Weather Records on 17 January 1940

566 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 January 1940. Highest significance: Paupong Station, AU.

Key Facts for 17 January 1940

On 17 January 1940, 566 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
14 were record highs and 357 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 11 were all-time records, 13 monthly and 542 daily.
Paupong Station set a daily record precipitation of 89.7 mm (3.5 in) on 17 January 1940.
Across 168 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 474 records.

Record Map

566 stations

566 station records on 17 January 1940 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 January 1940: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Paupong Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	89.7 mm (3.5 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Lares	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Leipzig-Holzhausen	Germany	Record snow depth	11.0 cm (4.3 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Tot-Ma	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-45.0 C (-49.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Elatma	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-42.8 C (-45.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Goulds Country Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Chemnitz	Germany	Record snow depth	20.0 cm (7.9 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Mayaguez City	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record daily precipitation	37.8 mm (1.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Emporia 1 S	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Brunette Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Seal Rocks Camping Reserve	Australia	Record daily precipitation	190.5 mm (7.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Niznij Novgorod	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-40.8 C (-41.4 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Rushville	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Morgantown 1	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Vilnius	Lithuania	Record low maximum temperature	-25.0 C (-13.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Alexandria (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Kiev	Ukraine	Record low maximum temperature	-18.7 C (-1.7 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Lincoln UNIV Pwr Plt	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Nelson Bay (Nelson Head)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Lawson (Wilson Street)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Bathurst	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-20.6 C (-5.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Velikie Luki	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	-31.9 C (-25.4 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Colby	United States	Record snow depth	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Tartu-Toravere	Estonia	Record low maximum temperature	-25.2 C (-13.4 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Tartu	Estonia	Record low maximum temperature	-25.2 C (-13.4 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Greifswald	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-18.3 C (-0.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Velikie Luki	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-40.4 C (-40.7 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Virginia City	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
St Joseph Wbo	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Clausthal-Zellerfeld	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-21.8 C (-7.2 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Brockville	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-18.3 C (-0.9 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Minsk	Belarus	Record low minimum temperature	-39.1 C (-38.4 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Brocken	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-20.4 C (-4.7 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Clausthal-Zellerfeld	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-16.8 C (1.8 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Vytegra	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-46.7 C (-52.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
St. Petersburg	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	-29.0 C (-20.2 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Parnu	Estonia	Record low minimum temperature	-33.0 C (-27.4 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Magdeburg	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-11.0 C (12.2 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Gorlitz	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-14.3 C (6.3 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Leipzig-Holzhausen	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-12.6 C (9.3 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Kargopol	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-44.2 C (-47.6 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Healy	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Lost Creek Near	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Plauen	Germany	Record snow depth	28.0 cm (11.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
St. Petersburg	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-35.6 C (-32.1 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Philipsburg	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Cadiz	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.7 cm (4.2 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Branxton Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	48.8 mm (1.9 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Alliance 1WNW	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Forman 5 SSE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-23.3 C (-9.9 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Newark Liberty Intl AP	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Mansfield (Post Office)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Norway House	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-42.8 C (-45.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Tartu	Estonia	Record low minimum temperature	-34.3 C (-29.7 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Maastricht-1	Netherlands	Record low maximum temperature	-8.7 C (16.3 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Maastricht	Netherlands	Record low maximum temperature	-9.5 C (14.9 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Vastervik	Sweden	Record low minimum temperature	-22.5 C (-8.5 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Stockholm	Sweden	Record low maximum temperature	-13.2 C (8.2 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Grants Pass	United States	Record low maximum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Sacramento 5 ESE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

566 records

Records set or tied on 17 January 1940 by type: Highest daily maximum 6, Lowest daily maximum 264, Highest daily minimum 8, Lowest daily minimum 93, Heaviest daily rainfall 121, Heaviest daily snowfall 36, Deepest snow cover 38.

Records on 17 January 1940 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	6
Lowest daily maximum	264
Highest daily minimum	8
Lowest daily minimum	93
Heaviest daily rainfall	121
Heaviest daily snowfall	36
Deepest snow cover	38

Records on 17 January 1940 by timescale: all-time 11, monthly 13, daily 542.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

463 broken records

Margins by which the 463 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 686.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 January 1940

Top 20 records on 17 January 1940 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 January 1940	Paupong Station, AU	daily rain	89.7 mm (3.5 in)	67.3 mm (2.6 in)	20 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Lares, PR	daily rain	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	29 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Leipzig-Holzhausen, DE	daily snow depth	11.0 cm (4.3 in)	6.0 cm (2.4 in)	75 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Tot-Ma, RU	all-time low min	-45.0 C (-49.0 F)	1.4 C (2.5 F)	47 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Elatma, RU	all-time low min	-42.8 C (-45.0 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	47 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Goulds Country Post Office, AU	daily rain	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	33.2 mm (1.3 in)	42 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Chemnitz, DE	daily snow depth	20.0 cm (7.9 in)	12.0 cm (4.7 in)	36 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Mayaguez City, PR	daily rain	37.8 mm (1.5 in)	20.0 mm (0.8 in)	18 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Emporia 1 S, US	daily snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	34 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Brunette Downs, AU	daily rain	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	37 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Seal Rocks Camping Reserve, AU	all-time rain	190.5 mm (7.5 in)	6.3 mm (0.25 in)	29 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Niznij Novgorod, RU	all-time low min	-40.8 C (-41.4 F)	3.2 C (5.8 F)	24 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Rushville, US	daily snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	4 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
17 January 1940	Morgantown 1, US	daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	21 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
17 January 1940	Vilnius, LT	all-time low max	-25.0 C (-13.0 F)	0.2 C (0.4 F)	32 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
17 January 1940	Alexandria (Pol), ZA	daily rain	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	14.9 mm (0.6 in)	43 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
17 January 1940	Kiev, UA	daily low max	-18.7 C (-1.7 F)	5.9 C (10.6 F)	56 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
17 January 1940	Lincoln UNIV Pwr Plt, US	daily snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	9 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
17 January 1940	Nelson Bay (Nelson Head), AU	daily rain	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	18.3 mm (0.7 in)	47 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
17 January 1940	Lawson (Wilson Street), AU	daily rain	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	28 years	32 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 1940

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1795 to 1940. 1940 had 566 records.

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

Records on 01-17 in each year
Year	Records
1795	1
1800	2
1802	1
1804	1
1805	2
1809	1
1812	1
1820	1
1826	2
1828	1
1838	2
1845	3
1854	1
1858	1
1861	1
1864	3
1865	1
1866	1
1869	1
1870	2
1871	1
1874	1
1875	1
1876	2
1877	1
1878	1
1880	1
1881	2
1883	3
1884	1
1885	2
1886	1
1888	1
1889	4
1890	2
1891	4
1893	5
1894	5
1895	3
1896	4
1897	6
1899	5
1900	5
1901	1
1902	4
1903	3
1904	9
1905	2
1906	19
1907	38
1908	10
1909	13
1910	21
1911	49
1912	8
1913	66
1914	13
1915	19
1916	47
1917	32
1918	37
1919	45
1920	148
1921	70
1922	25
1923	122
1924	278
1925	184
1926	118
1927	144
1928	309
1929	118
1930	942
1931	130
1932	489
1933	203
1934	120
1935	444
1936	377
1937	196
1938	323
1939	375
1940	566
1941	644
1942	601
1943	1,086
1944	333
1945	511
1946	1,089
1947	354
1948	613
1949	566
1950	731
1951	535
1952	773
1953	531
1954	632
1955	303
1956	431
1957	1,040
1958	555
1959	760
1960	657
1961	537
1962	625
1963	537
1964	450
1965	1,180
1966	275
1967	423
1968	400
1969	526
1970	931
1971	871
1972	884
1973	1,147
1974	1,327
1975	647
1976	717
1977	2,352
1978	1,458
1979	1,182
1980	601
1981	821
1982	1,899
1983	592
1984	888
1985	988
1986	848
1987	1,375
1988	751
1989	745
1990	1,986
1991	776
1992	958
1993	1,685
1994	1,805
1995	1,186
1996	1,353
1997	791
1998	832
1999	775
2000	1,060
2001	744
2002	505
2003	764
2004	1,245
2005	682
2006	1,055
2007	1,911
2008	1,114
2009	851
2010	876
2011	972
2012	847
2013	643
2014	548
2015	489
2016	458
2017	1,002
2018	1,273
2019	582
2020	828
2021	375
2022	1,022
2023	808
2024	1,585
2025	586
2026	370

Download the Data

Data for records on 1940-01-17: 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 100	447
100 to 200	12
200 to 300	1
300 to 400	0
400 to 500	1
500 to 600	1
600 to 700	1