Weather Records on 20 December 1961

369 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 December 1961. Highest significance: Gardiner, US.

Key Facts for 20 December 1961

On 20 December 1961, 369 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
64 were record highs and 78 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 6 monthly and 363 daily.
Gardiner set a daily record snowfall of 25.4 cm (10.0 in) on 20 December 1961.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 468 records.

Record Map

369 stations

369 station records on 20 December 1961 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 December 1961: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Gardiner	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Northfield	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Miles Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	81.0 mm (3.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Bethlehem	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Grafton	United States	Record daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Mercedes	Uruguay	Record daily precipitation	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Murphys Creek Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	81.3 mm (3.2 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Alstonville Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	83.6 mm (3.3 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Franklin	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Franklin	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Eastport	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Alpha Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Talegaon D-Dhera	India	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Wilbur	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Alford	Australia	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Phillipsburg 1 SSE	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Boonah Stark Ave	Australia	Record daily precipitation	63.8 mm (2.5 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Cambridge Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Innis Plain	Australia	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Coraki Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	53.8 mm (2.1 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Cawker City	United States	Record snow depth	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Tabulam Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	74.2 mm (2.9 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Mullumbimby (Fairview Farm)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	68.1 mm (2.7 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Bar Harbor 3 NW	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Saint Johnsbury	United States	Record daily snowfall	16.0 cm (6.3 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Donnybrook	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Homestead	Australia	Record daily precipitation	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Lismore (Centre Street)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	55.1 mm (2.2 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Cornwall	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Woodstock	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Superior	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
High Prairie	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Santa Maria Asuncion Tlaxiaco	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Pawnee City	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Murarrie Road Csiro	Australia	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Gowrie Junction	Australia	Record daily precipitation	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Barkerville	Canada	Record daily snowfall	23.1 cm (9.1 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Valemount	Canada	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Susanville 2SW	United States	Record high minimum temperature	4.4 C (39.9 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Sheldon	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-29.4 C (-20.9 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Fall Rvr Lake	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-4.4 C (24.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Katanning Comparison	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	18.3 C (64.9 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Mooloolah Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	70.9 mm (2.8 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Kayenta	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Pocahontas	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Cape Leeuwin	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Rathdowney Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	116.8 mm (4.6 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Kentville Cda	Canada	Record daily snowfall	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Sheldon	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Cavendish	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Tacambaro	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	17.8 C (64.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Le Mars	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-31.7 C (-25.1 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Storm Lake	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-27.8 C (-18.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
McPherson	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Bethany	United States	Record snow depth	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Forest Grove	United States	Record high maximum temperature	14.4 C (57.9 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Somerset	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Maranguape	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	30.4 mm (1.2 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Parrsboro	Canada	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Chinle	United States	Record snow depth	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

369 records

Records set or tied on 20 December 1961 by type: Highest daily maximum 28, Lowest daily maximum 23, Highest daily minimum 36, Lowest daily minimum 55, Heaviest daily rainfall 124, Heaviest daily snowfall 62, Deepest snow cover 41.

Records on 20 December 1961 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	28
Lowest daily maximum	23
Highest daily minimum	36
Lowest daily minimum	55
Heaviest daily rainfall	124
Heaviest daily snowfall	62
Deepest snow cover	41

Records on 20 December 1961 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 6, daily 363.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

293 broken records

Margins by which the 293 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 190.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 December 1961

Top 20 records on 20 December 1961 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 December 1961	Gardiner, US	daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	62 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Northfield, US	daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	19.0 cm (7.5 in)	55 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Miles Post Office, AU	daily rain	81.0 mm (3.2 in)	56.9 mm (2.2 in)	24 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Bethlehem, US	daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	62 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Grafton, US	daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	16.6 cm (6.5 in)	62 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Mercedes, UY	daily rain	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	30 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Murphys Creek Post Office, AU	daily rain	81.3 mm (3.2 in)	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	38 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Alstonville Post Office, AU	daily rain	83.6 mm (3.3 in)	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	54 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Franklin, US	daily snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	50 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Franklin, US	daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	15.3 cm (6.0 in)	31 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Eastport, US	daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	14.3 cm (5.6 in)	20 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Alpha Post Office, AU	daily rain	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	35 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Talegaon D-Dhera, IN	monthly rain	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	16.7 mm (0.7 in)	18 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Wilbur, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	54 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Mt Alford, AU	daily rain	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	38 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Phillipsburg 1 SSE, US	daily snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	7.7 cm (3.0 in)	54 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1961	Boonah Stark Ave, AU	daily rain	63.8 mm (2.5 in)	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	38 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
20 December 1961	Cambridge Downs Station, AU	daily rain	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	6.3 mm (0.25 in)	73 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
20 December 1961	Innis Plain, AU	daily rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	26 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
20 December 1961	Coraki Post Office, AU	daily rain	53.8 mm (2.1 in)	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	38 years	32 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 1961

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1961. 1961 had 369 records.

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

Records on 12-20 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1795	1
1804	1
1805	2
1808	1
1815	1
1828	1
1837	1
1846	1
1855	8
1858	1
1860	1
1866	1
1867	1
1868	1
1869	1
1871	2
1874	3
1875	1
1877	2
1878	1
1879	1
1880	1
1881	1
1882	1
1884	4
1885	1
1886	4
1889	4
1890	2
1891	2
1892	1
1894	2
1895	8
1896	1
1897	4
1898	2
1899	1
1900	7
1901	8
1902	14
1903	17
1904	9
1905	5
1906	5
1907	11
1908	5
1909	22
1910	17
1911	24
1912	27
1913	7
1914	43
1915	18
1916	45
1917	33
1918	18
1919	25
1920	22
1921	101
1922	88
1923	215
1924	332
1925	96
1926	163
1927	200
1928	93
1929	256
1930	67
1931	536
1932	170
1933	492
1934	265
1935	152
1936	416
1937	181
1938	240
1939	308
1940	965
1941	633
1942	817
1943	193
1944	340
1945	430
1946	327
1947	385
1948	345
1949	1,141
1950	758
1951	926
1952	394
1953	385
1954	416
1955	726
1956	471
1957	1,354
1958	382
1959	142
1960	354
1961	369
1962	475
1963	875
1964	499
1965	353
1966	555
1967	1,370
1968	482
1969	514
1970	518
1971	441
1972	448
1973	1,184
1974	328
1975	610
1976	382
1977	484
1978	910
1979	600
1980	667
1981	1,681
1982	712
1983	2,995
1984	1,411
1985	1,035
1986	321
1987	1,179
1988	760
1989	1,812
1990	1,885
1991	1,172
1992	1,134
1993	1,266
1994	813
1995	1,128
1996	1,448
1997	651
1998	1,110
1999	938
2000	1,150
2001	523
2002	943
2003	1,315
2004	836
2005	515
2006	1,387
2007	986
2008	1,356
2009	1,502
2010	2,055
2011	846
2012	1,131
2013	584
2014	524
2015	1,238
2016	603
2017	688
2018	592
2019	731
2020	554
2021	442
2022	567
2023	1,242
2024	897
2025	1,166

Download the Data

Data for records on 1961-12-20: 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	217
25 to 50	30
50 to 75	17
75 to 100	12
100 to 125	7
125 to 150	4
150 to 175	4
175 to 200	2