Weather Records on 21 November 1938

119 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 November 1938. Highest significance: Port Arthur, CA.

Key Facts for 21 November 1938

On 21 November 1938, 119 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
25 were record highs and 30 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 1 monthly and 118 daily.
Port Arthur set a daily record snowfall of 16.5 cm (6.5 in) on 21 November 1938.
Across 159 earlier years (1803 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 452 records.

Record Map

119 stations

119 station records on 21 November 1938 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 November 1938: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Port Arthur	Canada	Record daily snowfall	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Le Bourget	France	Record daily precipitation	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Bordeaux-Merignac	France	Record daily precipitation	40.2 mm (1.6 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Savanne	Canada	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Sonamarg &	India	Record daily precipitation	51.3 mm (2.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Leech Lake	United States	Record daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Darwin Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	62.7 mm (2.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Lugano	Switzerland	Record daily precipitation	55.2 mm (2.2 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Park Rapids Muni AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
White River	Canada	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Cascade 5 S	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Geneve Observatoire	Switzerland	Record daily precipitation	31.4 mm (1.2 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Sherthala	India	Record daily precipitation	51.6 mm (2.0 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Daly Waters	Australia	Record daily precipitation	48.5 mm (1.9 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Mayaguez City	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record low maximum temperature	27.2 C (81.0 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Georgetown Post Office	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	26.1 C (79.0 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Koloa 936	United States	Record low minimum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Tobolsk	Russia	Record daily precipitation	9.3 mm (0.37 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Vouziers	France	Record daily precipitation	16.5 mm (0.6 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Denekamp	Netherlands	Record daily precipitation	22.2 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Kotarh	India	Record daily precipitation	10.2 mm (0.4 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Aralskoe More	Kazakhstan	Record daily precipitation	5.2 mm (0.20 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Putten (Gld)	Netherlands	Record daily precipitation	21.0 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Trier-Zewen	Germany	Record daily precipitation	19.4 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Wagga Wagga (Kooringal)	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	36.9 C (98.4 F)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Husum	Germany	Record daily precipitation	19.0 mm (0.7 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Viljujsk	Russia	Record high minimum temperature	-14.5 C (5.9 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Svenska Hogarna	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	14.6 mm (0.6 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Pokegama Dam	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Cairns Post Office	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	25.2 C (77.4 F)	18 of 100 (Routine)
Cape Otway Lighthouse	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	17.8 C (64.0 F)	18 of 100 (Routine)
White River	Canada	Record daily precipitation	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	18 of 100 (Routine)
Koebenhavn: Landbohojskolen-1	Denmark	Record high maximum temperature	10.3 C (50.5 F)	18 of 100 (Routine)
Cedarville	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-11.1 C (12.0 F)	18 of 100 (Routine)
Represa	United States	Record low minimum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	18 of 100 (Routine)
Honomanu 450	United States	Record high minimum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	18 of 100 (Routine)
Robe Comparison	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	15.7 C (60.3 F)	17 of 100 (Routine)
Suolovuopmi	Norway	Record daily precipitation	5.1 mm (0.20 in)	17 of 100 (Routine)
Postmyr I Drangedal	Norway	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	17 of 100 (Routine)
Fergus Falls	United States	Record daily snowfall	2.5 cm (1.0 in)	17 of 100 (Routine)
Fullerton 1 ESE	United States	Record daily precipitation	4.6 mm (0.18 in)	17 of 100 (Routine)
Pte de Chassiron	France	Record daily precipitation	14.0 mm (0.6 in)	16 of 100 (Routine)
Karnah	India	Record daily precipitation	2.5 mm (0.10 in)	16 of 100 (Routine)
Santa Barbara	United States	Record low minimum temperature	1.1 C (34.0 F)	16 of 100 (Routine)
Saluda	United States	Record daily precipitation	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	16 of 100 (Routine)
Coen Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	15 of 100 (Routine)
Launceston (Pumping Station)	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	26.8 C (80.2 F)	15 of 100 (Routine)
Low Head (Comparison)	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	24.4 C (75.9 F)	15 of 100 (Routine)
Dharmsala Lower	India	Record daily precipitation	1.3 mm (0.05 in)	15 of 100 (Routine)
Skara 1	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	10.7 mm (0.4 in)	15 of 100 (Routine)
Washburn	United States	Record daily precipitation	9.4 mm (0.37 in)	15 of 100 (Routine)
Mildura Post Office	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	24.4 C (75.9 F)	14 of 100 (Routine)
Montcornet	France	Record daily precipitation	17.2 mm (0.7 in)	14 of 100 (Routine)
Joshimath	India	Record daily precipitation	0.8 mm (0.03 in)	14 of 100 (Routine)
St. Petersburg	Russia	Record high minimum temperature	4.1 C (39.4 F)	14 of 100 (Routine)
Kjahta	Russia	Record daily precipitation	1.3 mm (0.05 in)	14 of 100 (Routine)
Nidingen A	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	16.0 mm (0.6 in)	14 of 100 (Routine)
Uccle	Belgium	Record daily precipitation	23.1 mm (0.9 in)	13 of 100 (Routine)
Maseskar	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	11.2 mm (0.4 in)	13 of 100 (Routine)
Minot Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	13 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

119 records

Records set or tied on 21 November 1938 by type: Highest daily maximum 10, Lowest daily maximum 10, Highest daily minimum 15, Lowest daily minimum 20, Heaviest daily rainfall 50, Heaviest daily snowfall 11, Deepest snow cover 3.

Records on 21 November 1938 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	10
Lowest daily maximum	10
Highest daily minimum	15
Lowest daily minimum	20
Heaviest daily rainfall	50
Heaviest daily snowfall	11
Deepest snow cover	3

Records on 21 November 1938 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 1, daily 118.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

94 broken records

Margins by which the 94 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 127.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 November 1938

Top 20 records on 21 November 1938 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 November 1938	Port Arthur, CA	daily snowfall	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	44 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
21 November 1938	Le Bourget, FR	daily rain	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	17.7 mm (0.7 in)	29 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 November 1938	Bordeaux-Merignac, FR	daily rain	40.2 mm (1.6 in)	25.3 mm (1.0 in)	12 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
21 November 1938	Savanne, CA	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	50 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
21 November 1938	Sonamarg &, IN	daily rain	51.3 mm (2.0 in)	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	4 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
21 November 1938	Leech Lake, US	daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	39 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
21 November 1938	Darwin Post Office, AU	daily rain	62.7 mm (2.5 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	46 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
21 November 1938	Lugano, CH	daily rain	55.2 mm (2.2 in)	38.4 mm (1.5 in)	11 years	31 of 100 (Routine)
21 November 1938	Park Rapids Muni AP, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	4.8 cm (1.9 in)	44 years	30 of 100 (Routine)
21 November 1938	White River, CA	daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	7.7 cm (3.0 in)	16 years	29 of 100 (Routine)
21 November 1938	Cascade 5 S, US	daily snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	20 years	29 of 100 (Routine)
21 November 1938	Geneve Observatoire, CH	daily rain	31.4 mm (1.2 in)	16.8 mm (0.7 in)	12 years	26 of 100 (Routine)
21 November 1938	Sherthala, IN	daily rain	51.6 mm (2.0 in)	24.4 mm (1.0 in)	36 years	25 of 100 (Routine)
21 November 1938	Daly Waters, AU	daily rain	48.5 mm (1.9 in)	14.5 mm (0.6 in)	27 years	23 of 100 (Routine)
21 November 1938	Mayaguez City, PR	daily low max	27.2 C (81.0 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	28 years	23 of 100 (Routine)
21 November 1938	Georgetown Post Office, AU	daily low max	26.1 C (79.0 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	20 years	22 of 100 (Routine)
21 November 1938	Koloa 936, US	daily low min	13.3 C (55.9 F)	2.3 C (4.1 F)	28 years	21 of 100 (Routine)
21 November 1938	Tobolsk, RU	daily rain	9.3 mm (0.37 in)	5.6 mm (0.22 in)	50 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
21 November 1938	Vouziers, FR	daily rain	16.5 mm (0.6 in)	7.8 mm (0.31 in)	46 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
21 November 1938	Denekamp, NL	daily rain	22.2 mm (0.9 in)	9.7 mm (0.38 in)	8 years	20 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

1803 to 1938

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1803 to 1938. 1938 had 119 records.

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

Records on 11-21 in each year
Year	Records
1803	1
1816	2
1821	2
1829	1
1835	1
1839	1
1844	1
1847	1
1855	1
1856	1
1857	1
1858	4
1866	1
1868	1
1870	2
1871	2
1872	1
1873	2
1874	1
1876	2
1879	4
1880	4
1881	1
1882	1
1883	3
1887	3
1889	1
1890	7
1893	1
1894	4
1896	1
1897	4
1898	3
1899	4
1900	7
1901	5
1902	7
1903	5
1904	9
1905	3
1906	14
1907	7
1908	9
1909	18
1910	23
1911	19
1912	14
1913	79
1914	51
1915	21
1916	66
1917	248
1918	12
1919	22
1920	36
1921	96
1922	42
1923	27
1924	104
1925	73
1926	420
1927	108
1928	109
1929	467
1930	243
1931	682
1932	162
1933	381
1934	578
1935	62
1936	192
1937	1,309
1938	119
1939	303
1940	337
1941	329
1942	662
1943	212
1944	250
1945	308
1946	604
1947	540
1948	414
1949	588
1950	904
1951	605
1952	424
1953	408
1954	927
1955	419
1956	624
1957	442
1958	407
1959	460
1960	691
1961	738
1962	524
1963	601
1964	1,014
1965	448
1966	589
1967	336
1968	358
1969	611
1970	400
1971	514
1972	735
1973	1,100
1974	809
1975	548
1976	315
1977	1,313
1978	1,034
1979	1,409
1980	805
1981	939
1982	807
1983	1,066
1984	525
1985	1,808
1986	815
1987	949
1988	928
1989	797
1990	1,337
1991	944
1992	1,375
1993	1,413
1994	1,179
1995	1,084
1996	1,882
1997	449
1998	1,312
1999	920
2000	1,191
2001	811
2002	847
2003	1,007
2004	873
2005	491
2006	1,181
2007	936
2008	1,079
2009	1,131
2010	894
2011	944
2012	792
2013	543
2014	815
2015	785
2016	1,000
2017	687
2018	391
2019	653
2020	421
2021	296
2022	824
2023	584
2024	519
2025	745

Download the Data

Data for records on 1938-11-21: 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 2026-10-16 (16 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	81
20 to 40	5
40 to 60	2
60 to 80	1
80 to 100	0
100 to 120	4
120 to 140	1