Weather Records on 31 December 1940

467 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 31 December 1940. Highest significance: Karlsruhe, DE.

Key Facts for 31 December 1940

On 31 December 1940, 467 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
206 were record highs and 28 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 13 monthly and 453 daily.
Karlsruhe set a daily record precipitation of 33.5 mm (1.3 in) on 31 December 1940.
Across 157 earlier years (1797 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 487 records.

Record Map

467 stations

467 station records on 31 December 1940 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 31 December 1940: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Karlsruhe	Germany	Record daily precipitation	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Tres Piedras	United States	Record daily precipitation	56.1 mm (2.2 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Barraba (Mount Lindsay)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Bad-Neunkirchen Mergentheim	Germany	Record daily precipitation	38.5 mm (1.5 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Boatman Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	57.4 mm (2.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Ellwangen-Rindelbach	Germany	Record daily precipitation	28.6 mm (1.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Intake	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.7 mm (1.7 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Rothenburg Ob der Tauber	Germany	Record daily precipitation	29.3 mm (1.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Pinal Rch	United States	Record daily precipitation	68.8 mm (2.7 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Le Bourget	France	Record daily precipitation	29.3 mm (1.2 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
May Vale	Australia	Record daily precipitation	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Carroll (the Ranch)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Gollhofen	Germany	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
St Albans	Canada	Record daily snowfall	11.7 cm (4.6 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Heinersreuth-Vollhof	Germany	Record snow depth	40.0 cm (15.7 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Mercadool	Australia	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Moola Bulla	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Premer (Eden Moor)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Altastenberg	Germany	Record snow depth	170.0 cm (66.9 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Linkoeping-Malmslaett	Sweden	Record low maximum temperature	-13.6 C (7.5 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Casa Grande	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Jamestown State Hosp	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Speewa Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	59.7 mm (2.4 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Ohringen	Germany	Record daily precipitation	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Edgeley 3WNW	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Birch Tree	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Bottineau	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Minnedosa	Canada	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Altastenberg	Germany	Record daily precipitation	32.8 mm (1.3 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Sibasa	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	154.9 mm (6.1 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Brandon Cda	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Pommelsbrunn	Germany	Record daily precipitation	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Roy Hill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	56.1 mm (2.2 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Isisford Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Nelyambo	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Metten	Germany	Record daily precipitation	49.1 mm (1.9 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Vastervik	Sweden	Record low maximum temperature	-9.6 C (14.7 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Storlien	Sweden	Record low maximum temperature	-24.0 C (-11.2 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Norris Madison Pwr House	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Mount Edgar	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Murrawombi	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Manilla Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Merriwa (Gummun Place)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Rotherwood	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Dunvegan	Canada	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Bathurst	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	-2.2 C (28.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Chemnitz	Germany	Record snow depth	28.0 cm (11.0 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Lancaster 4 WSW	United States	Record high maximum temperature	14.4 C (57.9 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Wetaskiwin	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Globe Rs	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Brewarrina (Talawanta)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	79.5 mm (3.1 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Boggabri (Penryn)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Brocken	Germany	Record snow depth	165.0 cm (65.0 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Vasteras-Hasslo	Sweden	Record low maximum temperature	-13.0 C (8.6 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Gavle	Sweden	Record low maximum temperature	-12.7 C (9.1 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Gavle	Sweden	Record low minimum temperature	-24.2 C (-11.6 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Busby	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Los Lunas	United States	Record high minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Cobbadah Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Glen Innes Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

467 records

Records set or tied on 31 December 1940 by type: Highest daily maximum 10, Lowest daily maximum 18, Highest daily minimum 196, Lowest daily minimum 10, Heaviest daily rainfall 202, Heaviest daily snowfall 24, Deepest snow cover 7.

Records on 31 December 1940 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	10
Lowest daily maximum	18
Highest daily minimum	196
Lowest daily minimum	10
Heaviest daily rainfall	202
Heaviest daily snowfall	24
Deepest snow cover	7

Records on 31 December 1940 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 13, daily 453.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

382 broken records

Margins by which the 382 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 530.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

31 December 1940

Top 20 records on 31 December 1940 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
31 December 1940	Karlsruhe, DE	daily rain	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	25.5 mm (1.0 in)	61 years	64 of 100 (Major)
31 December 1940	Tres Piedras, US	monthly rain	56.1 mm (2.2 in)	24.3 mm (1.0 in)	16 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	Barraba (Mount Lindsay), AU	daily rain	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	65.6 mm (2.6 in)	48 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	Bad-Neunkirchen Mergentheim, DE	monthly rain	38.5 mm (1.5 in)	13.2 mm (0.5 in)	5 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	Boatman Station, AU	daily rain	57.4 mm (2.3 in)	54.1 mm (2.1 in)	29 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	Ellwangen-Rindelbach, DE	daily rain	28.6 mm (1.1 in)	16.1 mm (0.6 in)	24 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	Intake, US	daily rain	43.7 mm (1.7 in)	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	22 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	Rothenburg Ob der Tauber, DE	daily rain	29.3 mm (1.2 in)	15.1 mm (0.6 in)	24 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	Pinal Rch, US	daily rain	68.8 mm (2.7 in)	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	34 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	Le Bourget, FR	daily rain	29.3 mm (1.2 in)	13.6 mm (0.5 in)	26 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	May Vale, AU	daily rain	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	27.7 mm (1.1 in)	47 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	Carroll (the Ranch), AU	daily rain	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	47 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	Gollhofen, DE	monthly rain	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	4.0 mm (0.16 in)	38 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	St Albans, CA	daily snowfall	11.7 cm (4.6 in)	5.9 cm (2.3 in)	30 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	Heinersreuth-Vollhof, DE	monthly snow depth	40.0 cm (15.7 in)	10.0 cm (3.9 in)	17 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1940	Mercadool, AU	daily rain	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	22.8 mm (0.9 in)	35 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
31 December 1940	Moola Bulla, AU	daily rain	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	16 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
31 December 1940	Premer (Eden Moor), AU	daily rain	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	18.5 mm (0.7 in)	47 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
31 December 1940	Altastenberg, DE	monthly snow depth	170.0 cm (66.9 in)	30.0 cm (11.8 in)	0 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
31 December 1940	Linkoeping-Malmslaett, SE	monthly low max	-13.6 C (7.5 F)	0.6 C (1.1 F)	54 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

1797 to 1940

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1797 to 1940. 1940 had 467 records.

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

Records on 12-31 in each year
Year	Records
1797	1
1799	2
1826	1
1836	1
1842	2
1850	3
1853	1
1854	1
1859	1
1860	1
1867	1
1870	2
1872	2
1874	4
1875	2
1876	2
1878	2
1879	2
1880	2
1882	1
1884	2
1885	1
1886	3
1887	1
1888	2
1890	2
1891	8
1892	4
1895	4
1897	6
1898	5
1899	4
1900	3
1901	16
1902	3
1903	3
1904	11
1905	9
1906	31
1907	11
1908	7
1909	5
1910	25
1911	14
1912	17
1913	46
1914	34
1915	32
1916	25
1917	239
1918	24
1919	38
1920	64
1921	130
1922	83
1923	280
1924	113
1925	183
1926	77
1927	491
1928	53
1929	224
1930	58
1931	543
1932	394
1933	409
1934	181
1935	309
1936	567
1937	500
1938	247
1939	298
1940	467
1941	159
1942	352
1943	159
1944	259
1945	210
1946	707
1947	461
1948	591
1949	384
1950	310
1951	1,421
1952	377
1953	410
1954	286
1955	429
1956	216
1957	724
1958	584
1959	414
1960	389
1961	309
1962	810
1963	1,015
1964	388
1965	1,371
1966	326
1967	1,023
1968	1,371
1969	825
1970	579
1971	568
1972	836
1973	1,370
1974	590
1975	791
1976	1,306
1977	641
1978	2,791
1979	448
1980	1,448
1981	786
1982	639
1983	2,220
1984	942
1985	593
1986	616
1987	845
1988	600
1989	506
1990	1,379
1991	703
1992	1,062
1993	718
1994	878
1995	1,151
1996	2,202
1997	988
1998	739
1999	524
2000	1,575
2001	748
2002	1,232
2003	523
2004	1,278
2005	959
2006	2,089
2007	652
2008	656
2009	867
2010	1,544
2011	739
2012	803
2013	606
2014	903
2015	748
2016	678
2017	1,589
2018	620
2019	593
2020	489
2021	1,739
2022	1,497
2023	474
2024	460
2025	760

Download the Data

Data for records on 1940-12-31: 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 100	378
100 to 200	2
200 to 300	0
300 to 400	1
400 to 500	0
500 to 600	1