Weather Records on 3 December 1956

679 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 3 December 1956. Highest significance: Coleman, CA.

Key Facts for 3 December 1956

On 3 December 1956, 679 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
308 were record highs and 77 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 19 monthly and 660 daily.
Coleman set a daily record snowfall of 35.6 cm (14.0 in) on 3 December 1956.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 465 records.

Record Map

679 stations

679 station records on 3 December 1956 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 3 December 1956: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Coleman	Canada	Record daily snowfall	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Mtunzini	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	102.0 mm (4.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Caldwell	Canada	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Pincher Creek Town	Canada	Record daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Moonan Flat (High St)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Jerrys Plains Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Carway	Canada	Record daily snowfall	24.1 cm (9.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Coleman	Canada	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Burren Junction (Hastings Stre	Australia	Record daily precipitation	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Reit Im Winkl	Germany	Record daily precipitation	42.3 mm (1.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Caldwell	Canada	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Lundbreck	Canada	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Lundbreck	Canada	Record daily snowfall	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Wyandra Railway St	Australia	Record daily precipitation	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Hanna	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Thallon Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	56.6 mm (2.2 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Parksville	Canada	Record daily snowfall	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Yungaburra	Australia	Record daily precipitation	55.4 mm (2.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Virden	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-16.1 C (3.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Lawrence	United States	Record high maximum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Weetaliba (Weetalabah)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Banff	Canada	Record daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Hamilton	United States	Record high minimum temperature	7.8 C (46.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Moyston	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Mabel Lake	Canada	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Mapumulo (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	57.0 mm (2.2 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Durham	United Kingdom	Record high minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Saltspring Island	Canada	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Pekisko	Canada	Record daily snowfall	15.0 cm (5.9 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Lincoln UNIV Pwr Plt	United States	Record high maximum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Baradine (Caledonia)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Lyndon	Canada	Record daily snowfall	22.6 cm (8.9 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Pense	Canada	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Whitewood	Canada	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Attunga (Garthowen)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Oaklands (Ravens Worth)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Ocean Falls	Canada	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Wastina Hemaruka	Canada	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Lake Louise	Canada	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Lake Louise	Canada	Record daily snowfall	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Markovo	Russia	Record high minimum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Mnt Fletcher (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Tshatsheni (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Glenwood 3SW	United States	Record high maximum temperature	16.1 C (61.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Olaa 92	United States	Record low minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Biddenham	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Ravensworth (Hillview)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Prospect Reservoir	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.7 mm (1.2 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Itabaianinha	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	33.4 mm (1.3 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Hillsdown	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Lacombe Cda	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.4 cm (4.1 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Binnaway (Wattle St)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Bella Coola	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-10.0 C (14.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
High River	Canada	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Saskatoon Diefenbaker Int'l A	Canada	Record daily snowfall	8.6 cm (3.4 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Virden	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	-17.8 C (0.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Kei Road (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Juneau Dwtn	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Kilauea 1134	United States	Record low minimum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Wee Waa (Pendennis)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

679 records

Records set or tied on 3 December 1956 by type: Highest daily maximum 280, Lowest daily maximum 42, Highest daily minimum 28, Lowest daily minimum 35, Heaviest daily rainfall 205, Heaviest daily snowfall 85, Deepest snow cover 4.

Records on 3 December 1956 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	280
Lowest daily maximum	42
Highest daily minimum	28
Lowest daily minimum	35
Heaviest daily rainfall	205
Heaviest daily snowfall	85
Deepest snow cover	4

Records on 3 December 1956 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 19, daily 660.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

544 broken records

Margins by which the 544 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 280.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

3 December 1956

Top 20 records on 3 December 1956 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
3 December 1956	Coleman, CA	daily snowfall	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	28.0 cm (11.0 in)	42 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Mtunzini, ZA	daily rain	102.0 mm (4.0 in)	73.3 mm (2.9 in)	38 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Caldwell, CA	daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	38 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Pincher Creek Town, CA	daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	18.3 cm (7.2 in)	34 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Moonan Flat (High St), AU	daily rain	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	56 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Jerrys Plains Post Office, AU	daily rain	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	9 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Carway, CA	daily snowfall	24.1 cm (9.5 in)	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	38 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Coleman, CA	daily rain	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	13 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Burren Junction (Hastings Stre, AU	daily rain	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	40 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Reit Im Winkl, DE	daily rain	42.3 mm (1.7 in)	22.3 mm (0.9 in)	41 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Caldwell, CA	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	15 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Lundbreck, CA	monthly rain	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	10.1 mm (0.4 in)	19 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Lundbreck, CA	monthly snowfall	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	19 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Wyandra Railway St, AU	daily rain	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	9 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Hanna, CA	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	7.7 cm (3.0 in)	34 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Thallon Post Office, AU	daily rain	56.6 mm (2.2 in)	35.3 mm (1.4 in)	9 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Parksville, CA	daily snowfall	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	41 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Yungaburra, AU	daily rain	55.4 mm (2.2 in)	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	13 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1956	Virden, CA	daily low max	-16.1 C (3.0 F)	7.2 C (13.0 F)	65 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
3 December 1956	Lawrence, US	daily high max	18.9 C (66.0 F)	0.6 C (1.1 F)	86 years	34 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 1956

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1956. 1956 had 679 records.

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

Records on 12-03 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1796	1
1797	1
1801	1
1807	1
1810	1
1816	1
1828	1
1829	2
1831	1
1832	1
1846	1
1853	1
1855	3
1856	4
1866	2
1867	1
1869	4
1870	2
1872	3
1873	1
1875	4
1876	3
1879	8
1882	3
1886	1
1887	2
1888	3
1890	2
1891	3
1892	4
1893	1
1894	1
1895	4
1896	2
1897	4
1898	2
1899	4
1900	4
1901	9
1902	13
1903	9
1904	5
1905	33
1906	23
1907	2
1908	4
1909	45
1910	8
1911	12
1912	23
1913	66
1914	74
1915	19
1916	153
1917	34
1918	29
1919	88
1920	44
1921	128
1922	68
1923	58
1924	89
1925	152
1926	189
1927	247
1928	79
1929	651
1930	131
1931	352
1932	528
1933	486
1934	270
1935	267
1936	379
1937	284
1938	347
1939	443
1940	1,023
1941	1,141
1942	595
1943	290
1944	284
1945	194
1946	443
1947	814
1948	419
1949	177
1950	689
1951	881
1952	242
1953	804
1954	493
1955	763
1956	679
1957	211
1958	583
1959	372
1960	577
1961	342
1962	923
1963	331
1964	824
1965	308
1966	1,076
1967	859
1968	646
1969	395
1970	1,247
1971	999
1972	890
1973	778
1974	661
1975	638
1976	1,315
1977	681
1978	1,406
1979	959
1980	1,128
1981	644
1982	3,010
1983	1,255
1984	645
1985	2,305
1986	801
1987	682
1988	672
1989	1,064
1990	1,178
1991	1,521
1992	776
1993	670
1994	664
1995	725
1996	694
1997	854
1998	1,969
1999	982
2000	759
2001	604
2002	977
2003	519
2004	739
2005	1,140
2006	1,167
2007	793
2008	804
2009	1,124
2010	1,879
2011	852
2012	1,355
2013	799
2014	510
2015	533
2016	347
2017	669
2018	1,043
2019	490
2020	409
2021	1,364
2022	448
2023	810
2024	709
2025	578

Download the Data

Data for records on 1956-12-03: 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 50	513
50 to 100	18
100 to 150	8
150 to 200	3
200 to 250	0
250 to 300	2