Weather Records on 21 March 1972

519 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 March 1972. Highest significance: Columbus, US.

Key Facts for 21 March 1972

On 21 March 1972, 519 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
222 were record highs and 49 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 2 were all-time records, 9 monthly and 508 daily.
Columbus set a monthly record daily precipitation of 154.9 mm (6.1 in) on 21 March 1972.
Across 157 earlier years (1797 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 482 records.

Record Map

519 stations

519 station records on 21 March 1972 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 March 1972: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Columbus	United States	Record daily precipitation	154.9 mm (6.1 in)	77 of 100 (Major)
Port Stanley	Canada	Record daily precipitation	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Goodnight Scrub Res 169	Australia	Record daily precipitation	163.1 mm (6.4 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Grand Lac Victoria	Canada	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Lake Arthur 7 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	132.1 mm (5.2 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Schulenburg	United States	Record daily precipitation	86.6 mm (3.4 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
White River	Canada	Record daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Cochrane	Canada	Record daily snowfall	33.5 cm (13.2 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Cochrane	Canada	Record daily precipitation	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Gore Bay	Canada	Record daily precipitation	33.3 mm (1.3 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Georgetown	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Castro Alves	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	129.0 mm (5.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Rapide-Sept	Canada	Record daily snowfall	23.6 cm (9.3 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Abbeville	United States	Record daily precipitation	95.3 mm (3.8 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Dunderlandsdalen	Norway	Record daily precipitation	29.1 mm (1.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Acude Rio Do Peixe	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	60.9 mm (2.4 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Dublin Phoenix Park	Ireland	Record low minimum temperature	-2.7 C (27.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Evanston 1 E	United States	Record high maximum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Senhor Do Bonfim	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	87.8 mm (3.5 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Hornepayne	Canada	Record daily snowfall	44.2 cm (17.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Grand Lac Victoria	Canada	Record daily snowfall	32.0 cm (12.6 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Wallaville- Mill Street	Australia	Record daily precipitation	55.4 mm (2.2 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
White River	Canada	Record daily precipitation	35.1 mm (1.4 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Palapye	Botswana	Record daily precipitation	71.5 mm (2.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Petawawa Nat Forestry	Canada	Record daily snowfall	18.5 cm (7.3 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Amos	Canada	Record daily snowfall	18.8 cm (7.4 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Palmaryville	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	64.0 mm (2.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Albion	United States	Record high minimum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Hallettsville 2 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Nord-Rana	Norway	Record daily precipitation	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Banderlierkop (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	57.5 mm (2.3 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Rockville	United States	Record high minimum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Snowville	United States	Record high minimum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
N Bend SW Oregon Rgnl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Sibasa	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	56.5 mm (2.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Walden	United States	Record high maximum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Kalpowar Forestry	Australia	Record daily precipitation	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Boonara	Australia	Record daily precipitation	42.2 mm (1.7 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Hornepayne	Canada	Record daily precipitation	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Effingham 3SW	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Etne	Norway	Record daily precipitation	41.3 mm (1.6 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Lydenburg	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	36.5 mm (1.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Hundseid I Vikedal	Norway	Record daily precipitation	52.7 mm (2.1 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Bronson	United States	Record daily precipitation	121.9 mm (4.8 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Hempstead	United States	Record daily precipitation	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Babbitt 2 SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Wateranga	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Hornindal	Norway	Record daily precipitation	42.8 mm (1.7 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Bezenchuk	Russia	Record high maximum temperature	7.4 C (45.3 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Ft Valley	United States	Record high maximum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Deseret	United States	Record high maximum temperature	25.6 C (78.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Fergana	Uzbekistan	Record low minimum temperature	-5.7 C (21.7 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Gin Gin Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Iroquois Falls	Canada	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Iroquois Falls	Canada	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Newlands	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Port Lavaca 2	United States	Record high maximum temperature	30.0 C (86.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Laketown	United States	Record high maximum temperature	17.2 C (63.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Many Peaks Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Mt Perry the Pines	Australia	Record daily precipitation	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

519 records

Records set or tied on 21 March 1972 by type: Highest daily maximum 137, Lowest daily maximum 25, Highest daily minimum 85, Lowest daily minimum 24, Heaviest daily rainfall 227, Heaviest daily snowfall 19, Deepest snow cover 2.

Records on 21 March 1972 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	137
Lowest daily maximum	25
Highest daily minimum	85
Lowest daily minimum	24
Heaviest daily rainfall	227
Heaviest daily snowfall	19
Deepest snow cover	2

Records on 21 March 1972 by timescale: all-time 2, monthly 9, daily 508.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

426 broken records

Margins by which the 426 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 183.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 March 1972

Top 20 records on 21 March 1972 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 March 1972	Columbus, US	monthly rain	154.9 mm (6.1 in)	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	67 years	77 of 100 (Major)
21 March 1972	Port Stanley, CA	daily rain	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	12.4 mm (0.5 in)	85 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Goodnight Scrub Res 169, AU	daily rain	163.1 mm (6.4 in)	141.3 mm (5.6 in)	34 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Grand Lac Victoria, CA	daily rain	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	30 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Lake Arthur 7 SW, US	daily rain	132.1 mm (5.2 in)	102.4 mm (4.0 in)	15 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Schulenburg, US	daily rain	86.6 mm (3.4 in)	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	43 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	White River, CA	daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	14.5 cm (5.7 in)	23 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Cochrane, CA	daily snowfall	33.5 cm (13.2 in)	18.3 cm (7.2 in)	23 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Cochrane, CA	daily rain	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	18.3 mm (0.7 in)	23 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Gore Bay, CA	daily rain	33.3 mm (1.3 in)	18.1 mm (0.7 in)	33 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Georgetown, US	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	20.8 mm (0.8 in)	67 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Castro Alves, BR	all-time rain	129.0 mm (5.1 in)	8.0 mm (0.31 in)	37 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Rapide-Sept, CA	daily snowfall	23.6 cm (9.3 in)	15.0 cm (5.9 in)	30 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Abbeville, US	daily rain	95.3 mm (3.8 in)	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	49 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Dunderlandsdalen, NO	daily rain	29.1 mm (1.1 in)	11.6 mm (0.5 in)	69 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Acude Rio Do Peixe, BR	daily rain	60.9 mm (2.4 in)	40.9 mm (1.6 in)	32 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Dublin Phoenix Park, IE	daily low min	-2.7 C (27.1 F)	2.3 C (4.1 F)	72 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Evanston 1 E, US	monthly high max	20.0 C (68.0 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	62 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Senhor Do Bonfim, BR	daily rain	87.8 mm (3.5 in)	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	21 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1972	Hornepayne, CA	all-time snowfall	44.2 cm (17.4 in)	6.6 cm (2.6 in)	5 years	38 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

1797 to 1972

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1797 to 1972. 1972 had 519 records.

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

Records on 03-21 in each year
Year	Records
1797	2
1805	1
1806	1
1822	1
1830	1
1836	1
1837	1
1845	1
1846	1
1850	1
1852	2
1857	1
1865	7
1874	1
1877	1
1880	1
1881	1
1883	2
1884	1
1885	5
1886	2
1888	1
1890	3
1892	1
1893	1
1894	1
1895	1
1896	2
1897	2
1898	3
1899	4
1900	4
1901	9
1902	18
1903	23
1904	17
1905	6
1906	3
1907	14
1908	3
1909	11
1910	10
1911	10
1912	36
1913	97
1914	71
1915	27
1916	44
1917	43
1918	43
1919	29
1920	90
1921	96
1922	50
1923	72
1924	96
1925	141
1926	282
1927	179
1928	293
1929	104
1930	99
1931	638
1932	305
1933	235
1934	114
1935	675
1936	225
1937	172
1938	783
1939	280
1940	366
1941	311
1942	330
1943	217
1944	556
1945	294
1946	570
1947	192
1948	948
1949	330
1950	398
1951	779
1952	689
1953	342
1954	211
1955	1,124
1956	686
1957	373
1958	619
1959	230
1960	892
1961	268
1962	548
1963	298
1964	333
1965	1,961
1966	464
1967	487
1968	798
1969	219
1970	612
1971	358
1972	519
1973	385
1974	1,097
1975	751
1976	710
1977	376
1978	838
1979	656
1980	775
1981	676
1982	850
1983	1,673
1984	835
1985	503
1986	1,170
1987	948
1988	1,155
1989	1,396
1990	1,380
1991	1,446
1992	877
1993	687
1994	684
1995	1,141
1996	1,119
1997	1,670
1998	935
1999	1,044
2000	802
2001	1,342
2002	1,593
2003	1,073
2004	1,511
2005	649
2006	1,417
2007	1,220
2008	734
2009	558
2010	1,134
2011	1,451
2012	2,854
2013	727
2014	639
2015	568
2016	553
2017	1,117
2018	809
2019	649
2020	445
2021	489
2022	615
2023	815
2024	432
2025	845
2026	2,614

Download the Data

Data for records on 1972-03-21: 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 2026-10-14 (14 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2026-10-12. Last revised 12 October 2026 (2026-10-12).

Margin	Records
0 to 25	391
25 to 50	17
50 to 75	7
75 to 100	4
100 to 125	2
125 to 150	2
150 to 175	2
175 to 200	1