Weather Records on 16 December 1938

142 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 16 December 1938. Highest significance: Redrock 1 NNE, US.

Key Facts for 16 December 1938

On 16 December 1938, 142 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
54 were record highs and 20 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 1 monthly and 141 daily.
Redrock 1 NNE set a daily record precipitation of 28.4 mm (1.1 in) on 16 December 1938.
Across 160 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 484 records.

Record Map

142 stations

142 station records on 16 December 1938 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 16 December 1938: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Redrock 1 NNE	United States	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Grand Junction Walker Fld	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Delta	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Tustin Irvine Rch	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Westcliffe	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Miranda Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Melbourne Regional Office	Australia	Record low minimum temperature	7.5 C (45.5 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Stornoway Airport	United Kingdom	Record high minimum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Cloudcroft	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Astana	Kazakhstan	Record low minimum temperature	-41.7 C (-43.1 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Tomsk	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-50.0 C (-58.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Gunnison 3SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Marble Bar Comparison	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	33.3 C (91.9 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Huntsville	Canada	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Cuyamaca	United States	Record daily precipitation	78.0 mm (3.1 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Mana 1026	United States	Record high minimum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Lakeview 2 NNW	United States	Record high maximum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Gage	United States	Record daily precipitation	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Deming	United States	Record daily precipitation	20.3 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Ft Bayard 4W	United States	Record daily precipitation	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Needles	United States	Record daily precipitation	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Casa Grande	United States	Record daily precipitation	10.2 mm (0.4 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Ponce 4 E	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record daily precipitation	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Payson Rs	United States	Record daily precipitation	20.3 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Fergana	Uzbekistan	Record daily precipitation	16.0 mm (0.6 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Edgewater	United States	Record daily precipitation	11.4 mm (0.4 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Cloudcroft	United States	Record daily precipitation	16.3 mm (0.6 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Huntsville	Canada	Record daily precipitation	12.7 mm (0.5 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Contest	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	13.5 mm (0.5 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Kamferskraal	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	19.3 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Maclear (Mag)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Krielsfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	17.5 mm (0.7 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Grand Junction Walker Fld	United States	Record daily precipitation	13.2 mm (0.5 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Vasilevici	Belarus	Record low minimum temperature	-18.9 C (-2.0 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
St. Petersburg	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	-14.9 C (5.2 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Oranje	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	7.1 mm (0.28 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Lake Moraine	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Ft Pierce	United States	Record daily precipitation	23.6 mm (0.9 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Bosque del Apache	United States	Record daily precipitation	1.3 mm (0.05 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Cambray	United States	Record daily precipitation	17.3 mm (0.7 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Holy Cross	United States	Record high maximum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Barabinsk	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-45.1 C (-49.2 F)	18 of 100 (Routine)
Glenwood Spgs #2	United States	Record daily precipitation	15.2 mm (0.6 in)	18 of 100 (Routine)
Oberlin	United States	Record daily snowfall	0.8 cm (0.3 in)	18 of 100 (Routine)
Setif	Algeria	Record high minimum temperature	6.0 C (42.8 F)	17 of 100 (Routine)
Bogoroditskoye-Fenino	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	-18.8 C (-1.8 F)	17 of 100 (Routine)
Intake	United States	Record daily precipitation	10.4 mm (0.4 in)	17 of 100 (Routine)
Tuba City	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	17 of 100 (Routine)
Los Alamos	United States	Record daily precipitation	23.9 mm (0.9 in)	17 of 100 (Routine)
Kohala Mis 175.1	United States	Record high minimum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	17 of 100 (Routine)
Calarasi	Romania	Record low minimum temperature	-9.1 C (15.6 F)	16 of 100 (Routine)
Cherdyn'	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-36.6 C (-33.9 F)	16 of 100 (Routine)
Cambridge Niab	United Kingdom	Record daily precipitation	8.6 mm (0.34 in)	16 of 100 (Routine)
Electra P H	United States	Record high maximum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	16 of 100 (Routine)
Oakland	United States	Record high maximum temperature	16.7 C (62.1 F)	16 of 100 (Routine)
Elizabethtown	United States	Record daily precipitation	5.6 mm (0.22 in)	16 of 100 (Routine)
Lordsburg 4 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	12.7 mm (0.5 in)	16 of 100 (Routine)
Elkhart	United States	Record high minimum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	15 of 100 (Routine)
Parur	India	Record daily precipitation	1.0 mm (0.04 in)	14 of 100 (Routine)
Semej	Kazakhstan	Record low minimum temperature	-42.5 C (-44.5 F)	14 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

142 records

Records set or tied on 16 December 1938 by type: Highest daily maximum 23, Lowest daily maximum 8, Highest daily minimum 31, Lowest daily minimum 12, Heaviest daily rainfall 50, Heaviest daily snowfall 17, Deepest snow cover 1.

Records on 16 December 1938 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	23
Lowest daily maximum	8
Highest daily minimum	31
Lowest daily minimum	12
Heaviest daily rainfall	50
Heaviest daily snowfall	17
Deepest snow cover	1

Records on 16 December 1938 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 1, daily 141.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

117 broken records

Margins by which the 117 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

16 December 1938

Top 20 records on 16 December 1938 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
16 December 1938	Redrock 1 NNE, US	daily rain	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	22.0 mm (0.9 in)	29 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1938	Grand Junction Walker Fld, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	9.4 cm (3.7 in)	29 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1938	Delta, US	daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	41 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Tustin Irvine Rch, US	daily rain	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	1 year	33 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Westcliffe, US	daily rain	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	11.0 mm (0.4 in)	41 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Miranda Downs Station, AU	daily rain	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	30.4 mm (1.2 in)	44 years	30 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Melbourne Regional Office, AU	daily low min	7.5 C (45.5 F)	0.4 C (0.7 F)	70 years	30 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Stornoway Airport, GB	daily high min	8.3 C (46.9 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	58 years	26 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Cloudcroft, US	daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	28 years	26 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Astana, KZ	daily low min	-41.7 C (-43.1 F)	7.0 C (12.6 F)	41 years	25 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Tomsk, RU	monthly low min	-50.0 C (-58.0 F)	0.6 C (1.1 F)	36 years	24 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Gunnison 3SW, US	daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	3.8 cm (1.5 in)	42 years	24 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Marble Bar Comparison, AU	daily high min	33.3 C (91.9 F)	3.6 C (6.5 F)	16 years	23 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Huntsville, CA	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	2.5 cm (1.0 in)	44 years	23 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Cuyamaca, US	daily rain	78.0 mm (3.1 in)	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	1 year	22 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Mana 1026, US	daily high min	22.2 C (72.0 F)	2.2 C (4.0 F)	32 years	22 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Lakeview 2 NNW, US	daily high max	10.0 C (50.0 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	46 years	21 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Gage, US	daily rain	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	38 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Deming, US	daily rain	20.3 mm (0.8 in)	17.0 mm (0.7 in)	29 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
16 December 1938	Ft Bayard 4W, US	daily rain	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	15.3 mm (0.6 in)	13 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

1793 to 1938

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1938. 1938 had 142 records.

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

Records on 12-16 in each year
Year	Records
1793	2
1798	2
1808	1
1810	1
1814	2
1815	2
1835	1
1839	1
1840	1
1846	3
1852	1
1853	1
1859	3
1864	1
1869	1
1870	1
1872	1
1876	1
1877	1
1878	2
1879	1
1885	2
1886	2
1888	2
1889	1
1890	4
1891	2
1892	3
1893	1
1894	1
1895	1
1896	7
1897	4
1898	1
1899	2
1900	2
1901	4
1902	17
1903	6
1904	8
1905	4
1906	5
1907	30
1908	11
1909	5
1910	38
1911	26
1912	31
1913	12
1914	26
1915	55
1916	31
1917	60
1918	33
1919	52
1920	61
1921	35
1922	62
1923	205
1924	347
1925	93
1926	130
1927	218
1928	338
1929	383
1930	398
1931	168
1932	880
1933	716
1934	163
1935	71
1936	429
1937	351
1938	142
1939	1,014
1940	633
1941	348
1942	550
1943	491
1944	189
1945	478
1946	357
1947	506
1948	775
1949	132
1950	272
1951	987
1952	349
1953	265
1954	305
1955	325
1956	650
1957	478
1958	497
1959	605
1960	393
1961	858
1962	859
1963	484
1964	639
1965	576
1966	417
1967	886
1968	557
1969	205
1970	726
1971	1,540
1972	1,020
1973	823
1974	546
1975	493
1976	526
1977	950
1978	532
1979	528
1980	1,322
1981	1,498
1982	1,208
1983	1,156
1984	1,944
1985	983
1986	485
1987	1,377
1988	605
1989	3,181
1990	753
1991	659
1992	1,408
1993	676
1994	698
1995	714
1996	797
1997	1,260
1998	698
1999	821
2000	1,160
2001	1,197
2002	990
2003	679
2004	510
2005	1,073
2006	1,020
2007	1,301
2008	2,049
2009	1,032
2010	1,585
2011	777
2012	912
2013	762
2014	465
2015	925
2016	1,588
2017	349
2018	624
2019	786
2020	415
2021	1,485
2022	836
2023	841
2024	755
2025	1,820

Download the Data

Data for records on 1938-12-16: 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	102
20 to 40	9
40 to 60	2
60 to 80	2
80 to 100	1
100 to 120	0
120 to 140	1