Weather Records on 21 April 1978

735 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 April 1978. Highest significance: Elliotdale (Tnk), ZA.

Key Facts for 21 April 1978

On 21 April 1978, 735 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
79 were record highs and 376 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 6 were all-time records, 12 monthly and 717 daily.
Elliotdale (Tnk) set a monthly record daily precipitation of 160.5 mm (6.3 in) on 21 April 1978.
Across 159 earlier years (1793 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 461 records.

Record Map

735 stations

735 station records on 21 April 1978 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 April 1978: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Elliotdale (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	160.5 mm (6.3 in)	83 of 100 (Exceptional)
Notinsila (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	335.0 mm (13.2 in)	81 of 100 (Exceptional)
Bencuti (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	131.0 mm (5.2 in)	78 of 100 (Major)
Willowvale (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	230.5 mm (9.1 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
Tabankulu (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	167.6 mm (6.6 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Missao Velha	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	144.0 mm (5.7 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Sebeni (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	182.0 mm (7.2 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Eureka	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	128.0 mm (5.0 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Fort Donald (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	65.5 mm (2.6 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Papane (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	67.0 mm (2.6 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Invergwali	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	81.4 mm (3.2 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Ngqeleni (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	182.0 mm (7.2 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Ben Lomond	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	43.5 mm (1.7 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Mkambati	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	297.0 mm (11.7 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Komga (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	96.0 mm (3.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Nqamakwe (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	85.5 mm (3.4 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Korana "Xorana"	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	162.0 mm (6.4 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Port Shepstone	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	124.0 mm (4.9 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Ntsubane (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	115.0 mm (4.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Dohne	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Tshatsheni (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	60.3 mm (2.4 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Bele (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Saint Ignatius	United States	Record daily precipitation	28.7 mm (1.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Cheyenne Wells 2NE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Arcade	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Cezu (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Sawoti	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	51.5 mm (2.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Ibapah	United States	Record daily snowfall	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Bushy Vales, Margate	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	100.1 mm (3.9 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Carlisle	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Batavia	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Sihota	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Insizwa (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	73.0 mm (2.9 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Brynawe, Paddock	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	78.5 mm (3.1 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Russellville	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Lebanon	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Cardston	Canada	Record daily snowfall	12.5 cm (4.9 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Mqanduli (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	126.0 mm (5.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Sedalia Wtp	United States	Record low maximum temperature	7.8 C (46.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Cwebe	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	104.0 mm (4.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
The Valleys	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Oolitic Purdue Ex Fm	United States	Record low maximum temperature	7.8 C (46.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Kent	United States	Record low maximum temperature	3.3 C (37.9 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Westfield 2 SSE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Warren 3 S	United States	Record low maximum temperature	3.3 C (37.9 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Paragonah	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Walgett Council Depot	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	33.4 C (92.1 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Libode (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
New Meadows Rs	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Uil	Kazakhstan	Record low minimum temperature	-5.3 C (22.5 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Umzimkulu (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Albion	United States	Record low maximum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Vincennes 4 E	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Corning	United States	Record low maximum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Zumbrota	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-6.7 C (19.9 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Creighton	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-5.6 C (21.9 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Ravenna	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Nkobongo (Agr)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	72.0 mm (2.8 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Lumpkin 2 SE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	3.3 C (37.9 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Salem	United States	Record low maximum temperature	6.7 C (44.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

735 records

Records set or tied on 21 April 1978 by type: Highest daily maximum 45, Lowest daily maximum 247, Highest daily minimum 34, Lowest daily minimum 129, Heaviest daily rainfall 208, Heaviest daily snowfall 60, Deepest snow cover 12.

Records on 21 April 1978 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	45
Lowest daily maximum	247
Highest daily minimum	34
Lowest daily minimum	129
Heaviest daily rainfall	208
Heaviest daily snowfall	60
Deepest snow cover	12

Records on 21 April 1978 by timescale: all-time 6, monthly 12, daily 717.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

601 broken records

Margins by which the 601 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 203.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 April 1978

Top 20 records on 21 April 1978 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 April 1978	Elliotdale (Tnk), ZA	monthly rain	160.5 mm (6.3 in)	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	85 years	83 of 100 (Exceptional)
21 April 1978	Notinsila (Bos), ZA	all-time rain	335.0 mm (13.2 in)	68.3 mm (2.7 in)	54 years	81 of 100 (Exceptional)
21 April 1978	Bencuti (Bos), ZA	all-time rain	131.0 mm (5.2 in)	29.4 mm (1.2 in)	54 years	78 of 100 (Major)
21 April 1978	Willowvale (Tnk), ZA	monthly rain	230.5 mm (9.1 in)	117.5 mm (4.6 in)	30 years	68 of 100 (Major)
21 April 1978	Tabankulu (Bos), ZA	monthly rain	167.6 mm (6.6 in)	95.2 mm (3.7 in)	37 years	67 of 100 (Major)
21 April 1978	Missao Velha, BR	daily rain	144.0 mm (5.7 in)	85.0 mm (3.3 in)	56 years	62 of 100 (Major)
21 April 1978	Sebeni (Bos), ZA	monthly rain	182.0 mm (7.2 in)	102.5 mm (4.0 in)	17 years	60 of 100 (Major)
21 April 1978	Eureka, ZA	monthly rain	128.0 mm (5.0 in)	54.5 mm (2.1 in)	17 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
21 April 1978	Fort Donald (Bos), ZA	daily rain	65.5 mm (2.6 in)	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	43 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
21 April 1978	Papane (Bos), ZA	daily rain	67.0 mm (2.6 in)	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	43 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
21 April 1978	Invergwali, ZA	daily rain	81.4 mm (3.2 in)	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	35 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
21 April 1978	Ngqeleni (Tnk), ZA	monthly rain	182.0 mm (7.2 in)	76.0 mm (3.0 in)	0 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
21 April 1978	Ben Lomond, ZA	daily rain	43.5 mm (1.7 in)	30.3 mm (1.2 in)	35 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
21 April 1978	Mkambati, ZA	all-time rain	297.0 mm (11.7 in)	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	0 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
21 April 1978	Komga (Pol), ZA	daily rain	96.0 mm (3.8 in)	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	35 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
21 April 1978	Nqamakwe (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	85.5 mm (3.4 in)	40.5 mm (1.6 in)	19 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 April 1978	Korana "Xorana", ZA	all-time rain	162.0 mm (6.4 in)	24.5 mm (1.0 in)	18 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 April 1978	Port Shepstone, ZA	daily rain	124.0 mm (4.9 in)	97.0 mm (3.8 in)	19 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 April 1978	Ntsubane (Bos), ZA	daily rain	115.0 mm (4.5 in)	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	40 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 April 1978	Dohne, ZA	daily rain	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	33.9 mm (1.3 in)	35 years	47 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 1978

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1978. 1978 had 735 records.

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

Records on 04-21 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1814	1
1820	1
1838	1
1849	2
1851	1
1852	3
1854	1
1858	3
1861	2
1865	3
1866	1
1868	1
1870	1
1875	4
1876	2
1877	1
1879	3
1880	1
1881	1
1882	1
1884	1
1885	2
1888	1
1890	1
1891	1
1892	1
1893	2
1894	4
1895	1
1897	1
1898	2
1899	2
1900	7
1901	17
1902	7
1903	3
1904	10
1905	18
1906	5
1907	17
1908	25
1909	20
1910	33
1911	9
1912	22
1913	14
1914	220
1915	24
1916	64
1917	48
1918	84
1919	31
1920	85
1921	59
1922	70
1923	223
1924	119
1925	295
1926	148
1927	284
1928	269
1929	193
1930	127
1931	358
1932	304
1933	201
1934	497
1935	266
1936	277
1937	416
1938	295
1939	110
1940	462
1941	306
1942	285
1943	481
1944	261
1945	367
1946	448
1947	459
1948	365
1949	448
1950	529
1951	884
1952	665
1953	640
1954	527
1955	607
1956	497
1957	824
1958	329
1959	505
1960	889
1961	647
1962	319
1963	778
1964	1,125
1965	658
1966	756
1967	903
1968	655
1969	388
1970	728
1971	546
1972	593
1973	1,163
1974	528
1975	360
1976	452
1977	854
1978	735
1979	449
1980	1,934
1981	944
1982	1,075
1983	1,366
1984	1,231
1985	1,245
1986	977
1987	1,290
1988	898
1989	1,557
1990	1,463
1991	1,291
1992	1,763
1993	847
1994	859
1995	1,476
1996	788
1997	964
1998	876
1999	752
2000	921
2001	967
2002	1,312
2003	607
2004	586
2005	693
2006	761
2007	480
2008	1,327
2009	983
2010	805
2011	1,053
2012	687
2013	1,015
2014	393
2015	621
2016	587
2017	797
2018	862
2019	731
2020	397
2021	1,608
2022	433
2023	886
2024	754
2025	506
2026	853

Download the Data

Data for records on 1978-04-21: 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 2026-10-13 (13 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	575
50 to 100	21
100 to 150	4
150 to 200	0
200 to 250	1