Weather Records on 5 December 1956

1,229 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 5 December 1956. Highest significance: Bedford 2 SE, US.

Key Facts for 5 December 1956

On 5 December 1956, 1,229 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
625 were record highs and 319 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 22 monthly and 1,207 daily.
Bedford 2 SE set a daily record snowfall of 33.0 cm (13.0 in) on 5 December 1956.
Across 170 earlier years (1796 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 471 records.

Record Map

1,229 stations

1,229 station records on 5 December 1956 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 5 December 1956: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Bedford 2 SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Bleskop	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	69.7 mm (2.7 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
James Island	Canada	Record daily snowfall	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Caledonia	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Hendrikspan (Skl)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Grace	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Oran-Hopital Militaire	Algeria	Record low minimum temperature	1.0 C (33.8 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Middelweg	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	64.5 mm (2.5 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Sandbaken	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	42.0 mm (1.7 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Olga 2 SE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-5.6 C (21.9 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Nanambinia	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Verblyding	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Rietbult	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	57.0 mm (2.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Lima	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Mystic Lake	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Victoria Gonzales Hts	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Agassiz Cda	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Virden	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-19.4 C (-2.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Bellingham 2 N	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Saanich Dom Astro Obs	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Jonkersdam	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	56.0 mm (2.2 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Ellensburg	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Wells	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.8 cm (8.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Anacortes	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-3.3 C (26.1 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Coupeville 1 S	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-2.2 C (28.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Marietta 3 NNW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Nanaimo	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Jacksonville 2E	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Oroville 3 NW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
James Island	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-6.7 C (19.9 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Virden	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	-20.6 C (-5.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Ntywenka (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	51.5 mm (2.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Groenfontein "Montagu"	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Loskop	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Rietpoort	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Hot Springs 1 NNE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	17.2 C (63.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Russellville	United States	Record high minimum temperature	16.1 C (61.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Quatsino	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Subiaco	United States	Record high minimum temperature	18.3 C (64.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
St Charles Elm Pt	United States	Record high minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Te Kowai Exp STN	Australia	Record daily precipitation	58.7 mm (2.3 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
James Island	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-4.4 C (24.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Saltspring Island	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-3.9 C (25.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Agassiz Cda	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Kelowna	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Turffontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Val (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Mt Ida 3 SE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Buckley 1 NE	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Concrete Ppl Fish STN	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Olga 2 SE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.0 C (14.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Trinidad 2 SSE	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Saanichton Cda	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-6.7 C (19.9 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Doorndraai	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Ozark	United States	Record high maximum temperature	26.7 C (80.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Russellville	United States	Record high maximum temperature	26.7 C (80.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Warrenton 1 N	United States	Record high minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Willow Sprg Radio Kuku	United States	Record high maximum temperature	24.4 C (75.9 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Blaine	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-1.7 C (28.9 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Cowichan Bay Cherry Point	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-3.9 C (25.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,229 records

Records set or tied on 5 December 1956 by type: Highest daily maximum 330, Lowest daily maximum 189, Highest daily minimum 295, Lowest daily minimum 130, Heaviest daily rainfall 227, Heaviest daily snowfall 51, Deepest snow cover 7.

Records on 5 December 1956 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	330
Lowest daily maximum	189
Highest daily minimum	295
Lowest daily minimum	130
Heaviest daily rainfall	227
Heaviest daily snowfall	51
Deepest snow cover	7

Records on 5 December 1956 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 22, daily 1,207.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,029 broken records

Margins by which the 1,029 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 266.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

5 December 1956

Top 20 records on 5 December 1956 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
5 December 1956	Bedford 2 SE, US	daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	26.6 cm (10.5 in)	37 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Bleskop, ZA	monthly rain	69.7 mm (2.7 in)	32.9 mm (1.3 in)	8 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	James Island, CA	daily snowfall	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	42 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Caledonia, US	daily rain	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	17.0 mm (0.7 in)	50 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Hendrikspan (Skl), ZA	daily rain	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	47.5 mm (1.9 in)	3 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Grace, US	daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	20 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Oran-Hopital Militaire, DZ	daily low min	1.0 C (33.8 F)	4.0 C (7.2 F)	56 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Middelweg, ZA	daily rain	64.5 mm (2.5 in)	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	6 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Sandbaken, ZA	daily rain	42.0 mm (1.7 in)	22.7 mm (0.9 in)	47 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Olga 2 SE, US	daily low max	-5.6 C (21.9 F)	6.2 C (11.2 F)	47 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Nanambinia, AU	daily rain	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	15.5 mm (0.6 in)	49 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Verblyding, ZA	daily rain	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	6 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Rietbult, ZA	daily rain	57.0 mm (2.2 in)	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	3 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Lima, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	37 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Mystic Lake, US	daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	11 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Victoria Gonzales Hts, CA	daily low max	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	6.1 C (11.0 F)	34 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Agassiz Cda, CA	daily low max	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	6.7 C (12.1 F)	48 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Virden, CA	monthly low max	-19.4 C (-2.9 F)	2.2 C (4.0 F)	65 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Bellingham 2 N, US	daily low max	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	11.6 C (20.9 F)	14 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
5 December 1956	Saanich Dom Astro Obs, CA	daily low min	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	6.7 C (12.1 F)	39 years	36 of 100 (Notable)

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

1796 to 1956

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1796 to 1956. 1956 had 1,229 records.

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

Records on 12-05 in each year
Year	Records
1796	1
1797	2
1808	1
1812	1
1820	1
1823	1
1824	1
1825	2
1827	1
1829	3
1833	2
1841	1
1842	1
1844	2
1846	2
1852	1
1853	1
1856	4
1859	1
1863	1
1866	2
1867	4
1868	4
1869	1
1870	1
1871	1
1872	1
1874	1
1875	2
1876	1
1877	2
1878	1
1879	3
1880	1
1884	1
1885	2
1886	2
1888	3
1891	5
1892	2
1893	1
1895	13
1896	1
1897	1
1898	7
1900	11
1901	1
1902	13
1903	8
1904	4
1905	4
1906	15
1907	6
1908	7
1909	55
1910	10
1911	97
1912	40
1913	35
1914	22
1915	95
1916	81
1917	35
1918	32
1919	48
1920	89
1921	56
1922	99
1923	168
1924	106
1925	220
1926	370
1927	82
1928	168
1929	111
1930	247
1931	224
1932	235
1933	566
1934	164
1935	273
1936	409
1937	336
1938	279
1939	691
1940	244
1941	899
1942	583
1943	276
1944	320
1945	418
1946	552
1947	283
1948	529
1949	139
1950	887
1951	780
1952	324
1953	459
1954	425
1955	568
1956	1,229
1957	348
1958	465
1959	287
1960	898
1961	415
1962	834
1963	326
1964	909
1965	534
1966	1,038
1967	253
1968	766
1969	594
1970	845
1971	690
1972	2,240
1973	910
1974	527
1975	859
1976	533
1977	1,227
1978	960
1979	863
1980	1,054
1981	590
1982	1,577
1983	1,024
1984	1,141
1985	1,324
1986	798
1987	829
1988	581
1989	1,317
1990	887
1991	1,384
1992	1,743
1993	871
1994	1,481
1995	1,094
1996	987
1997	718
1998	2,489
1999	1,060
2000	973
2001	2,046
2002	2,027
2003	1,031
2004	805
2005	1,475
2006	1,646
2007	992
2008	807
2009	1,229
2010	1,237
2011	1,472
2012	1,081
2013	1,763
2014	476
2015	721
2016	636
2017	568
2018	338
2019	463
2020	529
2021	679
2022	454
2023	1,402
2024	796
2025	872

Download the Data

Data for records on 1956-12-05: 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	1,010
50 to 100	10
100 to 150	6
150 to 200	2
200 to 250	0
250 to 300	1