Weather Records on 21 December 1976

446 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 December 1976. Highest significance: Wilburra Downs Station, AU.

Key Facts for 21 December 1976

On 21 December 1976, 446 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
47 were record highs and 160 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 5 were all-time records, 24 monthly and 417 daily.
Wilburra Downs Station set a monthly record daily precipitation of 140.0 mm (5.5 in) on 21 December 1976.
Across 158 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 490 records.

Record Map

446 stations

446 station records on 21 December 1976 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 December 1976: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Wilburra Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	140.0 mm (5.5 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Kynuna	Australia	Record daily precipitation	148.0 mm (5.8 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Ayrshire Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	120.4 mm (4.7 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Prairie Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	95.0 mm (3.7 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Moselle Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	121.0 mm (4.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Glendower Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	102.1 mm (4.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Richmond Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	149.4 mm (5.9 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Proa Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	91.0 mm (3.6 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Burdekin Shire Council	Australia	Record daily precipitation	107.6 mm (4.2 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Wando Vale Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	172.6 mm (6.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Clare	Australia	Record daily precipitation	116.6 mm (4.6 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Sellheim	Australia	Record daily precipitation	74.0 mm (2.9 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Usina de Varginha	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	83.2 mm (3.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Bemerside	Australia	Record daily precipitation	204.1 mm (8.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Lucinda Township	Australia	Record daily precipitation	170.8 mm (6.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Sutton Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	100.0 mm (3.9 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Afton Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	89.0 mm (3.5 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Plymouth Pwr Substn	United States	Record daily snowfall	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Wales	United States	Record snow depth	86.4 cm (34.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Townsville Railway STN	Australia	Record daily precipitation	213.0 mm (8.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Guaicurus (Particular)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	102.0 mm (4.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Stamford Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	167.0 mm (6.6 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Reid River Railway Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	183.6 mm (7.2 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Catumnal	Australia	Record daily precipitation	102.6 mm (4.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Fermoy	Australia	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Tanbar Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Macknade Sugar Mill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	135.0 mm (5.3 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Yabulu Qld Nickel	Australia	Record daily precipitation	156.0 mm (6.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Bambaroo	Australia	Record daily precipitation	302.4 mm (11.9 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Oakwood	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.6 mm (1.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Conceicao Do Ibitipoca	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	86.0 mm (3.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Woodbine Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	106.0 mm (4.2 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Maylands	Australia	Record daily precipitation	60.4 mm (2.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Denton	Australia	Record daily precipitation	68.0 mm (2.7 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
McKinlay Roadhouse	Australia	Record daily precipitation	65.2 mm (2.6 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Essex Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	140.0 mm (5.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Nelia Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	90.0 mm (3.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Tangorin	Australia	Record daily precipitation	66.2 mm (2.6 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Westland	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.2 mm (1.4 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Jedburgh Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Napas	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	-45.6 C (-50.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Homestead Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Woodhouse	Australia	Record daily precipitation	218.4 mm (8.6 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Corona Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	122.1 mm (4.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Vergemont	Australia	Record daily precipitation	67.2 mm (2.6 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Mount Ryde	Australia	Record daily precipitation	66.6 mm (2.6 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Baddeck	Canada	Record daily precipitation	35.3 mm (1.4 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Inkerman Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	122.0 mm (4.8 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Halifax Macrossan St	Australia	Record daily precipitation	103.4 mm (4.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Nitchequon	Canada	Record daily snowfall	16.0 cm (6.3 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Ust-Ozernoe	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	-43.5 C (-46.3 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Kolpasevo	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	-43.8 C (-46.8 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Tatarsk	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	-36.4 C (-33.5 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Ashland	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Penola Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	61.2 mm (2.4 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Clutha Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	92.0 mm (3.6 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Hughenden Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	82.8 mm (3.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Estevao Pinto	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Lands End Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	79.4 mm (3.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Cargoon Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	147.6 mm (5.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

446 records

Records set or tied on 21 December 1976 by type: Highest daily maximum 16, Lowest daily maximum 89, Highest daily minimum 31, Lowest daily minimum 71, Heaviest daily rainfall 210, Heaviest daily snowfall 26, Deepest snow cover 3.

Records on 21 December 1976 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	16
Lowest daily maximum	89
Highest daily minimum	31
Lowest daily minimum	71
Heaviest daily rainfall	210
Heaviest daily snowfall	26
Deepest snow cover	3

Records on 21 December 1976 by timescale: all-time 5, monthly 24, daily 417.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

379 broken records

Margins by which the 379 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 381.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 December 1976

Top 20 records on 21 December 1976 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 December 1976	Wilburra Downs Station, AU	monthly rain	140.0 mm (5.5 in)	45.3 mm (1.8 in)	39 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Kynuna, AU	monthly rain	148.0 mm (5.8 in)	37.3 mm (1.5 in)	54 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Ayrshire Downs, AU	monthly rain	120.4 mm (4.7 in)	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	6 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Prairie Post Office, AU	daily rain	95.0 mm (3.7 in)	49.3 mm (1.9 in)	67 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Moselle Downs Station, AU	monthly rain	121.0 mm (4.8 in)	27.8 mm (1.1 in)	53 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Glendower Station, AU	daily rain	102.1 mm (4.0 in)	67.8 mm (2.7 in)	29 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Richmond Post Office, AU	monthly rain	149.4 mm (5.9 in)	49.8 mm (2.0 in)	19 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Proa Station, AU	daily rain	91.0 mm (3.6 in)	70.7 mm (2.8 in)	20 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Burdekin Shire Council, AU	daily rain	107.6 mm (4.2 in)	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	67 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Wando Vale Station, AU	all-time rain	172.6 mm (6.8 in)	21.7 mm (0.9 in)	31 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Clare, AU	daily rain	116.6 mm (4.6 in)	59.2 mm (2.3 in)	67 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Sellheim, AU	daily rain	74.0 mm (2.9 in)	48.6 mm (1.9 in)	55 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Usina de Varginha, BR	daily rain	83.2 mm (3.3 in)	63.9 mm (2.5 in)	20 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Bemerside, AU	daily rain	204.1 mm (8.0 in)	160.9 mm (6.3 in)	15 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Lucinda Township, AU	daily rain	170.8 mm (6.7 in)	75.5 mm (3.0 in)	69 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Sutton Downs, AU	daily rain	100.0 mm (3.9 in)	73.6 mm (2.9 in)	20 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Afton Downs Station, AU	daily rain	89.0 mm (3.5 in)	66.9 mm (2.6 in)	20 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Plymouth Pwr Substn, US	daily snowfall	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	9.4 cm (3.7 in)	62 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Wales, US	daily snow depth	86.4 cm (34.0 in)	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	26 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1976	Townsville Railway STN, AU	monthly rain	213.0 mm (8.4 in)	78.6 mm (3.1 in)	0 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 1976

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1976. 1976 had 446 records.

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

Records on 12-21 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1794	1
1799	1
1801	2
1808	3
1825	1
1828	1
1839	1
1846	1
1850	1
1855	7
1859	1
1860	1
1868	1
1870	1
1871	2
1874	2
1875	3
1876	1
1877	1
1878	1
1879	1
1880	1
1884	1
1886	3
1889	1
1890	4
1893	4
1894	1
1895	5
1896	3
1897	3
1898	1
1900	8
1901	15
1902	5
1903	25
1904	3
1905	15
1906	15
1907	17
1908	19
1909	20
1910	29
1911	36
1912	23
1913	11
1914	107
1915	43
1916	40
1917	18
1918	41
1919	57
1920	30
1921	104
1922	34
1923	323
1924	377
1925	120
1926	178
1927	147
1928	70
1929	156
1930	66
1931	556
1932	150
1933	581
1934	230
1935	398
1936	323
1937	189
1938	145
1939	140
1940	622
1941	651
1942	968
1943	148
1944	762
1945	396
1946	495
1947	700
1948	297
1949	1,281
1950	504
1951	1,061
1952	197
1953	256
1954	444
1955	888
1956	672
1957	846
1958	516
1959	272
1960	585
1961	254
1962	563
1963	1,137
1964	613
1965	247
1966	400
1967	1,923
1968	818
1969	828
1970	547
1971	680
1972	651
1973	1,292
1974	374
1975	548
1976	446
1977	470
1978	517
1979	558
1980	726
1981	1,476
1982	702
1983	3,324
1984	1,012
1985	979
1986	404
1987	775
1988	717
1989	3,203
1990	2,701
1991	1,125
1992	751
1993	967
1994	793
1995	878
1996	1,114
1997	810
1998	1,142
1999	851
2000	944
2001	650
2002	579
2003	1,103
2004	675
2005	606
2006	1,443
2007	946
2008	1,062
2009	1,097
2010	2,039
2011	653
2012	759
2013	1,029
2014	878
2015	1,173
2016	543
2017	459
2018	742
2019	755
2020	965
2021	323
2022	528
2023	1,170
2024	778
2025	1,099

Download the Data

Data for records on 1976-12-21: 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 2026-10-14 (14 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2026-10-12. Last revised 12 October 2026 (2026-10-12).

Margin	Records
0 to 50	355
50 to 100	22
100 to 150	0
150 to 200	1
200 to 250	0
250 to 300	0
300 to 350	0
350 to 400	1