Weather Records on 20 October 1972

1,724 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 October 1972. Highest significance: Villa Ahumada, MX.

Key Facts for 20 October 1972

On 20 October 1972, 1,724 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
91 were record highs and 1,268 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 96 monthly and 1,628 daily.
Villa Ahumada set a daily record precipitation of 38.9 mm (1.5 in) on 20 October 1972.
Across 160 earlier years (1806 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 449 records.

Record Map

1,724 stations

1,724 station records on 20 October 1972 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 October 1972: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Villa Ahumada	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Douglas Smelter	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.1 mm (1.4 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Mercedes 6 SSE	United States	Record daily precipitation	90.9 mm (3.6 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Blue	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
San Carlos Rsvr	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.7 mm (1.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Pinos Altos	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Tucson Magnetic Obsy	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.3 mm (1.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Cloudcroft	United States	Record daily precipitation	51.1 mm (2.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Jornada Exp Range	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Bosque del Apache	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Ruidoso	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
San Carlos	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Silver Bell	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Bayard 4W	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Animas 3ESE	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Cape May 2 NW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Stanton	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Bear River Refuge	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Ajo Well	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.2 mm (1.2 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
McNary 2N	United States	Record daily precipitation	65.8 mm (2.6 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Red Rock 6 SSW	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Elephant Butte Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.1 mm (1.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Whiteriver 1 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.6 mm (1.4 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Hollister	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Brigham City	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.1 mm (1.6 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Port Stanley	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Port Aux Basques	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.4 cm (4.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Gila Bend 2SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Mormon Flat	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Park Valley	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.8 mm (1.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Red Range (Victoria St)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Wien	Austria	Record low minimum temperature	-3.2 C (26.2 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Weissenburg	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-7.1 C (19.2 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Ogdensburg 4 NE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.0 C (14.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Winona	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Berlin	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Plattsburgh AFB	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-8.3 C (17.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Curlewis (Pine Cliff)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Munchen-Nymphenburg	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-6.5 C (20.3 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Carrizozo 1SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.2 mm (1.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Mayhill Rs	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.6 mm (1.4 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Nurnberg	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-6.6 C (20.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Verma	Norway	Record snow depth	77.0 cm (30.3 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Luna Rs	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Hvar	Croatia	Record low minimum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Redington	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Balmorhea	United States	Record low maximum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Gatesville	United States	Record low maximum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Columbia 2SSE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Wx	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Glenville	United States	Record low maximum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Grindstone Island	Canada	Record daily snowfall	8.6 cm (3.4 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Malaga Aeropuerto	Spain	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Alpine	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
El Reno 1 N	United States	Record low maximum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Cheraw	United States	Record low maximum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Lampasas	United States	Record low maximum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Sulphur Springs	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Augsburg (Sankt Stephan)	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-4.6 C (23.7 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Rockville 1 NE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,724 records

Records set or tied on 20 October 1972 by type: Highest daily maximum 15, Lowest daily maximum 632, Highest daily minimum 76, Lowest daily minimum 636, Heaviest daily rainfall 330, Heaviest daily snowfall 19, Deepest snow cover 16.

Records on 20 October 1972 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	15
Lowest daily maximum	632
Highest daily minimum	76
Lowest daily minimum	636
Heaviest daily rainfall	330
Heaviest daily snowfall	19
Deepest snow cover	16

Records on 20 October 1972 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 96, daily 1,628.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,423 broken records

Margins by which the 1,423 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 220.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 October 1972

Top 20 records on 20 October 1972 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 October 1972	Villa Ahumada, MX	daily rain	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	69 years	67 of 100 (Major)
20 October 1972	Douglas Smelter, US	daily rain	35.1 mm (1.4 in)	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	54 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Mercedes 6 SSE, US	daily rain	90.9 mm (3.6 in)	68.0 mm (2.7 in)	46 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Blue, US	daily rain	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	40.9 mm (1.6 in)	54 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	San Carlos Rsvr, US	daily rain	46.7 mm (1.8 in)	35.3 mm (1.4 in)	23 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Pinos Altos, US	daily rain	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	54 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Tucson Magnetic Obsy, US	daily rain	33.3 mm (1.3 in)	30.3 mm (1.2 in)	23 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Cloudcroft, US	daily rain	51.1 mm (2.0 in)	30.3 mm (1.2 in)	41 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Jornada Exp Range, US	daily rain	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	25.6 mm (1.0 in)	41 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Bosque del Apache, US	daily rain	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	41 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Ruidoso, US	monthly rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	20.3 mm (0.8 in)	17 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	San Carlos, US	daily rain	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	15 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Silver Bell, US	daily rain	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	33.1 mm (1.3 in)	54 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Ft Bayard 4W, US	daily rain	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	54 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Animas 3ESE, US	daily rain	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	29.7 mm (1.2 in)	24 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Cape May 2 NW, US	monthly low max	5.6 C (42.1 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	92 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Ft Stanton, US	daily rain	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	16.2 mm (0.6 in)	58 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Bear River Refuge, US	daily rain	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	17 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	Ajo Well, US	daily rain	31.2 mm (1.2 in)	31.2 mm (1.2 in)	32 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
20 October 1972	McNary 2N, US	daily rain	65.8 mm (2.6 in)	52.3 mm (2.1 in)	9 years	47 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

1806 to 1972

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1806 to 1972. 1972 had 1,724 records.

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

Records on 10-20 in each year
Year	Records
1806	1
1835	1
1844	1
1846	1
1847	2
1851	1
1852	1
1858	1
1863	2
1864	2
1866	3
1867	1
1868	2
1872	2
1874	2
1875	3
1876	2
1877	1
1878	1
1880	3
1881	2
1884	1
1885	1
1886	1
1887	1
1888	6
1891	4
1892	4
1893	1
1894	3
1895	4
1896	9
1897	2
1898	7
1899	1
1900	8
1901	7
1902	5
1903	9
1904	13
1905	22
1906	28
1907	32
1908	26
1909	17
1910	31
1911	16
1912	6
1913	38
1914	16
1915	20
1916	72
1917	201
1918	34
1919	19
1920	81
1921	68
1922	83
1923	96
1924	182
1925	247
1926	147
1927	283
1928	92
1929	129
1930	672
1931	125
1932	331
1933	675
1934	422
1935	390
1936	370
1937	189
1938	231
1939	367
1940	757
1941	459
1942	152
1943	501
1944	288
1945	363
1946	310
1947	1,494
1948	320
1949	1,084
1950	619
1951	279
1952	520
1953	1,057
1954	262
1955	529
1956	283
1957	440
1958	461
1959	451
1960	671
1961	479
1962	733
1963	765
1964	598
1965	340
1966	857
1967	511
1968	244
1969	607
1970	710
1971	606
1972	1,724
1973	878
1974	1,122
1975	587
1976	1,304
1977	467
1978	508
1979	1,647
1980	350
1981	1,083
1982	1,191
1983	944
1984	1,562
1985	835
1986	823
1987	590
1988	737
1989	2,092
1990	609
1991	971
1992	1,174
1993	1,238
1994	650
1995	703
1996	1,417
1997	949
1998	683
1999	603
2000	737
2001	589
2002	985
2003	1,761
2004	1,861
2005	1,092
2006	1,170
2007	923
2008	477
2009	786
2010	539
2011	785
2012	945
2013	592
2014	851
2015	523
2016	947
2017	602
2018	394
2019	744
2020	1,010
2021	900
2022	834
2023	1,468
2024	707
2025	326

Download the Data

Data for records on 1972-10-20: 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	1,413
50 to 100	8
100 to 150	1
150 to 200	0
200 to 250	1