Weather Records on 3 December 1959

372 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 3 December 1959. Highest significance: Quanbun Downs, AU.

Key Facts for 3 December 1959

On 3 December 1959, 372 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
141 were record highs and 28 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 13 monthly and 359 daily.
Quanbun Downs set a daily record precipitation of 120.7 mm (4.8 in) on 3 December 1959.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 467 records.

Record Map

372 stations

372 station records on 3 December 1959 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 3 December 1959: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Quanbun Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	120.7 mm (4.8 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Skegness	United Kingdom	Record daily precipitation	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Gogo Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	95.3 mm (3.8 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Beito	Norway	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Goedemoed (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Hedal I Valdres	Norway	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Gjerstad I Aust-Agder	Norway	Record daily precipitation	69.9 mm (2.8 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Willowmore	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Sterling	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Mazelspoort Dam	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	46.6 mm (1.8 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Danielskuil	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Oranjerivier (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Springfontein (Mun)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	48.6 mm (1.9 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Rouxville (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	38.5 mm (1.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Zastron (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	44.0 mm (1.7 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Sweetwater	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Khosis	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	71.5 mm (2.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Leeuwfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Grootdam	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Blikana	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Hamelfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Kuilput	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	42.5 mm (1.7 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Kommissiepoort	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Swartkoppies	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Waterland	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Lugano	Switzerland	Record daily precipitation	41.0 mm (1.6 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Leliekloof	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Compton	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Luckhoff (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	64.5 mm (2.5 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Hopkins	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	37.5 mm (1.5 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Newlands	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Russellville	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-5.6 C (21.9 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Eidsvoll Verk	Norway	Record daily precipitation	32.3 mm (1.3 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Thomas River (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Ellesmere	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	36.5 mm (1.4 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Petrusville (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	41.3 mm (1.6 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Fairymead Sugar Mill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Langmorn	Australia	Record daily precipitation	33.3 mm (1.3 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Krielsfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	42.3 mm (1.7 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Coober Pedy (McDouall Peak)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Tovdal	Norway	Record daily precipitation	41.0 mm (1.6 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Hughenden	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Kareepoort	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Philippolis (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Mequatlingsnek	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	38.5 mm (1.5 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Maytown	Australia	Record daily precipitation	51.1 mm (2.0 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Collaroy Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.3 mm (1.3 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Rosedale Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	56.6 mm (2.2 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Whitemark	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Ventnor	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Trompsburg (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	41.0 mm (1.6 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Ebor (Kotupna)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.3 mm (1.4 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Glen Roy	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Sheenspost	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Tucson WFO	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Hastings 4N	United States	Record high maximum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Esperance Post Office	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	17.8 C (64.0 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Blackbutt Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	55.1 mm (2.2 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Megan (the Mount)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
St Tite	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

372 records

Records set or tied on 3 December 1959 by type: Highest daily maximum 119, Lowest daily maximum 15, Highest daily minimum 22, Lowest daily minimum 13, Heaviest daily rainfall 198, Heaviest daily snowfall 5.

Records on 3 December 1959 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	119
Lowest daily maximum	15
Highest daily minimum	22
Lowest daily minimum	13
Heaviest daily rainfall	198
Heaviest daily snowfall	5
Deepest snow cover	0

Records on 3 December 1959 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 13, daily 359.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

308 broken records

Margins by which the 308 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 108.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

3 December 1959

Top 20 records on 3 December 1959 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
3 December 1959	Quanbun Downs, AU	daily rain	120.7 mm (4.8 in)	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	30 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Skegness, GB	daily rain	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	19.1 mm (0.8 in)	28 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Gogo Station, AU	daily rain	95.3 mm (3.8 in)	77.0 mm (3.0 in)	25 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Beito, NO	daily rain	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	10.7 mm (0.4 in)	45 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Goedemoed (Pol), ZA	daily rain	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	12 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Hedal I Valdres, NO	daily rain	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	9.2 mm (0.36 in)	49 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Gjerstad I Aust-Agder, NO	monthly rain	69.9 mm (2.8 in)	6.9 mm (0.27 in)	55 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Willowmore, ZA	daily rain	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	25.2 mm (1.0 in)	22 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Sterling, ZA	monthly rain	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	0.1 mm (0.00 in)	69 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Mazelspoort Dam, ZA	daily rain	46.6 mm (1.8 in)	20.4 mm (0.8 in)	34 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Danielskuil, ZA	daily rain	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	21.5 mm (0.8 in)	44 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Oranjerivier (Sar), ZA	daily rain	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	18.5 mm (0.7 in)	44 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Springfontein (Mun), ZA	daily rain	48.6 mm (1.9 in)	28.3 mm (1.1 in)	34 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Rouxville (Pol), ZA	daily rain	38.5 mm (1.5 in)	23.5 mm (0.9 in)	16 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Zastron (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	44.0 mm (1.7 in)	17.6 mm (0.7 in)	44 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Sweetwater, ZA	daily rain	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	32.6 mm (1.3 in)	12 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Khosis, ZA	monthly rain	71.5 mm (2.8 in)	13.1 mm (0.5 in)	30 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1959	Leeuwfontein, ZA	daily rain	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	16 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
3 December 1959	Grootdam, ZA	daily rain	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	21.6 mm (0.9 in)	37 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
3 December 1959	Blikana, ZA	daily rain	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	16.0 mm (0.6 in)	44 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

1793 to 1959

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1959. 1959 had 372 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 1959-12-03: 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 20	284
20 to 40	21
40 to 60	1
60 to 80	1
80 to 100	0
100 to 120	1