Weather Records on 3 December 1972

890 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 3 December 1972. Highest significance: Buckley 1 NE, US.

Key Facts for 3 December 1972

On 3 December 1972, 890 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
62 were record highs and 562 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 11 monthly and 878 daily.
Buckley 1 NE set a daily record snowfall of 14.0 cm (5.5 in) on 3 December 1972.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 464 records.

Record Map

890 stations

890 station records on 3 December 1972 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 3 December 1972: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Buckley 1 NE	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Mystic Lake	United States	Record daily snowfall	31.8 cm (12.5 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Mystic Lake	United States	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Redmond 2 W	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Red Lodge	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Prospect 2 SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Bridger 2 N	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Bowman	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Medford Intl AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	9.4 cm (3.7 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Caldwell	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Darby	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Dayville	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Charlevoix	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Lima	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Cody	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Yellowstone Park Mammoth	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Yellowstone Park Mammoth	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Grangeville	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-3.9 C (25.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Harper	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Moscow U of I	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Swan Falls Ph	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Marquette	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
White Sulphur Springs	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-20.0 C (-4.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Riverside 7 SSW	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
McMillin Rsvr	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Buffalo Bill Dam	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Powell	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Zwartrandjes	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	41.5 mm (1.6 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Summit	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-21.1 C (-6.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Medicine Hat A	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-32.8 C (-27.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Beaver Is	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Norris Madison Pwr House	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-13.9 C (7.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Marquette	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-16.7 C (1.9 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Fairmont	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-16.1 C (3.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Fergus Falls	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-18.3 C (-0.9 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Willmar Wwtp	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-15.6 C (3.9 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Billings Wtp	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-15.6 C (3.9 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Butte Bert Mooney AP	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-18.3 C (-0.9 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Forsyth 2 E	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-25.0 C (-13.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Jordan	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-18.9 C (-2.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Livingston	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-18.9 C (-2.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Redmond 2 W	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Deaver	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Miami Beach	United States	Record daily precipitation	82.6 mm (3.3 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Haileybury	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-17.8 C (0.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Emmett 2 E	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Spencer 1 N	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-14.4 C (6.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Browning	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Scottsbluff W B Heilig Fld AP	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Arrozeira	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	73.2 mm (2.9 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
James Island	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Karesuando	Sweden	Record snow depth	69.0 cm (27.2 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Long Prairie	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-15.6 C (3.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Big Timber	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-17.8 C (0.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Martinsdale 3 NNW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-18.9 C (-2.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Red Lodge	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-18.3 C (-0.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Seeley Lake Rs	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-15.0 C (5.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Sidney	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-31.1 C (-24.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Hot Springs	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-11.7 C (10.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Yellowstone Park Mammoth	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-22.2 C (-8.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

890 records

Records set or tied on 3 December 1972 by type: Highest daily maximum 30, Lowest daily maximum 395, Highest daily minimum 32, Lowest daily minimum 167, Heaviest daily rainfall 144, Heaviest daily snowfall 83, Deepest snow cover 39.

Records on 3 December 1972 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	30
Lowest daily maximum	395
Highest daily minimum	32
Lowest daily minimum	167
Heaviest daily rainfall	144
Heaviest daily snowfall	83
Deepest snow cover	39

Records on 3 December 1972 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 11, daily 878.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

741 broken records

Margins by which the 741 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 432.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

3 December 1972

Top 20 records on 3 December 1972 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
3 December 1972	Buckley 1 NE, US	daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	56 years	62 of 100 (Major)
3 December 1972	Mystic Lake, US	daily snowfall	31.8 cm (12.5 in)	24.2 cm (9.5 in)	48 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Mystic Lake, US	daily rain	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	34 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Redmond 2 W, US	daily snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	58 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Red Lodge, US	daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	48 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Prospect 2 SW, US	daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	24 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Bridger 2 N, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	62 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Bowman, US	daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	5.9 cm (2.3 in)	38 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Medford Intl AP, US	daily snowfall	9.4 cm (3.7 in)	9.1 cm (3.6 in)	1 year	44 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Caldwell, US	daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	53 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Darby, US	daily low max	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	7.2 C (13.0 F)	73 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Dayville, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	3.8 cm (1.5 in)	76 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Charlevoix, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	5.0 cm (2.0 in)	67 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Lima, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	41 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Cody, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	34 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Yellowstone Park Mammoth, US	daily low max	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	5.6 C (10.1 F)	73 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Yellowstone Park Mammoth, US	daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	24 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Grangeville, US	daily low max	-3.9 C (25.0 F)	3.9 C (7.0 F)	77 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Harper, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	7.7 cm (3.0 in)	39 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1972	Moscow U of I, US	daily snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	2 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

1793 to 1972

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1972. 1972 had 890 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 1972-12-03: 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 100	726
100 to 200	11
200 to 300	3
300 to 400	0
400 to 500	1