Weather Records on 31 December 1972

836 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 31 December 1972. Highest significance: Riverton, US.

Key Facts for 31 December 1972

On 31 December 1972, 836 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
318 were record highs and 80 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 3 were all-time records, 22 monthly and 811 daily.
Riverton set a daily record snowfall of 24.1 cm (9.5 in) on 31 December 1972.
Across 157 earlier years (1797 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 484 records.

Record Map

836 stations

836 station records on 31 December 1972 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 31 December 1972: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Riverton	United States	Record daily snowfall	24.1 cm (9.5 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Tingha Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	106.9 mm (4.2 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Cheraw	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Gagetown 2	Canada	Record daily precipitation	39.1 mm (1.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Mackinaw City 2	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Palermo	Italy	Record daily precipitation	28.5 mm (1.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Grafton	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Atlantic City Marina	United States	Record high minimum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
W Branch 3SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Beardsley	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Higgins Lake	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Waynesboro	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Sibley	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Brookings 2 NE	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Yetman (Warialda Street)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Poplarville Exp STN	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Wandsworth (Strabanne)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Port Stanley	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	4.4 C (39.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Sebewaing	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Pembina	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Fredericton Cda	Canada	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Gorgas 2 ENE	United States	Record daily precipitation	61.2 mm (2.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Pocomoke City	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Keene	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Fazenda Brejo Alegre	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	55.4 mm (2.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Varzea	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	65.4 mm (2.6 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Hambantota	Sri Lanka	Record high minimum temperature	24.9 C (76.8 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Sveg	Sweden	Record high minimum temperature	2.9 C (37.2 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Brookhaven City	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Larimore 4SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Conceicao Do Ibitipoca	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	64.4 mm (2.5 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Lansdowne House	Canada	Record daily snowfall	20.1 cm (7.9 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Sackville	Canada	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
New Tripoli 4 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.8 mm (1.9 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Kanosh	United States	Record snow depth	58.4 cm (23.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Broome Airport	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	30.3 C (86.5 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Araraquara	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	96.5 mm (3.8 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Annapolis Royal	Canada	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Umea	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	5.4 C (41.7 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Jackman	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Carrington	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Bucyrus	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Port Clinton	United States	Record daily precipitation	51.8 mm (2.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Hatteras	United States	Record high minimum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Inglewood Forest Res	Australia	Record daily precipitation	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Greensboro	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.8 mm (2.1 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Le Mars	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Leakesville 6 WSW	United States	Record daily precipitation	59.2 mm (2.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Tuckerton 2 NE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Wahpeton 3 N	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.9 cm (2.7 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Fillmore	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Wallumbilla Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	59.2 mm (2.3 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Falls River	Canada	Record daily precipitation	85.1 mm (3.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Greenville	United States	Record daily precipitation	66.8 mm (2.6 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Turners Falls	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Edinburg	United States	Record daily precipitation	68.6 mm (2.7 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
White Sulphur Springs	United States	Record high minimum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Koster (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Highland Home	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Martin Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	52.1 mm (2.1 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

836 records

Records set or tied on 31 December 1972 by type: Highest daily maximum 131, Lowest daily maximum 29, Highest daily minimum 187, Lowest daily minimum 51, Heaviest daily rainfall 366, Heaviest daily snowfall 61, Deepest snow cover 11.

Records on 31 December 1972 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	131
Lowest daily maximum	29
Highest daily minimum	187
Lowest daily minimum	51
Heaviest daily rainfall	366
Heaviest daily snowfall	61
Deepest snow cover	11

Records on 31 December 1972 by timescale: all-time 3, monthly 22, daily 811.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

698 broken records

Margins by which the 698 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 254.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

31 December 1972

Top 20 records on 31 December 1972 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
31 December 1972	Riverton, US	daily snowfall	24.1 cm (9.5 in)	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	31 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Tingha Post Office, AU	monthly rain	106.9 mm (4.2 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	51 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Cheraw, US	daily rain	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	20.1 mm (0.8 in)	72 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Gagetown 2, CA	daily rain	39.1 mm (1.5 in)	23.9 mm (0.9 in)	45 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Mackinaw City 2, US	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	10.2 mm (0.4 in)	61 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Palermo, IT	daily rain	28.5 mm (1.1 in)	4.0 mm (0.16 in)	113 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Grafton, US	daily rain	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	13.4 mm (0.5 in)	76 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Atlantic City Marina, US	daily high min	11.1 C (52.0 F)	4.4 C (7.9 F)	87 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	W Branch 3SE, US	daily rain	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	16.3 mm (0.6 in)	35 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Beardsley, US	daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	28 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Higgins Lake, US	daily rain	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	10.2 mm (0.4 in)	51 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Waynesboro, US	daily rain	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	57 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Sibley, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	61 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Brookings 2 NE, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	66 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Yetman (Warialda Street), AU	daily rain	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	22.1 mm (0.9 in)	52 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Poplarville Exp STN, US	daily rain	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	20.8 mm (0.8 in)	75 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Wandsworth (Strabanne), AU	daily rain	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	51 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Port Stanley, CA	daily high min	4.4 C (39.9 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	96 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Sebewaing, US	daily rain	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	17.8 mm (0.7 in)	1 year	38 of 100 (Notable)
31 December 1972	Pembina, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	8.8 cm (3.5 in)	35 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

1797 to 1972

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1797 to 1972. 1972 had 836 records.

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

Records on 12-31 in each year
Year	Records
1797	1
1799	2
1826	1
1836	1
1842	2
1850	3
1853	1
1854	1
1859	1
1860	1
1867	1
1870	2
1872	2
1874	4
1875	2
1876	2
1878	2
1879	2
1880	2
1882	1
1884	2
1885	1
1886	3
1887	1
1888	2
1890	2
1891	8
1892	4
1895	4
1897	6
1898	5
1899	4
1900	3
1901	16
1902	3
1903	3
1904	11
1905	9
1906	31
1907	11
1908	7
1909	5
1910	25
1911	14
1912	17
1913	46
1914	34
1915	32
1916	25
1917	239
1918	24
1919	38
1920	64
1921	130
1922	83
1923	280
1924	113
1925	183
1926	77
1927	491
1928	53
1929	224
1930	58
1931	543
1932	394
1933	409
1934	181
1935	309
1936	567
1937	500
1938	247
1939	298
1940	467
1941	159
1942	352
1943	159
1944	259
1945	210
1946	707
1947	461
1948	591
1949	384
1950	310
1951	1,421
1952	377
1953	410
1954	286
1955	429
1956	216
1957	724
1958	584
1959	414
1960	389
1961	309
1962	810
1963	1,015
1964	388
1965	1,371
1966	326
1967	1,023
1968	1,371
1969	825
1970	579
1971	568
1972	836
1973	1,370
1974	590
1975	791
1976	1,306
1977	641
1978	2,791
1979	448
1980	1,448
1981	786
1982	639
1983	2,220
1984	942
1985	593
1986	616
1987	845
1988	600
1989	506
1990	1,379
1991	703
1992	1,062
1993	718
1994	878
1995	1,151
1996	2,202
1997	988
1998	739
1999	524
2000	1,575
2001	748
2002	1,232
2003	523
2004	1,278
2005	959
2006	2,089
2007	652
2008	656
2009	867
2010	1,544
2011	739
2012	803
2013	606
2014	903
2015	748
2016	678
2017	1,589
2018	620
2019	593
2020	489
2021	1,739
2022	1,497
2023	474
2024	460
2025	760

Download the Data

Data for records on 1972-12-31: 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	680
50 to 100	10
100 to 150	5
150 to 200	0
200 to 250	2
250 to 300	1