Weather Records on 20 December 1972

448 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 December 1972. Highest significance: Dom Mauricio, BR.

Key Facts for 20 December 1972

On 20 December 1972, 448 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
194 were record highs and 31 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 3 were all-time records, 26 monthly and 419 daily.
Dom Mauricio set a monthly record daily precipitation of 92.4 mm (3.6 in) on 20 December 1972.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 467 records.

Record Map

448 stations

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

Weather records on 20 December 1972: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Dom Mauricio	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	92.4 mm (3.6 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Prudente de Morais	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	93.4 mm (3.7 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Umari	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Custodio	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	106.0 mm (4.2 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Chaval	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	114.8 mm (4.5 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Caico	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Serra Negra Do Norte	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	100.0 mm (3.9 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Espirito Santo	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	49.7 mm (2.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Quixeramobim	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Santa Luzia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	113.0 mm (4.4 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Pesqueira	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	81.3 mm (3.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Belem Do Brejo Do Cruz	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Piranhas (Marechal Floriano)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	107.3 mm (4.2 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Sao Bento Do Una	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	124.2 mm (4.9 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Piranhas	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	104.2 mm (4.1 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Santo Antonio	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Uruque	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	102.2 mm (4.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Itabatinga	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Sao Joao Do Jaguaribe	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	100.1 mm (3.9 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Santa Helena (Mariquita)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	121.5 mm (4.8 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Acude Pompeu Sobrinho	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Fazenda Jardim	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	55.4 mm (2.2 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Acude Malhada Vermelha	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	50.6 mm (2.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Assare	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	43.4 mm (1.7 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Caninde de Sao Francisco	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	125.5 mm (4.9 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Poco Das Trincheiras	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	87.9 mm (3.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Port Lincoln	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	42.0 C (107.6 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Cristais	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	43.4 mm (1.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Acude Cedro	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	48.4 mm (1.9 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Campsie	Canada	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Wind River	United States	Record daily precipitation	133.4 mm (5.3 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Fazenda Feijao	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Acude Ema	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	42.5 mm (1.7 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Senador Pompeu	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Santo Antonio (Pcd)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	73.4 mm (2.9 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Stornoway Airport	United Kingdom	Record high minimum temperature	8.5 C (47.3 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Santa Quiteria	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Santana Do Ipanema	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	58.0 mm (2.3 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Acude Cruzeta	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	43.5 mm (1.7 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Sao Joao Do Sabugi	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	123.8 mm (4.9 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Mineirolandia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	73.3 mm (2.9 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Sitio Passagem	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	125.0 mm (4.9 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Haina 214	United States	Record low minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Guaraciaba Do Norte	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	43.3 mm (1.7 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Nuwara Eliya	Sri Lanka	Record high minimum temperature	14.7 C (58.5 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Pomeroy	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Seattle Urban Site	United States	Record high minimum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Sao Joao Do Tigre	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	32.3 mm (1.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Summerfield 2 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Independencia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Arizona	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Lakin	United States	Record high minimum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Cajazeiras	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	41.3 mm (1.6 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Fazenda Malhada da Areia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	79.2 mm (3.1 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Ribeira Do Pombal (Pombal)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	69.4 mm (2.7 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Cicero Dantas	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	77.0 mm (3.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Kainaliu 73.2	United States	Record low maximum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Fort Huachuca	United States	Record high minimum temperature	7.8 C (46.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Bishop AP	United States	Record high maximum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Redford	Australia	Record daily precipitation	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

448 records

Records set or tied on 20 December 1972 by type: Highest daily maximum 64, Lowest daily maximum 19, Highest daily minimum 130, Lowest daily minimum 12, Heaviest daily rainfall 201, Heaviest daily snowfall 8, Deepest snow cover 14.

Records on 20 December 1972 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	64
Lowest daily maximum	19
Highest daily minimum	130
Lowest daily minimum	12
Heaviest daily rainfall	201
Heaviest daily snowfall	8
Deepest snow cover	14

Records on 20 December 1972 by timescale: all-time 3, monthly 26, daily 419.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

367 broken records

Margins by which the 367 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 279.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 December 1972

Top 20 records on 20 December 1972 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 December 1972	Dom Mauricio, BR	monthly rain	92.4 mm (3.6 in)	30.4 mm (1.2 in)	57 years	66 of 100 (Major)
20 December 1972	Prudente de Morais, BR	daily rain	93.4 mm (3.7 in)	93.4 mm (3.7 in)	53 years	60 of 100 (Major)
20 December 1972	Umari, BR	daily rain	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	67.9 mm (2.7 in)	51 years	60 of 100 (Major)
20 December 1972	Custodio, BR	monthly rain	106.0 mm (4.2 in)	49.7 mm (2.0 in)	27 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Chaval, BR	monthly rain	114.8 mm (4.5 in)	49.3 mm (1.9 in)	5 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Caico, BR	daily rain	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	74.2 mm (2.9 in)	38 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Serra Negra Do Norte, BR	monthly rain	100.0 mm (3.9 in)	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	38 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Espirito Santo, BR	daily rain	49.7 mm (2.0 in)	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	38 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Quixeramobim, BR	daily rain	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	40.8 mm (1.6 in)	55 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Santa Luzia, BR	monthly rain	113.0 mm (4.4 in)	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	19 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Pesqueira, BR	daily rain	81.3 mm (3.2 in)	71.3 mm (2.8 in)	33 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Belem Do Brejo Do Cruz, BR	daily rain	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	36 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Piranhas (Marechal Floriano), BR	daily rain	107.3 mm (4.2 in)	98.3 mm (3.9 in)	23 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Sao Bento Do Una, BR	monthly rain	124.2 mm (4.9 in)	57.8 mm (2.3 in)	5 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Piranhas, BR	daily rain	104.2 mm (4.1 in)	101.5 mm (4.0 in)	23 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Santo Antonio, BR	daily rain	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	40 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Uruque, BR	monthly rain	102.2 mm (4.0 in)	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	20 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Itabatinga, BR	daily rain	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	38 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Sao Joao Do Jaguaribe, BR	monthly rain	100.1 mm (3.9 in)	44.1 mm (1.7 in)	8 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1972	Santa Helena (Mariquita), BR	monthly rain	121.5 mm (4.8 in)	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	30 years	46 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 448 records.

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

Records on 12-20 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1795	1
1804	1
1805	2
1808	1
1815	1
1828	1
1837	1
1846	1
1855	8
1858	1
1860	1
1866	1
1867	1
1868	1
1869	1
1871	2
1874	3
1875	1
1877	2
1878	1
1879	1
1880	1
1881	1
1882	1
1884	4
1885	1
1886	4
1889	4
1890	2
1891	2
1892	1
1894	2
1895	8
1896	1
1897	4
1898	2
1899	1
1900	7
1901	8
1902	14
1903	17
1904	9
1905	5
1906	5
1907	11
1908	5
1909	22
1910	17
1911	24
1912	27
1913	7
1914	43
1915	18
1916	45
1917	33
1918	18
1919	25
1920	22
1921	101
1922	88
1923	215
1924	332
1925	96
1926	163
1927	200
1928	93
1929	256
1930	67
1931	536
1932	170
1933	492
1934	265
1935	152
1936	416
1937	181
1938	240
1939	308
1940	965
1941	633
1942	817
1943	193
1944	340
1945	430
1946	327
1947	385
1948	345
1949	1,141
1950	758
1951	926
1952	394
1953	385
1954	416
1955	726
1956	471
1957	1,354
1958	382
1959	142
1960	354
1961	369
1962	475
1963	875
1964	499
1965	353
1966	555
1967	1,370
1968	482
1969	514
1970	518
1971	441
1972	448
1973	1,184
1974	328
1975	610
1976	382
1977	484
1978	910
1979	600
1980	667
1981	1,681
1982	712
1983	2,995
1984	1,411
1985	1,035
1986	321
1987	1,179
1988	760
1989	1,812
1990	1,885
1991	1,172
1992	1,134
1993	1,266
1994	813
1995	1,128
1996	1,448
1997	651
1998	1,110
1999	938
2000	1,150
2001	523
2002	943
2003	1,315
2004	836
2005	515
2006	1,387
2007	986
2008	1,356
2009	1,502
2010	2,055
2011	846
2012	1,131
2013	584
2014	524
2015	1,238
2016	603
2017	688
2018	592
2019	731
2020	554
2021	442
2022	567
2023	1,242
2024	897
2025	1,166

Download the Data

Data for records on 1972-12-20: 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	350
50 to 100	14
100 to 150	2
150 to 200	0
200 to 250	0
250 to 300	1