Weather Records on 16 January 1956

519 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 16 January 1956. Highest significance: Cap Madeleine, CA.

Key Facts for 16 January 1956

On 16 January 1956, 519 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
137 were record highs and 45 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 22 monthly and 496 daily.
Cap Madeleine set a monthly record daily snowfall of 55.9 cm (22.0 in) on 16 January 1956.
Across 161 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 500 records.

Record Map

519 stations

519 station records on 16 January 1956 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 16 January 1956: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Cap Madeleine	Canada	Record daily snowfall	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Khorog	Tajikistan	Record daily precipitation	25.8 mm (1.0 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Prince Albert Road (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Prince Albert Road	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	48.5 mm (1.9 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Soldier Summit	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Cap Madeleine	Canada	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Chardzhev	Turkmenistan	Record daily precipitation	31.3 mm (1.2 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Laura Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Buffelsklip	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Santaquin Chlorinator	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.2 mm (1.7 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Willowmore	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	77.5 mm (3.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Holyoke	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Torrens Creek Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Lowman	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Wheatland 4N	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Rooirivier (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	31.3 mm (1.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Huntingburg AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Tipton	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Sydney (Observatory Hill)	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	22.0 C (71.6 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Tamia	India	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Fairfield	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Bens Run 1 SSE	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Hankey (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Grapevale	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Maquoketa	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Brady Aznoe	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Milbank 4 NW	United States	Record daily snowfall	21.3 cm (8.4 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Welbedagt	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Miranda Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	153.9 mm (6.1 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Merweville	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Pitkin	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Lowman	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Waverly	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Cottonwood Weir	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Levan	United States	Record high maximum temperature	14.4 C (57.9 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Payson	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Fairmont	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
New Martinsville 4 NNE	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Keremeos	Canada	Record daily snowfall	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Ohotsk	Russia	Record high minimum temperature	-8.5 C (16.7 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Herold (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Smythe	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	96.5 mm (3.8 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Indio Fire STN	United States	Record high minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Homestead Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Calitzdorp (Dam)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Cascade 5 S	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Uniontown 1 NE	United States	Record snow depth	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Lake Kachess	United States	Record snow depth	203.2 cm (80.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Sedalia Wtp	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-16.1 C (3.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Bluff	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Balfes Creek Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Pomona/Fairplex	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
San Jacinto	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Farmington	United States	Record high minimum temperature	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Geneva	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Pahala 21	United States	Record high maximum temperature	28.9 C (84.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Cologne	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Barstow	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Sedalia Wtp	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Lonepine 1 WNW	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

519 records

Records set or tied on 16 January 1956 by type: Highest daily maximum 33, Lowest daily maximum 27, Highest daily minimum 104, Lowest daily minimum 18, Heaviest daily rainfall 230, Heaviest daily snowfall 95, Deepest snow cover 12.

Records on 16 January 1956 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	33
Lowest daily maximum	27
Highest daily minimum	104
Lowest daily minimum	18
Heaviest daily rainfall	230
Heaviest daily snowfall	95
Deepest snow cover	12

Records on 16 January 1956 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 22, daily 496.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

433 broken records

Margins by which the 433 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 178.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

16 January 1956

Top 20 records on 16 January 1956 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
16 January 1956	Cap Madeleine, CA	monthly snowfall	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	62 years	61 of 100 (Major)
16 January 1956	Khorog, TJ	daily rain	25.8 mm (1.0 in)	20.0 mm (0.8 in)	50 years	60 of 100 (Major)
16 January 1956	Prince Albert Road (Sar), ZA	monthly rain	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	24.9 mm (1.0 in)	43 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Prince Albert Road, ZA	daily rain	48.5 mm (1.9 in)	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	24 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Soldier Summit, US	daily rain	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	19.6 mm (0.8 in)	32 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Cap Madeleine, CA	monthly rain	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	15.3 mm (0.6 in)	38 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Chardzhev, TM	monthly rain	31.3 mm (1.2 in)	7.3 mm (0.29 in)	53 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Laura Post Office, AU	daily rain	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	36.9 mm (1.5 in)	56 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Buffelsklip, ZA	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	42 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Santaquin Chlorinator, US	daily rain	42.2 mm (1.7 in)	18.1 mm (0.7 in)	41 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Willowmore, ZA	monthly rain	77.5 mm (3.1 in)	1.3 mm (0.05 in)	73 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Holyoke, US	daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	59 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Torrens Creek Post Office, AU	daily rain	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	40.9 mm (1.6 in)	46 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Lowman, US	daily rain	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	22.1 mm (0.9 in)	1 year	37 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Wheatland 4N, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	7.7 cm (3.0 in)	58 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Rooirivier (Bos), ZA	daily rain	31.3 mm (1.2 in)	31.3 mm (1.2 in)	32 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
16 January 1956	Huntingburg AP, US	daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	61 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
16 January 1956	Tipton, US	daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	62 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
16 January 1956	Sydney (Observatory Hill), AU	daily high min	22.0 C (71.6 F)	0.2 C (0.4 F)	77 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
16 January 1956	Tamia, IN	daily rain	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	24.2 mm (1.0 in)	13 years	33 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 1956

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1795 to 1956. 1956 had 519 records.

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

Records on 01-16 in each year
Year	Records
1795	1
1799	1
1804	1
1818	1
1820	2
1826	2
1836	1
1838	1
1839	1
1845	3
1847	1
1849	2
1851	1
1852	2
1858	1
1864	1
1866	1
1867	1
1868	1
1869	1
1871	1
1873	2
1875	3
1877	1
1878	2
1881	4
1886	1
1890	2
1891	1
1892	1
1893	8
1895	5
1896	4
1897	2
1898	2
1899	17
1900	1
1901	1
1902	5
1904	6
1905	22
1906	26
1907	17
1908	14
1909	19
1910	21
1911	15
1912	38
1913	52
1914	16
1915	29
1916	28
1917	30
1918	89
1919	50
1920	249
1921	36
1922	29
1923	47
1924	277
1925	237
1926	69
1927	250
1928	327
1929	130
1930	680
1931	160
1932	605
1933	343
1934	99
1935	426
1936	349
1937	186
1938	549
1939	539
1940	284
1941	601
1942	585
1943	628
1944	252
1945	434
1946	430
1947	597
1948	299
1949	933
1950	855
1951	679
1952	614
1953	1,040
1954	882
1955	318
1956	519
1957	795
1958	459
1959	462
1960	349
1961	864
1962	387
1963	996
1964	577
1965	910
1966	464
1967	516
1968	536
1969	630
1970	729
1971	628
1972	1,724
1973	1,134
1974	1,957
1975	717
1976	593
1977	1,430
1978	1,399
1979	1,043
1980	965
1981	815
1982	1,121
1983	759
1984	1,376
1985	846
1986	785
1987	1,465
1988	597
1989	835
1990	1,692
1991	897
1992	1,150
1993	1,351
1994	2,003
1995	1,381
1996	995
1997	1,016
1998	884
1999	816
2000	1,073
2001	753
2002	605
2003	691
2004	1,446
2005	654
2006	746
2007	1,962
2008	777
2009	1,328
2010	739
2011	996
2012	569
2013	990
2014	534
2015	424
2016	453
2017	1,104
2018	1,045
2019	512
2020	1,098
2021	544
2022	576
2023	646
2024	2,401
2025	684
2026	506

Download the Data

Data for records on 1956-01-16: 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 2026-10-16. Last revised 16 October 2026 (2026-10-16).

Margin	Records
0 to 25	365
25 to 50	42
50 to 75	15
75 to 100	8
100 to 125	1
125 to 150	0
150 to 175	1
175 to 200	1