Weather Records on 20 January 1939

238 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 January 1939. Highest significance: Peppermint Grove, AU.

Key Facts for 20 January 1939

On 20 January 1939, 238 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
83 were record highs and 35 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 5 monthly and 232 daily.
Peppermint Grove set a monthly record daily precipitation of 91.7 mm (3.6 in) on 20 January 1939.
Across 157 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 513 records.

Record Map

238 stations

238 station records on 20 January 1939 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 January 1939: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Peppermint Grove	Australia	Record daily precipitation	91.7 mm (3.6 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Minot Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Coolgardie Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Hopetoun	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Dras	India	Record daily precipitation	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Ravensthorpe	Australia	Record daily precipitation	102.9 mm (4.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Kalgoorlie Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Dandaragan	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Menzies	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Chinchilla Water Treatment Pla	Australia	Record daily precipitation	111.3 mm (4.4 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Bologna	Italy	Record high minimum temperature	7.5 C (45.5 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Ogies (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	78.2 mm (3.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Yathroo	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Dalby Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	79.0 mm (3.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Dumble	Australia	Record daily precipitation	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Round Hill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Surat	Australia	Record daily precipitation	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Ficksburg	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Moora	Australia	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Bookara	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Hambantota	Sri Lanka	Record low maximum temperature	27.6 C (81.7 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Karumba Pilot Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	85.9 mm (3.4 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Leipzig-Holzhausen	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
King River	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Walebing	Australia	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Gingin	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Higginsville	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Mount Morgans	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Capella Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	76.5 mm (3.0 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Nelyambo	Australia	Record daily precipitation	47.8 mm (1.9 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Witsieshoek	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	54.1 mm (2.1 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Ai-Petri	Ukraine	Record high maximum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Burketown Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	89.2 mm (3.5 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Simcoe	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-21.1 C (-6.0 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Jimbour State School	Australia	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Gospic	Croatia	Record daily precipitation	37.5 mm (1.5 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Mmabatho Arpt	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Kentani (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Daveyhurst Mulwarrie	Australia	Record daily precipitation	23.4 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Widgiemooltha	Australia	Record daily precipitation	18.5 mm (0.7 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Norseman	Australia	Record daily precipitation	16.3 mm (0.6 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Dongara	Australia	Record daily precipitation	14.2 mm (0.6 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Esperance Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	16.3 mm (0.6 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Greenough	Australia	Record daily precipitation	23.9 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Gannapan	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	5.1 mm (0.20 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Amelup	Australia	Record daily precipitation	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
New Norcia	Australia	Record daily precipitation	20.8 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Harrismith (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Kanowna	Australia	Record daily precipitation	18.3 mm (0.7 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Izeleni (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	23.1 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Barguzin	Russia	Record daily precipitation	3.1 mm (0.12 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Nallian	Australia	Record daily precipitation	24.6 mm (1.0 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Contest	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Overdene	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Cape Riche	Australia	Record daily precipitation	15.2 mm (0.6 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Durham Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	3.6 mm (0.14 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Russell	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Tbilisi	Georgia	Record high maximum temperature	15.4 C (59.7 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Woudzicht	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	19 of 100 (Routine)
Dover	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	19 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

238 records

Records set or tied on 20 January 1939 by type: Highest daily maximum 32, Lowest daily maximum 6, Highest daily minimum 51, Lowest daily minimum 29, Heaviest daily rainfall 108, Heaviest daily snowfall 8, Deepest snow cover 4.

Records on 20 January 1939 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	32
Lowest daily maximum	6
Highest daily minimum	51
Lowest daily minimum	29
Heaviest daily rainfall	108
Heaviest daily snowfall	8
Deepest snow cover	4

Records on 20 January 1939 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 5, daily 232.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

198 broken records

Margins by which the 198 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 178.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 January 1939

Top 20 records on 20 January 1939 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 January 1939	Peppermint Grove, AU	monthly rain	91.7 mm (3.6 in)	62.5 mm (2.5 in)	21 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Minot Exp STN, US	daily snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	27 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Coolgardie Post Office, AU	daily rain	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	42.1 mm (1.7 in)	23 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Hopetoun, AU	daily rain	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	21.3 mm (0.8 in)	27 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Dras, IN	daily rain	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	25 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Ravensthorpe, AU	all-time rain	102.9 mm (4.1 in)	9.2 mm (0.36 in)	25 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Kalgoorlie Post Office, AU	daily rain	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	23.2 mm (0.9 in)	23 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Dandaragan, AU	daily rain	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	23.7 mm (0.9 in)	20 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Menzies, AU	daily rain	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	23 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Chinchilla Water Treatment Pla, AU	daily rain	111.3 mm (4.4 in)	79.5 mm (3.1 in)	0 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Bologna, IT	daily high min	7.5 C (45.5 F)	1.6 C (2.9 F)	103 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Ogies (Pol), ZA	daily rain	78.2 mm (3.1 in)	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	12 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Yathroo, AU	daily rain	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	24.7 mm (1.0 in)	16 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Dalby Post Office, AU	daily rain	79.0 mm (3.1 in)	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	35 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Dumble, AU	daily rain	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	43 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1939	Round Hill, AU	daily rain	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	20 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1939	Surat, AU	daily rain	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	49 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1939	Ficksburg, ZA	daily rain	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	24 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1939	Moora, AU	daily rain	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	21.6 mm (0.9 in)	27 years	30 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1939	Bookara, AU	daily rain	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	20.4 mm (0.8 in)	23 years	29 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

1795 to 1939

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1795 to 1939. 1939 had 238 records.

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

Records on 01-20 in each year
Year	Records
1795	2
1796	1
1798	1
1804	2
1820	1
1844	1
1850	1
1858	2
1861	1
1862	1
1863	1
1866	2
1867	1
1872	1
1874	4
1875	4
1878	1
1879	1
1880	5
1881	4
1885	1
1890	2
1891	1
1892	3
1893	3
1894	1
1895	2
1896	1
1897	3
1898	6
1899	12
1900	15
1901	11
1902	5
1903	4
1904	14
1905	2
1906	25
1907	26
1908	9
1909	30
1910	11
1911	3
1912	7
1913	44
1914	57
1915	153
1916	34
1917	123
1918	71
1919	28
1920	103
1921	45
1922	86
1923	41
1924	298
1925	181
1926	110
1927	381
1928	383
1929	203
1930	540
1931	90
1932	139
1933	441
1934	118
1935	904
1936	602
1937	1,041
1938	219
1939	238
1940	1,147
1941	214
1942	979
1943	1,002
1944	568
1945	302
1946	487
1947	534
1948	422
1949	429
1950	653
1951	958
1952	386
1953	476
1954	791
1955	278
1956	906
1957	349
1958	494
1959	603
1960	329
1961	641
1962	1,162
1963	921
1964	567
1965	283
1966	634
1967	556
1968	1,096
1969	859
1970	1,301
1971	936
1972	823
1973	450
1974	978
1975	688
1976	848
1977	997
1978	1,669
1979	1,158
1980	423
1981	823
1982	958
1983	847
1984	1,957
1985	2,188
1986	1,327
1987	1,063
1988	1,637
1989	955
1990	1,257
1991	562
1992	493
1993	1,327
1994	2,035
1995	1,136
1996	851
1997	658
1998	576
1999	1,368
2000	1,132
2001	667
2002	666
2003	732
2004	451
2005	1,335
2006	1,395
2007	2,143
2008	1,366
2009	738
2010	986
2011	731
2012	848
2013	432
2014	480
2015	413
2016	726
2017	1,370
2018	634
2019	722
2020	498
2021	375
2022	346
2023	778
2024	841
2025	1,599
2026	193

Download the Data

Data for records on 1939-01-20: 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	181
25 to 50	12
50 to 75	3
75 to 100	1
100 to 125	0
125 to 150	0
150 to 175	0
175 to 200	1