Weather Records on 20 January 1973

450 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 January 1973. Highest significance: Denver WSO City, US.

Key Facts for 20 January 1973

On 20 January 1973, 450 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
176 were record highs and 55 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 13 monthly and 436 daily.
Denver WSO City set a daily record snowfall of 17.8 cm (7.0 in) on 20 January 1973.
Across 157 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 512 records.

Record Map

450 stations

450 station records on 20 January 1973 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 January 1973: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Denver WSO City	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Lake Leake (Kooeeyong)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Poitiers - Biard	France	Record daily precipitation	27.8 mm (1.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Cornwall	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.8 mm (1.3 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Bowie	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Castle Rock	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Parker 6 E	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Cape Otway Lighthouse	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	39.2 C (102.6 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Alert Bay	Canada	Record daily precipitation	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Bowie	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Salem	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.7 mm (1.1 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Bull Harbour	Canada	Record daily precipitation	65.5 mm (2.6 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Adelaide West Terrace	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	32.3 C (90.1 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Fruitland	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Smiths Basin	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Wood	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Waterdale	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.9 cm (4.3 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Highmore	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Farmington	United States	Record high maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Dixville Notch	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Mullen 3S	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Anadarko 3 E	United States	Record high minimum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Rock Springs	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Melbourne Regional Office	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	24.5 C (76.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	22.0 C (71.6 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Arecibo 3 ESE	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record daily precipitation	125.7 mm (4.9 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Middletown 2 NW	United States	Record high maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Holy Cross	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-45.0 C (-49.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Houlton	United States	Record daily precipitation	28.7 mm (1.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Lancaster	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Ceduna AMO	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	31.6 C (88.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	40.4 C (104.7 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Uruque	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	63.6 mm (2.5 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Clinton	United States	Record high minimum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Vivian	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Rutland	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Foxpark	United States	Record daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Chadron 3SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.4 cm (4.9 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Exwell Park	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.5 mm (1.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Impendle (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Kassler	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Dalton	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Kenai AP	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-21.7 C (-7.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Pedro II	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	36.4 mm (1.4 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Longmont 2 ESE	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Glens Falls Farm	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Tupper Lake Sunmount	United States	Record high maximum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Newport	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Nome AP	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-32.8 C (-27.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Port Lincoln	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	42.0 C (107.6 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Iboacu	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	35.4 mm (1.4 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Lezay	France	Record daily precipitation	28.3 mm (1.1 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Mapumulo (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	69.0 mm (2.7 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Winner	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Mount Gambier Aero	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	25.6 C (78.1 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Jungapeo	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Cedara	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Yoder 5 W	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Fredericton Cda	Canada	Record daily precipitation	33.3 mm (1.3 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Presque Isle	United States	Record high maximum temperature	7.8 C (46.0 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

450 records

Records set or tied on 20 January 1973 by type: Highest daily maximum 83, Lowest daily maximum 28, Highest daily minimum 93, Lowest daily minimum 27, Heaviest daily rainfall 148, Heaviest daily snowfall 62, Deepest snow cover 9.

Records on 20 January 1973 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	83
Lowest daily maximum	28
Highest daily minimum	93
Lowest daily minimum	27
Heaviest daily rainfall	148
Heaviest daily snowfall	62
Deepest snow cover	9

Records on 20 January 1973 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 13, daily 436.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

364 broken records

Margins by which the 364 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 178.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 January 1973

Top 20 records on 20 January 1973 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 January 1973	Denver WSO City, US	daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	13.2 cm (5.2 in)	47 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Lake Leake (Kooeeyong), AU	daily rain	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	13.5 mm (0.5 in)	73 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Poitiers - Biard, FR	daily rain	27.8 mm (1.1 in)	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	8 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Cornwall, US	daily rain	32.8 mm (1.3 in)	12.5 mm (0.5 in)	72 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Bowie, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	9.7 cm (3.8 in)	69 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Castle Rock, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	67 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Parker 6 E, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	47 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Cape Otway Lighthouse, AU	daily high max	39.2 C (102.6 F)	0.9 C (1.6 F)	97 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Alert Bay, CA	daily rain	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	25.2 mm (1.0 in)	38 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Bowie, US	daily snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	73 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Salem, US	daily rain	27.7 mm (1.1 in)	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	21 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Bull Harbour, CA	daily rain	65.5 mm (2.6 in)	41.6 mm (1.6 in)	5 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Adelaide West Terrace, AU	daily high min	32.3 C (90.1 F)	4.4 C (7.9 F)	65 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Fruitland, US	daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	3.8 cm (1.5 in)	55 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Smiths Basin, US	daily rain	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	17.5 mm (0.7 in)	31 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Wood, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	7.2 cm (2.8 in)	43 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Waterdale, US	daily snowfall	10.9 cm (4.3 in)	5.8 cm (2.3 in)	56 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Highmore, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	3.8 cm (1.5 in)	53 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1973	Farmington, US	daily high max	11.7 C (53.1 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	72 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
20 January 1973	Dixville Notch, US	daily rain	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	15.0 mm (0.6 in)	31 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

1795 to 1973

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1795 to 1973. 1973 had 450 records.

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

Records on 01-20 in each year
Year	Records
1795	2
1796	1
1798	1
1804	2
1820	1
1844	1
1850	1
1858	2
1861	1
1862	1
1863	1
1866	2
1867	1
1872	1
1874	4
1875	4
1878	1
1879	1
1880	5
1881	4
1885	1
1890	2
1891	1
1892	3
1893	3
1894	1
1895	2
1896	1
1897	3
1898	6
1899	12
1900	15
1901	11
1902	5
1903	4
1904	14
1905	2
1906	25
1907	26
1908	9
1909	30
1910	11
1911	3
1912	7
1913	44
1914	57
1915	153
1916	34
1917	123
1918	71
1919	28
1920	103
1921	45
1922	86
1923	41
1924	298
1925	181
1926	110
1927	381
1928	383
1929	203
1930	540
1931	90
1932	139
1933	441
1934	118
1935	904
1936	602
1937	1,041
1938	219
1939	238
1940	1,147
1941	214
1942	979
1943	1,002
1944	568
1945	302
1946	487
1947	534
1948	422
1949	429
1950	653
1951	958
1952	386
1953	476
1954	791
1955	278
1956	906
1957	349
1958	494
1959	603
1960	329
1961	641
1962	1,162
1963	921
1964	567
1965	283
1966	634
1967	556
1968	1,096
1969	859
1970	1,301
1971	936
1972	823
1973	450
1974	978
1975	688
1976	848
1977	997
1978	1,669
1979	1,158
1980	423
1981	823
1982	958
1983	847
1984	1,957
1985	2,188
1986	1,327
1987	1,063
1988	1,637
1989	955
1990	1,257
1991	562
1992	493
1993	1,327
1994	2,035
1995	1,136
1996	851
1997	658
1998	576
1999	1,368
2000	1,132
2001	667
2002	666
2003	732
2004	451
2005	1,335
2006	1,395
2007	2,143
2008	1,366
2009	738
2010	986
2011	731
2012	848
2013	432
2014	480
2015	413
2016	726
2017	1,370
2018	634
2019	722
2020	498
2021	375
2022	346
2023	778
2024	841
2025	1,599
2026	193

Download the Data

Data for records on 1973-01-20: 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 25	311
25 to 50	36
50 to 75	7
75 to 100	4
100 to 125	4
125 to 150	1
150 to 175	0
175 to 200	1