Weather Records on 3 January 1973

623 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 3 January 1973. Highest significance: Humboldt 3 W, US.

Key Facts for 3 January 1973

On 3 January 1973, 623 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
97 were record highs and 49 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 12 monthly and 610 daily.
Humboldt 3 W set a daily record snowfall of 31.8 cm (12.5 in) on 3 January 1973.
Across 163 earlier years (1794 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 490 records.

Record Map

623 stations

623 station records on 3 January 1973 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 3 January 1973: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Humboldt 3 W	United States	Record daily snowfall	31.8 cm (12.5 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Park Falls Dnr HQ	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Orogrande	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Chillicothe	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Britt 3E	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Forest City 2 NNE	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Sac City	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.5 cm (6.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Crandall Creek	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Plattsmouth 1E	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Claude	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.1 cm (3.2 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Munday	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Cruz Do Espirito Santo	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	60.3 mm (2.4 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Albert Lea 3SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Primghar	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Carnegie 5 NE	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Colwana (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	77.0 mm (3.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Uppsala_Aut	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	5.9 C (42.6 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Le Ctr 2 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Minneapolis-St Paul Intl AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.5 cm (6.9 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Milan	Italy	Record high minimum temperature	6.8 C (44.2 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Bedford	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Britt 3E	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Hamlin 1SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.1 cm (2.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Seymour 3NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Wellington	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
University Exp STN	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Carroll	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Wyola 1 SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Dundee 6 NNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Roscoe	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Tibooburra Post Office	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	47.6 C (117.7 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Schreiber	Canada	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Saint Anthony	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Columbus	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Hollis 5E	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Madill	United States	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Memphis	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Sequim	United States	Record snow depth	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Nylsvley	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Forest City 2 NNE	United States	Record daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Hereford	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	20.1 C (68.2 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Lindsay 2 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Bridgeport	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Friona	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Quanah 2 SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Frederick	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Munday	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Roodepoort	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Austin Waste Wtp Facility	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Lucerne	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Hollis 5E	United States	Record snow depth	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Vernon	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Paint Rock	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.6 cm (2.2 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Valley Junction	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Vernon	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Wagga Wagga Agricultural Insti	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	44.2 C (111.6 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Norwich	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Meadowlands 9 S	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Forestburg 5 S	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

623 records

Records set or tied on 3 January 1973 by type: Highest daily maximum 57, Lowest daily maximum 27, Highest daily minimum 40, Lowest daily minimum 22, Heaviest daily rainfall 299, Heaviest daily snowfall 147, Deepest snow cover 31.

Records on 3 January 1973 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	57
Lowest daily maximum	27
Highest daily minimum	40
Lowest daily minimum	22
Heaviest daily rainfall	299
Heaviest daily snowfall	147
Deepest snow cover	31

Records on 3 January 1973 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 12, daily 610.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

533 broken records

Margins by which the 533 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 228.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

3 January 1973

Top 20 records on 3 January 1973 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
3 January 1973	Humboldt 3 W, US	daily snowfall	31.8 cm (12.5 in)	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	67 years	61 of 100 (Major)
3 January 1973	Park Falls Dnr HQ, US	daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	51 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Orogrande, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	67 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Chillicothe, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	64 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Britt 3E, US	daily rain	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	11.4 mm (0.4 in)	67 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Forest City 2 NNE, US	daily rain	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	9.9 mm (0.39 in)	67 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Sac City, US	daily snowfall	15.5 cm (6.1 in)	7.9 cm (3.1 in)	75 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Crandall Creek, US	daily rain	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	16.0 mm (0.6 in)	45 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Plattsmouth 1E, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	67 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Claude, US	daily snowfall	8.1 cm (3.2 in)	8.1 cm (3.2 in)	68 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Munday, US	daily rain	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	21.3 mm (0.8 in)	39 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Cruz Do Espirito Santo, BR	daily rain	60.3 mm (2.4 in)	49.8 mm (2.0 in)	8 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Albert Lea 3SE, US	daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	7.7 cm (3.0 in)	67 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Primghar, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	75 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Carnegie 5 NE, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	58 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Colwana (Bos), ZA	daily rain	77.0 mm (3.0 in)	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	45 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Uppsala_Aut, SE	daily high max	5.9 C (42.6 F)	0.7 C (1.3 F)	119 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Le Ctr 2 SE, US	daily rain	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	13.2 mm (0.5 in)	30 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Minneapolis-St Paul Intl AP, US	daily snowfall	17.5 cm (6.9 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	23 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1973	Milan, IT	daily high min	6.8 C (44.2 F)	0.3 C (0.5 F)	184 years	40 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

1794 to 1973

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1794 to 1973. 1973 had 623 records.

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

Records on 01-03 in each year
Year	Records
1794	1
1798	1
1800	1
1823	2
1825	1
1830	2
1839	1
1848	1
1853	1
1860	2
1861	1
1864	1
1867	2
1868	2
1871	2
1873	1
1874	2
1876	2
1877	3
1878	1
1879	2
1882	2
1883	3
1884	1
1886	4
1887	5
1888	3
1889	4
1890	3
1891	4
1892	1
1893	1
1894	1
1895	3
1896	1
1897	3
1899	2
1900	15
1901	4
1902	15
1903	17
1904	51
1905	12
1906	13
1907	26
1908	8
1909	11
1910	23
1911	40
1912	26
1913	83
1914	33
1915	29
1916	60
1917	52
1918	80
1919	54
1920	31
1921	139
1922	80
1923	46
1924	222
1925	139
1926	268
1927	235
1928	412
1929	58
1930	160
1931	100
1932	167
1933	160
1934	208
1935	249
1936	404
1937	291
1938	139
1939	498
1940	312
1941	595
1942	505
1943	508
1944	361
1945	148
1946	171
1947	662
1948	462
1949	910
1950	2,025
1951	459
1952	587
1953	241
1954	370
1955	443
1956	188
1957	177
1958	326
1959	861
1960	431
1961	543
1962	802
1963	494
1964	513
1965	492
1966	885
1967	247
1968	582
1969	516
1970	749
1971	1,280
1972	313
1973	623
1974	1,010
1975	710
1976	524
1977	790
1978	745
1979	2,417
1980	470
1981	1,401
1982	1,380
1983	921
1984	983
1985	739
1986	676
1987	843
1988	1,034
1989	740
1990	467
1991	1,077
1992	1,200
1993	910
1994	902
1995	726
1996	2,085
1997	3,676
1998	1,434
1999	1,568
2000	2,063
2001	1,385
2002	1,307
2003	981
2004	1,406
2005	1,157
2006	1,472
2007	1,396
2008	948
2009	682
2010	1,337
2011	681
2012	956
2013	496
2014	1,029
2015	869
2016	605
2017	1,053
2018	1,444
2019	474
2020	772
2021	476
2022	989
2023	1,318
2024	734
2025	653
2026	902

Download the Data

Data for records on 1973-01-03: 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).

Histogram of margins by which records were beaten on 3 January 1973
Margin	Records
0 to 50	459
50 to 100	56
100 to 150	14
150 to 200	3
200 to 250	1