Weather Records on 18 December 1972

375 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 18 December 1972. Highest significance: Milford, US.

Key Facts for 18 December 1972

On 18 December 1972, 375 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
96 were record highs and 118 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 3 monthly and 372 daily.
Milford set a daily record snow depth of 35.6 cm (14.0 in) on 18 December 1972.
Across 156 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 480 records.

Record Map

375 stations

375 station records on 18 December 1972 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 18 December 1972: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Milford	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Honaunau 27	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Roodepoort (Mun)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	53.7 mm (2.1 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Nanaimo Departure Bay	Canada	Record daily precipitation	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Vale	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Galway	Ireland	Record high minimum temperature	10.5 C (50.9 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Winnemucca AP	United States	Record snow depth	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Garibaldi	Canada	Record daily precipitation	74.4 mm (2.9 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Maraisburg (Gm)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Izana	Spain	Record daily precipitation	87.2 mm (3.4 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Hale Loud Dam	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Newaygo Hardy Dam	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Shawnigan Lake	Canada	Record daily precipitation	64.3 mm (2.5 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Chilliwack	Canada	Record daily precipitation	54.9 mm (2.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Delmas (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Houlton	United States	Record snow depth	88.9 cm (35.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Frankfort 2NE	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Kohala Mis 175.1	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.1 C (70.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Charlevoix	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Harbor Beach 1 SSE	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Agassiz Cda	Canada	Record daily precipitation	52.3 mm (2.1 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Cultus Lake	Canada	Record daily precipitation	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Randfontein (Gm)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	64.8 mm (2.6 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Waynesboro 2 W	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-8.3 C (17.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Kaycee	United States	Record high minimum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Mount Anderson	Australia	Record daily precipitation	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Mio Hydro Plt	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
W Pt	United States	Record snow depth	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Moncure 3 SE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	1.1 C (34.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Cheraw	United States	Record low maximum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Waimea 892	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Alpena Co Rgnl AP	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Cape Leeuwin	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	19.4 C (66.9 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
New Iberia AP - Acadiana Rgnl	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.2 C (28.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Whiteville	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.0 C (14.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Parsons 3 SE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-8.3 C (17.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Valentia Observatory	Ireland	Record high maximum temperature	15.3 C (59.5 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Chileka	Malawi	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Statesville 2 NNE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Tamiami Trail 40 Mi Bend	United States	Record low maximum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Belhaven 1 SE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Semej	Kazakhstan	Record high minimum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Jhb-Turffontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Buntzen Lake	Canada	Record daily precipitation	74.9 mm (2.9 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Jhb-Norwood	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	42.5 mm (1.7 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Cookeville	United States	Record low maximum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Saint Johnsbury	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Mahalapye	Botswana	Record daily precipitation	25.6 mm (1.0 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Seymour Falls	Canada	Record daily precipitation	136.1 mm (5.4 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Fort Vermilion Cda	Canada	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
De Kroon (Irr)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Vanderbilt 11ENE	United States	Record snow depth	48.3 cm (19.0 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Raleigh 4 SW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Crescent Lake Junction	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.1 mm (1.5 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Hawley 1 E	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-6.7 C (19.9 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Tel Aviv Reading	Israel	Record daily precipitation	65.1 mm (2.6 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Sub-Nigel (Gm)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Fayette 4 SW	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Hood Rvr Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Clearbrook	United States	Record high maximum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

375 records

Records set or tied on 18 December 1972 by type: Highest daily maximum 33, Lowest daily maximum 53, Highest daily minimum 63, Lowest daily minimum 65, Heaviest daily rainfall 112, Heaviest daily snowfall 12, Deepest snow cover 37.

Records on 18 December 1972 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	33
Lowest daily maximum	53
Highest daily minimum	63
Lowest daily minimum	65
Heaviest daily rainfall	112
Heaviest daily snowfall	12
Deepest snow cover	37

Records on 18 December 1972 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 3, daily 372.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

288 broken records

Margins by which the 288 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

18 December 1972

Top 20 records on 18 December 1972 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
18 December 1972	Milford, US	daily snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	23 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1972	Honaunau 27, US	daily rain	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	24.6 mm (1.0 in)	18 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1972	Roodepoort (Mun), ZA	daily rain	53.7 mm (2.1 in)	33.7 mm (1.3 in)	19 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1972	Nanaimo Departure Bay, CA	daily rain	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	16.0 mm (0.6 in)	50 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1972	Vale, US	daily snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	66 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1972	Galway, IE	daily high min	10.5 C (50.9 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	79 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1972	Winnemucca AP, US	daily snow depth	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	2.5 cm (1.0 in)	77 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1972	Garibaldi, CA	daily rain	74.4 mm (2.9 in)	23.6 mm (0.9 in)	50 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1972	Maraisburg (Gm), ZA	daily rain	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	17 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1972	Izana, ES	daily rain	87.2 mm (3.4 in)	47.8 mm (1.9 in)	21 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
18 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)
18 December 1972	Newaygo Hardy Dam, US	daily snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	63 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1972	Shawnigan Lake, CA	daily rain	64.3 mm (2.5 in)	14.3 mm (0.6 in)	55 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
18 December 1972	Chilliwack, CA	daily rain	54.9 mm (2.2 in)	12.0 mm (0.5 in)	50 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
18 December 1972	Delmas (Pol), ZA	daily rain	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	17 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
18 December 1972	Houlton, US	daily snow depth	88.9 cm (35.0 in)	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	7 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
18 December 1972	Frankfort 2NE, US	daily snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	30 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
18 December 1972	Kohala Mis 175.1, US	daily high min	21.1 C (70.0 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	66 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
18 December 1972	Charlevoix, US	daily snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	5.0 cm (2.0 in)	68 years	31 of 100 (Routine)
18 December 1972	Harbor Beach 1 SSE, US	daily snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	21 years	31 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 375 records.

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

Records on 12-18 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1796	1
1805	1
1814	1
1825	1
1846	1
1849	1
1852	2
1858	1
1859	4
1862	2
1864	1
1868	1
1873	1
1875	1
1876	2
1878	1
1881	2
1882	1
1884	2
1886	1
1887	1
1888	1
1889	4
1890	5
1892	4
1894	8
1895	1
1897	4
1898	9
1899	3
1900	2
1901	6
1902	33
1903	11
1904	25
1905	3
1906	21
1907	15
1908	16
1909	18
1910	19
1911	9
1912	33
1913	38
1914	20
1915	28
1916	57
1917	62
1918	21
1919	117
1920	77
1921	123
1922	108
1923	378
1924	480
1925	74
1926	173
1927	151
1928	165
1929	366
1930	230
1931	360
1932	353
1933	506
1934	209
1935	138
1936	466
1937	459
1938	185
1939	900
1940	242
1941	213
1942	281
1943	419
1944	191
1945	598
1946	199
1947	266
1948	354
1949	561
1950	289
1951	867
1952	450
1953	373
1954	507
1955	611
1956	333
1957	901
1958	524
1959	477
1960	477
1961	885
1962	759
1963	571
1964	840
1965	402
1966	644
1967	1,105
1968	488
1969	376
1970	502
1971	387
1972	375
1973	1,008
1974	229
1975	625
1976	459
1977	992
1978	946
1979	1,087
1980	772
1981	1,362
1982	537
1983	2,014
1984	1,439
1985	1,384
1986	875
1987	1,505
1988	1,061
1989	1,818
1990	1,367
1991	756
1992	1,045
1993	697
1994	643
1995	1,065
1996	1,833
1997	1,195
1998	863
1999	923
2000	1,572
2001	906
2002	1,437
2003	987
2004	506
2005	987
2006	1,167
2007	746
2008	1,014
2009	1,253
2010	1,322
2011	697
2012	729
2013	513
2014	556
2015	1,254
2016	1,821
2017	516
2018	464
2019	679
2020	326
2021	762
2022	536
2023	1,293
2024	780
2025	994

Download the Data

Data for records on 1972-12-18: 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	267
50 to 100	10
100 to 150	5
150 to 200	2
200 to 250	1
250 to 300	2
300 to 350	0
350 to 400	1