Weather Records on 21 January 1940

562 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 January 1940. Highest significance: Humansdorp (Pol), ZA.

Key Facts for 21 January 1940

On 21 January 1940, 562 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
16 were record highs and 421 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 5 were all-time records, 16 monthly and 541 daily.
Humansdorp (Pol) set a daily record precipitation of 46.5 mm (1.8 in) on 21 January 1940.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 467 records.

Record Map

562 stations

562 station records on 21 January 1940 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 January 1940: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Humansdorp (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Emporia 1 S	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Lake Placid 2 S	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Witelsbos (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	99.8 mm (3.9 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Greifswald	Germany	Record snow depth	25.0 cm (9.8 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Alamogordo	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Sheffield	United Kingdom	Record low minimum temperature	-11.7 C (10.9 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Orillia	Canada	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Orillia	Canada	Record daily snowfall	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Malvern	United Kingdom	Record low minimum temperature	-13.9 C (7.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Deols Chateauroux Aerodrome de	France	Record low minimum temperature	-14.4 C (6.1 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Cet Central England	United Kingdom	Record low minimum temperature	-13.4 C (7.9 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Altentreptow	Germany	Record snow depth	16.0 cm (6.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Greiz-Dolau	Germany	Record snow depth	30.0 cm (11.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Drift Sands (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Durham	United Kingdom	Record low minimum temperature	-16.1 C (3.0 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)
Bamberg	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-9.0 C (15.8 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Lyons River	Australia	Record daily precipitation	52.6 mm (2.1 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Wandagee	Australia	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Putbus	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-16.3 C (2.7 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Wien	Austria	Record low maximum temperature	-13.0 C (8.6 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Nurnberg	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Leipzig-Holzhausen	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-11.8 C (10.8 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Leipzig-Holzhausen	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-20.8 C (-5.4 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Lares	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Beagle Bay	Australia	Record daily precipitation	99.3 mm (3.9 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Hohenpeissenberg	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-11.8 C (10.8 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Hohenpeissenberg	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-17.5 C (0.5 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Heinersreuth-Vollhof	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-9.3 C (15.3 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Lowestoft	United Kingdom	Record low minimum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Menard	United States	Record daily snowfall	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Vestervig	Denmark	Record low maximum temperature	-4.8 C (23.4 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Marseille Obs. Palais-Lonchamp	France	Record low maximum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Hamburg Fuhlsbuettel	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-15.1 C (4.8 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Altastenberg	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-20.8 C (-5.4 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Plauen	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-11.6 C (11.1 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Weissenburg	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-8.2 C (17.2 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Schriever	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Roebuck Plains	Australia	Record daily precipitation	115.1 mm (4.5 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Milesovka	Czech Republic	Record low maximum temperature	-14.1 C (6.6 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Karlsruhe	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Magdeburg	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-18.6 C (-1.5 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Gorlitz	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Plauen	Germany	Record snow depth	39.0 cm (15.4 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Braunschweig (T.H.)	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-18.9 C (-2.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Hurbanovo	Slovakia	Record low maximum temperature	-12.9 C (8.8 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Skegness	United Kingdom	Record low minimum temperature	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
St Augustine	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-3.3 C (26.1 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Baton Rouge	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Berlin-Dahlem	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-18.4 C (-1.1 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Altastenberg	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-11.2 C (11.8 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Altastenberg	Germany	Record snow depth	80.0 cm (31.5 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Marnitz	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-9.6 C (14.7 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Waren	Germany	Record snow depth	22.0 cm (8.7 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Clausthal-Zellerfeld	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-11.6 C (11.1 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Zagreb-Gric	Croatia	Record low maximum temperature	-8.8 C (16.2 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Karesuando	Sweden	Record low maximum temperature	-29.8 C (-21.6 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Tarpon Spgs Sewage Plt	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

562 records

Records set or tied on 21 January 1940 by type: Highest daily maximum 11, Lowest daily maximum 191, Highest daily minimum 5, Lowest daily minimum 230, Heaviest daily rainfall 58, Heaviest daily snowfall 17, Deepest snow cover 50.

Records on 21 January 1940 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	11
Lowest daily maximum	191
Highest daily minimum	5
Lowest daily minimum	230
Heaviest daily rainfall	58
Heaviest daily snowfall	17
Deepest snow cover	50

Records on 21 January 1940 by timescale: all-time 5, monthly 16, daily 541.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

466 broken records

Margins by which the 466 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 1651.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 January 1940

Top 20 records on 21 January 1940 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 January 1940	Humansdorp (Pol), ZA	daily rain	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	32 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1940	Emporia 1 S, US	daily snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	39 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1940	Lake Placid 2 S, US	daily rain	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	28 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1940	Witelsbos (Bos), ZA	daily rain	99.8 mm (3.9 in)	57.9 mm (2.3 in)	25 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1940	Greifswald, DE	daily snow depth	25.0 cm (9.8 in)	19.0 cm (7.5 in)	22 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1940	Alamogordo, US	all-time snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	27 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1940	Sheffield, GB	daily low min	-11.7 C (10.9 F)	7.1 C (12.8 F)	53 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1940	Orillia, CA	monthly rain	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	3.8 mm (0.15 in)	56 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1940	Orillia, CA	monthly snowfall	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	3.8 cm (1.5 in)	56 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1940	Malvern, GB	all-time low min	-13.9 C (7.0 F)	1.9 C (3.4 F)	37 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1940	Deols Chateauroux Aerodrome de, FR	daily low min	-14.4 C (6.1 F)	9.9 C (17.8 F)	32 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1940	Cet Central England, GB	monthly low min	-13.4 C (7.9 F)	0.4 C (0.7 F)	58 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
21 January 1940	Altentreptow, DE	daily snow depth	16.0 cm (6.3 in)	10.0 cm (3.9 in)	13 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
21 January 1940	Greiz-Dolau, DE	daily snow depth	30.0 cm (11.8 in)	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	22 years	31 of 100 (Routine)
21 January 1940	Drift Sands (Bos), ZA	daily rain	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	16.7 mm (0.7 in)	14 years	31 of 100 (Routine)
21 January 1940	Durham, GB	daily low min	-16.1 C (3.0 F)	2.9 C (5.2 F)	58 years	31 of 100 (Routine)
21 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)
21 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)
21 January 1940	Bamberg, DE	daily low max	-9.0 C (15.8 F)	3.4 C (6.1 F)	58 years	30 of 100 (Routine)
21 January 1940	Lyons River, AU	daily rain	52.6 mm (2.1 in)	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	30 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

1793 to 1940

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1940. 1940 had 562 records.

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

Records on 01-21 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1795	2
1796	1
1798	1
1800	2
1803	1
1804	2
1829	1
1838	3
1840	2
1845	2
1846	1
1850	2
1864	2
1866	4
1867	1
1869	1
1871	1
1873	2
1876	1
1878	4
1880	3
1881	4
1884	1
1885	1
1886	1
1888	3
1890	2
1891	3
1892	2
1893	1
1894	3
1895	2
1896	2
1897	3
1898	3
1899	15
1900	5
1901	4
1902	8
1903	18
1904	30
1905	3
1906	53
1907	10
1908	11
1909	25
1910	11
1911	8
1912	7
1913	23
1914	37
1915	47
1916	38
1917	83
1918	49
1919	14
1920	75
1921	54
1922	35
1923	62
1924	535
1925	103
1926	157
1927	447
1928	206
1929	132
1930	616
1931	112
1932	167
1933	572
1934	255
1935	771
1936	314
1937	852
1938	250
1939	305
1940	562
1941	205
1942	522
1943	1,168
1944	324
1945	290
1946	339
1947	205
1948	387
1949	452
1950	643
1951	367
1952	436
1953	325
1954	1,094
1955	399
1956	653
1957	527
1958	506
1959	936
1960	319
1961	746
1962	741
1963	761
1964	771
1965	251
1966	636
1967	511
1968	1,179
1969	927
1970	1,770
1971	672
1972	598
1973	573
1974	992
1975	496
1976	860
1977	549
1978	1,301
1979	1,675
1980	425
1981	972
1982	1,339
1983	1,179
1984	2,132
1985	2,457
1986	883
1987	934
1988	771
1989	511
1990	927
1991	559
1992	447
1993	1,763
1994	1,195
1995	1,276
1996	528
1997	950
1998	606
1999	1,387
2000	686
2001	736
2002	796
2003	690
2004	535
2005	1,111
2006	1,116
2007	1,955
2008	1,061
2009	788
2010	1,166
2011	836
2012	1,148
2013	455
2014	522
2015	426
2016	580
2017	1,248
2018	664
2019	526
2020	894
2021	626
2022	430
2023	517
2024	1,015
2025	1,386
2026	201

Download the Data

Data for records on 1940-01-21: 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 2026-10-13 (13 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2026-10-12. Last revised 12 October 2026 (2026-10-12).

Margin	Records
0 to 250	465
250 to 500	0
500 to 750	0
750 to 1000	0
1000 to 1250	0
1250 to 1500	0
1500 to 1750	1