greensboro, US	monthly rain	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	25 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Cheraw, US	daily rain	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	37 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Clarksville, US	daily rain	82.6 mm (3.3 in)	68.6 mm (2.7 in)	9 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Winston Salem Reynolds AP, US	daily rain	68.6 mm (2.7 in)	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	16 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Argyle Downs, AU	daily rain	64.8 mm (2.6 in)	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	8 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Wallace, US	daily snowfall	19.3 cm (7.6 in)	18.0 cm (7.1 in)	16 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Rockingham, US	daily rain	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	44.9 mm (1.8 in)	32 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Chappells 2 NNW, US	daily rain	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	9 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Reidsville, US	monthly rain	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	25 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Blair, US	daily rain	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	53.4 mm (2.1 in)	9 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Malta, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	24 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Santuck, US	daily rain	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	40.3 mm (1.6 in)	32 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Catawba, US	daily rain	54.4 mm (2.1 in)	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	9 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Saint Ignatius, US	daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	39 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Cascade 5 S, US	daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	24 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Randolph 5 NNE, US	monthly rain	85.1 mm (3.4 in)	24.1 mm (0.9 in)	18 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1938	Moorestown 4 E, US	daily rain	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	10.1 mm (0.4 in)	68 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

1793 to 1938

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1938. 1938 had 167 records.

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

Records on 11-20 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1809	2
1816	3
1829	4
1835	1
1836	1
1847	1
1851	1
1852	1
1855	1
1858	1
1859	1
1862	1
1865	1
1871	1
1873	1
1874	1
1878	1
1879	3
1880	2
1881	1
1884	1
1885	2
1886	1
1887	1
1889	3
1890	2
1891	4
1893	2
1894	1
1897	7
1900	11
1901	6
1902	10
1903	10
1904	9
1905	7
1906	22
1907	5
1908	8
1909	26
1910	14
1911	29
1912	15
1913	64
1914	89
1915	12
1916	16
1917	65
1918	14
1919	47
1920	15
1921	73
1922	26
1923	45
1924	84
1925	224
1926	294
1927	105
1928	140
1929	130
1930	600
1931	646
1932	255
1933	702
1934	477
1935	55
1936	286
1937	1,102
1938	167
1939	265
1940	280
1941	438
1942	774
1943	248
1944	347
1945	322
1946	774
1947	413
1948	651
1949	362
1950	877
1951	742
1952	494
1953	850
1954	876
1955	365
1956	598
1957	190
1958	218
1959	270
1960	330
1961	540
1962	700
1963	597
1964	863
1965	285
1966	434
1967	277
1968	479
1969	710
1970	368
1971	651
1972	729
1973	941
1974	655
1975	660
1976	389
1977	1,332
1978	1,413
1979	819
1980	745
1981	1,119
1982	800
1983	1,054
1984	537
1985	2,379
1986	1,142
1987	666
1988	1,218
1989	986
1990	1,010
1991	798
1992	1,416
1993	1,211
1994	1,484
1995	1,237
1996	1,566
1997	461
1998	829
1999	493
2000	1,163
2001	843
2002	900
2003	1,242
2004	738
2005	432
2006	1,034
2007	1,151
2008	1,171
2009	1,184
2010	678
2011	816
2012	657
2013	411
2014	1,018
2015	733
2016	725
2017	451
2018	339
2019	791
2020	578
2021	414
2022	1,283
2023	554
2024	645
2025	660

Download the Data

Data for records on 1938-11-20: 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	119
25 to 50	14
50 to 75	5
75 to 100	1
100 to 125	1
125 to 150	2
150 to 175	1
175 to 200	1