Weather Records on 17 December 1972

601 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 December 1972. Highest significance: Tionesta 2 SE Lake, US.

Key Facts for 17 December 1972

On 17 December 1972, 601 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
88 were record highs and 262 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 1 monthly and 600 daily.
Tionesta 2 SE Lake set a daily record snowfall of 22.9 cm (9.0 in) on 17 December 1972.
Across 160 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 462 records.

Record Map

601 stations

601 station records on 17 December 1972 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 December 1972: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Tionesta 2 SE Lake	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Baker Kbkr	United States	Record daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Cajazeiras	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	53.2 mm (2.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Meadville 1 S	United States	Record daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Milford	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Baldonnel	Canada	Record daily snowfall	15.7 cm (6.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Warren	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.5 cm (6.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Winnemucca AP	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Harbor Beach 1 SSE	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Oak City	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Halfway	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Council	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Council	United States	Record daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Vale	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Umea	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	6.8 C (44.2 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Arcadia	United States	Record low maximum temperature	12.2 C (54.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Hale Loud Dam	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Dudleys	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.8 mm (2.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Waynesboro 2 W	United States	Record low maximum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Moro	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Deseret	United States	Record snow depth	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Alpena Co Rgnl AP	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Kokomo 3 WSW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Houlton	United States	Record snow depth	88.9 cm (35.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Dayton Mcd	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Villahermosa (Smn)	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	59.9 mm (2.4 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Greenville Wtp	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-11.1 C (12.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Uniontown 1 NE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Tarnaby	Sweden	Record high minimum temperature	1.5 C (34.7 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Healdsburg	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Delaware	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-10.0 C (14.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Chemult	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Halfway	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Georgetown	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Bedford	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-2.2 C (28.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Mannington 1 N	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Parsons 3 SE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Oestersund-Froesoen	Sweden	Record high minimum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Santa Rosa	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.7 mm (1.6 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Ocala	United States	Record low maximum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Hood Rvr Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Burnet	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Portage Wwtp	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-26.1 C (-15.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Boise Air Terminal	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Galva	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-13.3 C (8.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Jennings	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Mio Hydro Plt	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Highlands	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-14.4 C (6.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Huntington	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Anderson	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Hot Springs	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Buckhannon	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-8.3 C (17.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Viroqua	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-28.3 C (-18.9 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Live Oak	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Charlevoix	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Frankfort 2NE	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Urbana Wrf	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Webbers Falls 5 WSW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Burkes Garden	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Gladwin	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

601 records

Records set or tied on 17 December 1972 by type: Highest daily maximum 35, Lowest daily maximum 136, Highest daily minimum 53, Lowest daily minimum 126, Heaviest daily rainfall 157, Heaviest daily snowfall 33, Deepest snow cover 61.

Records on 17 December 1972 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	35
Lowest daily maximum	136
Highest daily minimum	53
Lowest daily minimum	126
Heaviest daily rainfall	157
Heaviest daily snowfall	33
Deepest snow cover	61

Records on 17 December 1972 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 1, daily 600.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

472 broken records

Margins by which the 472 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 356.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 December 1972

Top 20 records on 17 December 1972 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 December 1972	Tionesta 2 SE Lake, US	daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	50 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Baker Kbkr, US	daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	10.7 cm (4.2 in)	41 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Cajazeiras, BR	daily rain	53.2 mm (2.1 in)	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	38 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Meadville 1 S, US	daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	16.7 cm (6.6 in)	19 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Milford, US	daily snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	23 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Baldonnel, CA	daily snowfall	15.7 cm (6.2 in)	10.9 cm (4.3 in)	22 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Warren, US	daily snowfall	15.5 cm (6.1 in)	6.6 cm (2.6 in)	64 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Winnemucca AP, US	daily snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	5.0 cm (2.0 in)	77 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Harbor Beach 1 SSE, US	daily snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	35 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Oak City, US	daily snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	2 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Halfway, US	daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	11 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Council, US	daily rain	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	12.7 mm (0.5 in)	55 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Council, US	daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	57 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Vale, US	daily snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	63 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Umea, SE	daily high max	6.8 C (44.2 F)	1.8 C (3.2 F)	78 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Arcadia, US	daily low max	12.2 C (54.0 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	71 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Hale Loud Dam, US	daily snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	55 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1972	Dudleys, US	daily rain	49.8 mm (2.0 in)	23.4 mm (0.9 in)	58 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
17 December 1972	Waynesboro 2 W, US	daily low max	6.1 C (43.0 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	71 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
17 December 1972	Moro, US	daily snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	46 years	34 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 1972

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1972. 1972 had 601 records.

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

Records on 12-17 in each year
Year	Records
1793	2
1796	1
1806	2
1808	2
1814	1
1815	1
1839	1
1845	1
1846	4
1847	1
1848	1
1859	3
1866	1
1867	1
1868	1
1869	2
1873	2
1876	3
1877	2
1878	1
1879	2
1881	2
1885	1
1886	1
1888	2
1889	2
1890	4
1892	4
1893	2
1894	4
1895	3
1896	4
1897	4
1898	2
1899	1
1900	6
1901	5
1902	47
1903	2
1904	14
1905	2
1906	17
1907	9
1908	13
1909	5
1910	37
1911	12
1912	15
1913	21
1914	17
1915	31
1916	21
1917	21
1918	21
1919	109
1920	97
1921	94
1922	120
1923	170
1924	505
1925	79
1926	172
1927	143
1928	359
1929	221
1930	362
1931	217
1932	684
1933	710
1934	200
1935	87
1936	504
1937	379
1938	118
1939	1,126
1940	248
1941	261
1942	507
1943	444
1944	189
1945	621
1946	207
1947	258
1948	316
1949	296
1950	294
1951	773
1952	277
1953	283
1954	409
1955	419
1956	448
1957	686
1958	540
1959	548
1960	492
1961	911
1962	676
1963	531
1964	1,239
1965	482
1966	516
1967	1,121
1968	338
1969	238
1970	820
1971	781
1972	601
1973	1,016
1974	390
1975	474
1976	507
1977	1,024
1978	710
1979	951
1980	1,116
1981	1,354
1982	569
1983	1,264
1984	1,618
1985	1,210
1986	743
1987	1,191
1988	481
1989	2,905
1990	866
1991	577
1992	1,461
1993	761
1994	685
1995	956
1996	1,212
1997	1,279
1998	695
1999	901
2000	1,566
2001	1,262
2002	858
2003	751
2004	554
2005	806
2006	1,307
2007	1,100
2008	1,354
2009	926
2010	1,405
2011	430
2012	942
2013	718
2014	370
2015	1,378
2016	1,521
2017	408
2018	498
2019	917
2020	768
2021	908
2022	595
2023	931
2024	560
2025	1,198

Download the Data

Data for records on 1972-12-17: 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	422
50 to 100	30
100 to 150	12
150 to 200	5
200 to 250	1
250 to 300	0
300 to 350	0
350 to 400	2