Weather Records on 16 December 1956

650 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 16 December 1956. Highest significance: Lyndhurst Station, AU.

Key Facts for 16 December 1956

On 16 December 1956, 650 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
443 were record highs and 28 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 8 monthly and 642 daily.
Lyndhurst Station set a daily record precipitation of 71.1 mm (2.8 in) on 16 December 1956.
Across 160 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 481 records.

Record Map

650 stations

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

Weather records on 16 December 1956: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Lyndhurst Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Gilberton	Australia	Record daily precipitation	103.6 mm (4.1 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Danger Point - Vrt.	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Richmond Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	51.1 mm (2.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Virden	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-17.8 C (0.0 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Comet Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	69.9 mm (2.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Wilburra Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	43.4 mm (1.7 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Uccle	Belgium	Record high minimum temperature	9.5 C (49.1 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Afton Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Mount Surprise Township	Australia	Record daily precipitation	67.6 mm (2.7 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Jena Sternwarte	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	8.1 C (46.6 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Hillgrove Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Katherine Council	Australia	Record daily precipitation	102.6 mm (4.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Aiyansh	Canada	Record daily precipitation	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Aiyansh	Canada	Record daily snowfall	50.5 cm (19.9 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Holyoke	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Mossman Central Mill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	114.6 mm (4.5 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Dohne (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Boras	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Gaines	United States	Record daily precipitation	77.2 mm (3.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Nonda Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Quesnel	Canada	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Leipzig-Holzhausen	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	12.1 C (53.8 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Semans	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Putbus	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	10.5 C (50.9 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Ulricehamn	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Amos	Canada	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Chudleigh Park Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	78.2 mm (3.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Poowong (Post Office)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Pikedale	Australia	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Chemnitz	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	7.6 C (45.7 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Kologha (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Oran-Hopital Militaire	Algeria	Record low minimum temperature	2.0 C (35.6 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Maranboy	Australia	Record daily precipitation	85.1 mm (3.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
New Bern 3 NW	United States	Record high minimum temperature	14.4 C (57.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Hopewell	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Alni	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Camooweal Township	Australia	Record daily precipitation	59.2 mm (2.3 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Berlin-Dahlem	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	12.0 C (53.6 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Easton	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Holmleigh	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Koebenhavn: Landbohojskolen-1	Denmark	Record high maximum temperature	10.3 C (50.5 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Putbus	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	6.8 C (44.2 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Yates Hydro Plt	United States	Record daily precipitation	82.6 mm (3.3 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Stewart	Canada	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Stewart	Canada	Record daily snowfall	48.3 cm (19.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Nokomis	Canada	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Muenster	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	13.8 C (56.8 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Plauen	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Vastervik	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Marion	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.2 C (54.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Juneau Dwtn	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.0 C (14.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Nordby (Fano)	Denmark	Record high maximum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Chemnitz	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	12.1 C (53.8 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Vanersborg	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	9.0 C (48.2 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Coffee Springs 2 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Cheraw	United States	Record high minimum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Kowanyama Airport	Australia	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Vestervig	Denmark	Record high maximum temperature	9.0 C (48.2 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Berlin-Dahlem	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	8.7 C (47.7 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

650 records

Records set or tied on 16 December 1956 by type: Highest daily maximum 221, Lowest daily maximum 12, Highest daily minimum 222, Lowest daily minimum 16, Heaviest daily rainfall 149, Heaviest daily snowfall 28, Deepest snow cover 2.

Records on 16 December 1956 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	221
Lowest daily maximum	12
Highest daily minimum	222
Lowest daily minimum	16
Heaviest daily rainfall	149
Heaviest daily snowfall	28
Deepest snow cover	2

Records on 16 December 1956 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 8, daily 642.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

509 broken records

Margins by which the 509 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 327.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

16 December 1956

Top 20 records on 16 December 1956 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
16 December 1956	Lyndhurst Station, AU	daily rain	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	51.5 mm (2.0 in)	65 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Gilberton, AU	daily rain	103.6 mm (4.1 in)	83.5 mm (3.3 in)	35 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Danger Point - Vrt., ZA	daily rain	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	16.4 mm (0.6 in)	24 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Richmond Post Office, AU	daily rain	51.1 mm (2.0 in)	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	49 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Virden, CA	daily low max	-17.8 C (0.0 F)	16.1 C (29.0 F)	65 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Comet Post Office, AU	daily rain	69.9 mm (2.8 in)	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	45 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Wilburra Downs Station, AU	daily rain	43.4 mm (1.7 in)	40.9 mm (1.6 in)	34 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Uccle, BE	daily high min	9.5 C (49.1 F)	0.8 C (1.4 F)	106 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Afton Downs Station, AU	daily rain	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	2 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Mount Surprise Township, AU	daily rain	67.6 mm (2.7 in)	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	39 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Jena Sternwarte, DE	daily high min	8.1 C (46.6 F)	0.3 C (0.5 F)	128 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Hillgrove Station, AU	daily rain	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	27.7 mm (1.1 in)	56 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Katherine Council, AU	daily rain	102.6 mm (4.0 in)	45.4 mm (1.8 in)	32 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Aiyansh, CA	daily rain	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	32.7 mm (1.3 in)	3 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Aiyansh, CA	daily snowfall	50.5 cm (19.9 in)	32.7 cm (12.9 in)	3 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Holyoke, US	daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	62 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Mossman Central Mill, AU	daily rain	114.6 mm (4.5 in)	58.0 mm (2.3 in)	40 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Dohne (Sar), ZA	daily rain	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	18.2 mm (0.7 in)	50 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Boras, SE	daily rain	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	10.2 mm (0.4 in)	38 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1956	Ft Gaines, US	daily rain	77.2 mm (3.0 in)	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	9 years	37 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

1793 to 1956

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1956. 1956 had 650 records.

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

Records on 12-16 in each year
Year	Records
1793	2
1798	2
1808	1
1810	1
1814	2
1815	2
1835	1
1839	1
1840	1
1846	3
1852	1
1853	1
1859	3
1864	1
1869	1
1870	1
1872	1
1876	1
1877	1
1878	2
1879	1
1885	2
1886	2
1888	2
1889	1
1890	4
1891	2
1892	3
1893	1
1894	1
1895	1
1896	7
1897	4
1898	1
1899	2
1900	2
1901	4
1902	17
1903	6
1904	8
1905	4
1906	5
1907	30
1908	11
1909	5
1910	38
1911	26
1912	31
1913	12
1914	26
1915	55
1916	31
1917	60
1918	33
1919	52
1920	61
1921	35
1922	62
1923	205
1924	347
1925	93
1926	130
1927	218
1928	338
1929	383
1930	398
1931	168
1932	880
1933	716
1934	163
1935	71
1936	429
1937	351
1938	142
1939	1,014
1940	633
1941	348
1942	550
1943	491
1944	189
1945	478
1946	357
1947	506
1948	775
1949	132
1950	272
1951	987
1952	349
1953	265
1954	305
1955	325
1956	650
1957	478
1958	497
1959	605
1960	393
1961	858
1962	859
1963	484
1964	639
1965	576
1966	417
1967	886
1968	557
1969	205
1970	726
1971	1,540
1972	1,020
1973	823
1974	546
1975	493
1976	526
1977	950
1978	532
1979	528
1980	1,322
1981	1,498
1982	1,208
1983	1,156
1984	1,944
1985	983
1986	485
1987	1,377
1988	605
1989	3,181
1990	753
1991	659
1992	1,408
1993	676
1994	698
1995	714
1996	797
1997	1,260
1998	698
1999	821
2000	1,160
2001	1,197
2002	990
2003	679
2004	510
2005	1,073
2006	1,020
2007	1,301
2008	2,049
2009	1,032
2010	1,585
2011	777
2012	912
2013	762
2014	465
2015	925
2016	1,588
2017	349
2018	624
2019	786
2020	415
2021	1,485
2022	836
2023	841
2024	755
2025	1,820

Download the Data

Data for records on 1956-12-16: 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 50	496
50 to 100	8
100 to 150	2
150 to 200	2
200 to 250	0
250 to 300	0
300 to 350	1