Weather Records on 20 January 1940

1,147 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 January 1940. Highest significance: Goderich, CA.

Key Facts for 20 January 1940

On 20 January 1940, 1,147 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
13 were record highs and 979 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 6 were all-time records, 30 monthly and 1,111 daily.
Goderich set a daily record snowfall of 20.3 cm (8.0 in) on 20 January 1940.
Across 157 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 507 records.

Record Map

1,147 stations

1,147 station records on 20 January 1940 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 January 1940: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Goderich	Canada	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Southampton	Canada	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Stratford	Canada	Record daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Bad Blankenburg	Germany	Record snow depth	21.0 cm (8.3 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Rushville	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Belleville	Canada	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Innsbruck	Austria	Record low maximum temperature	-13.0 C (8.6 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Fichtelberg	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-17.7 C (0.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Bamboo Springs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	41.1 mm (1.6 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Owen Sound	Canada	Record daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Hebbronville	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Lottering (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Basel Binningen	Switzerland	Record low maximum temperature	-11.3 C (11.7 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Carrabelle 1 NNW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Jacksonville Wb City	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Basel Binningen	Switzerland	Record low minimum temperature	-18.9 C (-2.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Healy	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Horton	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Donaldsonville 4 SW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Silverspur	Australia	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Le Bourget	France	Record low minimum temperature	-13.3 C (8.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Athens	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Trenton 2	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Leopold Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	110.5 mm (4.4 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Orillia	Canada	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Chemnitz	Germany	Record snow depth	32.0 cm (12.6 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Buffelsnek (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Beaufort	United States	Record low maximum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Bamboo Creek	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Wien	Austria	Record low maximum temperature	-11.6 C (11.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Stuttgart-Stadt	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-10.5 C (13.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Hohenpeissenberg	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-15.0 C (5.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Bologna	Italy	Record low minimum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Tampa	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Beaufort	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Waynesville 1 E	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-18.9 C (-2.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Aiken 5SE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-11.1 C (12.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Lucknow	Canada	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Deols Chateauroux Aerodrome de	France	Record low maximum temperature	-8.4 C (16.9 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Kaiserslautern	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-15.7 C (3.7 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Karlsruhe	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-8.8 C (16.2 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Nurnberg	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-10.0 C (14.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Husum	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-12.9 C (8.8 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Budapest	Hungary	Record low maximum temperature	-11.2 C (11.8 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Visby_Flygplats	Sweden	Record low minimum temperature	-13.0 C (8.6 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Union Springs 9 S	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-11.7 C (10.9 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Tampa	United States	Record low maximum temperature	7.8 C (46.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Blakely	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.0 C (14.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Hendersonville 1 NE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-16.7 C (1.9 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Eutawville	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-11.1 C (12.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Florence #1	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.0 C (14.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Santuck	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Decatur 1 N	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-20.0 C (-4.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Philadelphia City	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Ny City Cntrl Park	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-13.9 C (7.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Kaiserslautern	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-8.5 C (16.7 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Saentis	Switzerland	Record low minimum temperature	-26.2 C (-15.2 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Wisley	United Kingdom	Record low minimum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Crystal Springs Exp STN	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Angelica	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-11.7 C (10.9 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,147 records

Records set or tied on 20 January 1940 by type: Highest daily maximum 10, Lowest daily maximum 518, Highest daily minimum 3, Lowest daily minimum 461, Heaviest daily rainfall 87, Heaviest daily snowfall 25, Deepest snow cover 43.

Records on 20 January 1940 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	10
Lowest daily maximum	518
Highest daily minimum	3
Lowest daily minimum	461
Heaviest daily rainfall	87
Heaviest daily snowfall	25
Deepest snow cover	43

Records on 20 January 1940 by timescale: all-time 6, monthly 30, daily 1,111.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

982 broken records

Margins by which the 982 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 508.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 January 1940

Top 20 records on 20 January 1940 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 January 1940	Goderich, CA	daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	59 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1940	Southampton, CA	daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	53 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1940	Stratford, CA	daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	11.5 cm (4.5 in)	66 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1940	Bad Blankenburg, DE	monthly snow depth	21.0 cm (8.3 in)	5.0 cm (2.0 in)	51 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1940	Rushville, US	daily snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	4 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1940	Belleville, CA	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	7.9 mm (0.31 in)	73 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1940	Innsbruck, AT	daily low max	-13.0 C (8.6 F)	7.0 C (12.6 F)	59 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1940	Fichtelberg, DE	daily low max	-17.7 C (0.1 F)	7.8 C (14.0 F)	47 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1940	Bamboo Springs, AU	daily rain	41.1 mm (1.6 in)	28.7 mm (1.1 in)	28 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1940	Owen Sound, CA	daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	60 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1940	Hebbronville, US	all-time snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	7 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1940	Lottering (Bos), ZA	daily rain	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	30 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1940	Basel Binningen, CH	daily low max	-11.3 C (11.7 F)	8.8 C (15.8 F)	34 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1940	Carrabelle 1 NNW, US	daily low min	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	10.0 C (18.0 F)	40 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1940	Jacksonville Wb City, US	daily low min	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	66 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1940	Basel Binningen, CH	daily low min	-18.9 C (-2.0 F)	9.3 C (16.7 F)	24 years	31 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1940	Healy, US	daily snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	21 years	31 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1940	Horton, US	daily snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	4 years	31 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1940	Donaldsonville 4 SW, US	daily low max	2.2 C (36.0 F)	9.5 C (17.1 F)	39 years	31 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1940	Silverspur, AU	daily rain	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	28.2 mm (1.1 in)	22 years	30 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 1,147 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 1940-01-20: 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 100	968
100 to 200	13
200 to 300	0
300 to 400	0
400 to 500	0
500 to 600	1