Weather Records on 20 January 1966

634 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 January 1966. Highest significance: Gordon Downs, AU.

Key Facts for 20 January 1966

On 20 January 1966, 634 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
88 were record highs and 116 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 2 were all-time records, 15 monthly and 617 daily.
Gordon Downs set an all-time record daily precipitation of 222.5 mm (8.8 in) on 20 January 1966.
Across 157 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 511 records.

Record Map

634 stations

634 station records on 20 January 1966 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 January 1966: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Gordon Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	222.5 mm (8.8 in)	75 of 100 (Major)
Sturt Creek	Australia	Record daily precipitation	156.2 mm (6.1 in)	70 of 100 (Major)
Reddersburg (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	71.0 mm (2.8 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Ord River	Australia	Record daily precipitation	128.3 mm (5.1 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Tweespruit	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	114.5 mm (4.5 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Tishomingo Natl Wr	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
The Cliff	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	73.2 mm (2.9 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Glen Agr. College,Bfn.	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	72.0 mm (2.8 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Mazelspoort Dam	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	79.0 mm (3.1 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Pauls Valley 4 WSW	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Nicholson	Australia	Record daily precipitation	127.5 mm (5.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Ingwavuma (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	98.0 mm (3.9 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Wimbledon	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	41.5 mm (1.6 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Verkeerdevlei (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Flora Valley Old	Australia	Record daily precipitation	144.0 mm (5.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Middelkop	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Roby	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Wray	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Loxton (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	74.0 mm (2.9 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Goedemoed (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Sheenspost	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	101.5 mm (4.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Tsumeb - Pol	Namibia	Record daily precipitation	56.0 mm (2.2 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Waurika	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Idomia	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	72.0 mm (2.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Hobhouse 23	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	73.3 mm (2.9 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Sulphur Platt Nat'l Pk	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Paris	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Telkwa	Canada	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Madrid	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Supply 1 E	United States	Record daily snowfall	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Wonderboom	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	56.1 mm (2.2 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
North End	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	93.0 mm (3.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Port Isabel	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Moola Bulla	Australia	Record daily precipitation	90.7 mm (3.6 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Lubeck-Werft	Germany	Record snow depth	27.0 cm (10.6 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Wargundy	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	99.0 mm (3.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
McKinney Muni AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Bizana (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	44.0 mm (1.7 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Campbell (Mun)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Norman 3SSE	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Shawnee	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Amatikulu	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	57.0 mm (2.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Gove 4W	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.2 cm (5.6 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Benkelman 1N	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.7 cm (4.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
De Hoop	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.5 mm (1.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Syfergat (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Tennant Creek Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Galeana (Smn)	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	32.8 mm (1.3 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Maclear (Mag)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Geluk (Irr)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Durant	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Holdenville 2SSE	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Quilimane	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	47.5 mm (1.9 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Prescott 2 NNW	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Atoka	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Hugo	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Waurika	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Grand Junction Walker Fld	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.9 cm (3.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Ladybrand (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Richfield	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

634 records

Records set or tied on 20 January 1966 by type: Highest daily maximum 18, Lowest daily maximum 73, Highest daily minimum 70, Lowest daily minimum 43, Heaviest daily rainfall 243, Heaviest daily snowfall 137, Deepest snow cover 50.

Records on 20 January 1966 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	18
Lowest daily maximum	73
Highest daily minimum	70
Lowest daily minimum	43
Heaviest daily rainfall	243
Heaviest daily snowfall	137
Deepest snow cover	50

Records on 20 January 1966 by timescale: all-time 2, monthly 15, daily 617.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

528 broken records

Margins by which the 528 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 270.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 January 1966

Top 20 records on 20 January 1966 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 January 1966	Gordon Downs, AU	all-time rain	222.5 mm (8.8 in)	82.3 mm (3.2 in)	39 years	75 of 100 (Major)
20 January 1966	Sturt Creek, AU	monthly rain	156.2 mm (6.1 in)	62.5 mm (2.5 in)	49 years	70 of 100 (Major)
20 January 1966	Reddersburg (Pol), ZA	daily rain	71.0 mm (2.8 in)	57.8 mm (2.3 in)	48 years	60 of 100 (Major)
20 January 1966	Ord River, AU	daily rain	128.3 mm (5.1 in)	90.5 mm (3.6 in)	40 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Tweespruit, ZA	monthly rain	114.5 mm (4.5 in)	40.8 mm (1.6 in)	20 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Tishomingo Natl Wr, US	daily snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	63 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	The Cliff, ZA	daily rain	73.2 mm (2.9 in)	46.3 mm (1.8 in)	35 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Glen Agr. College,Bfn., ZA	daily rain	72.0 mm (2.8 in)	53.2 mm (2.1 in)	40 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Mazelspoort Dam, ZA	daily rain	79.0 mm (3.1 in)	59.9 mm (2.4 in)	27 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Pauls Valley 4 WSW, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	72 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Nicholson, AU	daily rain	127.5 mm (5.0 in)	99.6 mm (3.9 in)	26 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Ingwavuma (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	98.0 mm (3.9 in)	65.5 mm (2.6 in)	35 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Wimbledon, ZA	daily rain	41.5 mm (1.6 in)	34.9 mm (1.4 in)	40 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Verkeerdevlei (Pol), ZA	daily rain	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	36 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Flora Valley Old, AU	daily rain	144.0 mm (5.7 in)	58.9 mm (2.3 in)	40 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Middelkop, ZA	daily rain	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	28 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Roby, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	72 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Wray, US	daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	51 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Loxton (Pol), ZA	monthly rain	74.0 mm (2.9 in)	24.5 mm (1.0 in)	16 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1966	Goedemoed (Pol), ZA	daily rain	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	39.1 mm (1.5 in)	36 years	46 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

1795 to 1966

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1795 to 1966. 1966 had 634 records.

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

Records on 01-20 in each year
Year	Records
1795	2
1796	1
1798	1
1804	2
1820	1
1844	1
1850	1
1858	2
1861	1
1862	1
1863	1
1866	2
1867	1
1872	1
1874	4
1875	4
1878	1
1879	1
1880	5
1881	4
1885	1
1890	2
1891	1
1892	3
1893	3
1894	1
1895	2
1896	1
1897	3
1898	6
1899	12
1900	15
1901	11
1902	5
1903	4
1904	14
1905	2
1906	25
1907	26
1908	9
1909	30
1910	11
1911	3
1912	7
1913	44
1914	57
1915	153
1916	34
1917	123
1918	71
1919	28
1920	103
1921	45
1922	86
1923	41
1924	298
1925	181
1926	110
1927	381
1928	383
1929	203
1930	540
1931	90
1932	139
1933	441
1934	118
1935	904
1936	602
1937	1,041
1938	219
1939	238
1940	1,147
1941	214
1942	979
1943	1,002
1944	568
1945	302
1946	487
1947	534
1948	422
1949	429
1950	653
1951	958
1952	386
1953	476
1954	791
1955	278
1956	906
1957	349
1958	494
1959	603
1960	329
1961	641
1962	1,162
1963	921
1964	567
1965	283
1966	634
1967	556
1968	1,096
1969	859
1970	1,301
1971	936
1972	823
1973	450
1974	978
1975	688
1976	848
1977	997
1978	1,669
1979	1,158
1980	423
1981	823
1982	958
1983	847
1984	1,957
1985	2,188
1986	1,327
1987	1,063
1988	1,637
1989	955
1990	1,257
1991	562
1992	493
1993	1,327
1994	2,035
1995	1,136
1996	851
1997	658
1998	576
1999	1,368
2000	1,132
2001	667
2002	666
2003	732
2004	451
2005	1,335
2006	1,395
2007	2,143
2008	1,366
2009	738
2010	986
2011	731
2012	848
2013	432
2014	480
2015	413
2016	726
2017	1,370
2018	634
2019	722
2020	498
2021	375
2022	346
2023	778
2024	841
2025	1,599
2026	193

Download the Data

Data for records on 1966-01-20: 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 50	459
50 to 100	57
100 to 150	11
150 to 200	0
200 to 250	0
250 to 300	1