Weather Records on 31 January 1939

323 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 31 January 1939. Highest significance: Grenfell, CA.

Key Facts for 31 January 1939

On 31 January 1939, 323 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
12 were record highs and 22 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 8 monthly and 315 daily.
Grenfell set a daily record snowfall of 20.3 cm (8.0 in) on 31 January 1939.
Across 162 earlier years (1800 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 503 records.

Record Map

323 stations

323 station records on 31 January 1939 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 31 January 1939: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Grenfell	Canada	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Moreton Telegraph Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	136.4 mm (5.4 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Murraysburg (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	59.9 mm (2.4 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Tikamgarh	India	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Esperanza	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Glenwood Spgs #2	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Hillmoor	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	47.8 mm (1.9 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Dannemora	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Yarmouth	Canada	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Philipstown (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.1 mm (1.5 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Telluride 4WNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Richmond C/K (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	28.7 mm (1.1 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Blanding	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Indian Head Cda	Canada	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Regina Int'l A	Canada	Record daily snowfall	9.1 cm (3.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Boetsap (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	65.3 mm (2.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Rowlesburg 1	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Moose Jaw Chab	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Watertown	United States	Record daily snowfall	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Tooele	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Talga Talga	Australia	Record daily precipitation	51.6 mm (2.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Petrusville (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	57.9 mm (2.3 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Russell	Canada	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Silverton	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Wellwood	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Philippolis (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Kimberly-de Beers	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Cowles	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Jagersfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Harrisburg River Gage	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Colesberg (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	68.3 mm (2.7 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Newlands	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	59.2 mm (2.3 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Williston Sloulin Fld	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Welland	Canada	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Sable Island	Canada	Record daily snowfall	21.3 cm (8.4 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Hanover (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Krielsfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Hyannis	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Chama	United States	Record daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Qu'appelle	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Rocklands	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Jacobsdal (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	60.2 mm (2.4 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Moorestown 4 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.3 mm (1.3 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Sterkstroom (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	29.7 mm (1.2 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Petrusberg (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	51.1 mm (2.0 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Boonton 1 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Kimberley Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	101.6 mm (4.0 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Wolfville	Canada	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Steynsburg	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Austin #2	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.1 cm (3.2 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Dillon U of Montana Western	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Chatham	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.3 mm (1.5 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Little Falls	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Northfield	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.2 cm (4.8 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Nqamakwe (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Telluride 4WNW	United States	Record daily snowfall	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Indian Lake 2SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Grenfell	Canada	Record daily precipitation	20.3 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
De Vlei "de Kruis"	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	23.1 mm (0.9 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
New England	United States	Record daily precipitation	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

323 records

Records set or tied on 31 January 1939 by type: Highest daily maximum 5, Lowest daily maximum 19, Highest daily minimum 7, Lowest daily minimum 3, Heaviest daily rainfall 229, Heaviest daily snowfall 51, Deepest snow cover 9.

Records on 31 January 1939 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	5
Lowest daily maximum	19
Highest daily minimum	7
Lowest daily minimum	3
Heaviest daily rainfall	229
Heaviest daily snowfall	51
Deepest snow cover	9

Records on 31 January 1939 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 8, daily 315.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

281 broken records

Margins by which the 281 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 203.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

31 January 1939

Top 20 records on 31 January 1939 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
31 January 1939	Grenfell, CA	daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	37 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Moreton Telegraph Station, AU	daily rain	136.4 mm (5.4 in)	65.3 mm (2.6 in)	48 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Murraysburg (Pol), ZA	monthly rain	59.9 mm (2.4 in)	18.8 mm (0.7 in)	50 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Tikamgarh, IN	daily rain	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	47.7 mm (1.9 in)	21 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Esperanza, ZA	daily rain	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	39.3 mm (1.5 in)	15 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Glenwood Spgs #2, US	daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	5 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Hillmoor, ZA	daily rain	47.8 mm (1.9 in)	27.5 mm (1.1 in)	13 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Dannemora, US	daily rain	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	15.2 mm (0.6 in)	24 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Yarmouth, CA	daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	9.9 cm (3.9 in)	46 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Philipstown (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	39.1 mm (1.5 in)	24.9 mm (1.0 in)	32 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Telluride 4WNW, US	daily rain	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	20.4 mm (0.8 in)	0 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Richmond C/K (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	28.7 mm (1.1 in)	18.3 mm (0.7 in)	47 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Blanding, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	32 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Indian Head Cda, CA	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	32 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Regina Int'l A, CA	daily snowfall	9.1 cm (3.6 in)	5.3 cm (2.1 in)	12 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Boetsap (Pol), ZA	daily rain	65.3 mm (2.6 in)	24.9 mm (1.0 in)	48 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Rowlesburg 1, US	daily rain	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	24.4 mm (1.0 in)	17 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Moose Jaw Chab, CA	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	7.7 cm (3.0 in)	12 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Watertown, US	daily snowfall	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	38 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1939	Tooele, US	daily rain	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	15.0 mm (0.6 in)	20 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

1800 to 1939

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1800 to 1939. 1939 had 323 records.

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

Records on 01-31 in each year
Year	Records
1800	1
1801	1
1830	2
1843	1
1846	1
1850	1
1852	1
1853	2
1854	2
1862	1
1863	2
1868	1
1869	2
1870	1
1873	1
1875	1
1877	1
1878	2
1880	1
1882	1
1883	1
1884	5
1885	1
1886	2
1887	1
1888	3
1889	3
1890	2
1892	1
1893	9
1894	1
1895	3
1896	1
1897	2
1898	7
1899	7
1900	5
1901	4
1902	10
1903	3
1904	6
1905	21
1906	17
1907	8
1908	36
1909	27
1910	10
1911	52
1912	20
1913	49
1914	36
1915	115
1916	94
1917	190
1918	150
1919	14
1920	113
1921	29
1922	55
1923	152
1924	203
1925	134
1926	204
1927	64
1928	47
1929	263
1930	83
1931	326
1932	153
1933	212
1934	597
1935	431
1936	830
1937	309
1938	362
1939	323
1940	361
1941	354
1942	273
1943	698
1944	232
1945	943
1946	359
1947	788
1948	600
1949	1,058
1950	1,022
1951	1,192
1952	519
1953	879
1954	744
1955	383
1956	434
1957	563
1958	692
1959	237
1960	349
1961	475
1962	686
1963	928
1964	402
1965	696
1966	1,295
1967	637
1968	524
1969	703
1970	209
1971	1,506
1972	426
1973	714
1974	1,128
1975	1,110
1976	569
1977	781
1978	844
1979	1,995
1980	757
1981	687
1982	1,287
1983	1,078
1984	610
1985	1,725
1986	616
1987	787
1988	1,582
1989	1,718
1990	821
1991	617
1992	1,573
1993	856
1994	1,049
1995	1,122
1996	1,594
1997	898
1998	641
1999	938
2000	1,115
2001	1,061
2002	3,080
2003	1,281
2004	1,392
2005	767
2006	722
2007	713
2008	704
2009	552
2010	1,311
2011	741
2012	1,037
2013	1,397
2014	986
2015	663
2016	1,147
2017	575
2018	564
2019	1,426
2020	1,031
2021	504
2022	255
2023	907
2024	1,117
2025	827
2026	839

Download the Data

Data for records on 1939-01-31: 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 50	258
50 to 100	17
100 to 150	4
150 to 200	0
200 to 250	2