Weather Records on 20 August 1978

563 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 August 1978. Highest significance: Tonti (Bos), ZA.

Key Facts for 20 August 1978

On 20 August 1978, 563 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
123 were record highs and 277 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 8 monthly and 554 daily.
Tonti (Bos) set an all-time record daily precipitation of 250.5 mm (9.9 in) on 20 August 1978.
Across 163 earlier years (1797 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 454 records.

Record Map

563 stations

563 station records on 20 August 1978 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 August 1978: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Tonti (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	250.5 mm (9.9 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Velikie Luki	Russia	Record daily precipitation	30.3 mm (1.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Jornada Exp Range	United States	Record daily precipitation	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Flagstaff (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	90.0 mm (3.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Afton 6 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	61.7 mm (2.4 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Luna Rs	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.3 mm (1.3 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Clyde A	Canada	Record daily snowfall	18.2 cm (7.2 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Van Reenen	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Aktobe	Kazakhstan	Record low minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Quanah 2 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Phoenix AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Gosford (Gertrude Place)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.6 mm (1.8 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Elida	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Oswego	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Saskatoon Diefenbaker Int'l A	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	10.7 C (51.3 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Frederick	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.9 mm (2.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Vernon	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Liberty 1 NE	United States	Record high maximum temperature	31.1 C (88.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Wyee (Wyee Farms Rd)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Santa Fe del Rio	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	20.6 C (69.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Syktyvkar	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-0.9 C (30.4 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Frederick Police Brks	United States	Record high minimum temperature	23.9 C (75.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Warrenton 3 SE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Ixhuatlan del Cafe	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	60.2 mm (2.4 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Palmerville	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	34.5 C (94.1 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Williamtown Raaf	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.8 mm (1.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Taber	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Waseca	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Kanin Nos	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	0.5 C (32.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Kislovodsk	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	14.7 C (58.5 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Balfour (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Ben Lomond	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	64.0 mm (2.5 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Levelland	United States	Record low maximum temperature	20.6 C (69.1 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Mahackala	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	21.5 C (70.7 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Middletown 2 NW	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Edenton	United States	Record high minimum temperature	26.7 C (80.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Frederick	United States	Record low maximum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Lindsay 2 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.1 mm (1.5 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Gosford (Narara Research Stati	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.4 mm (1.3 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Cacahoatan	Mexico	Record high maximum temperature	37.8 C (100.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Cherdyn'	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	1.3 C (34.3 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Valsetz	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
St Fereol	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	16.7 C (62.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Debrecen Airport	Hungary	Record low maximum temperature	16.4 C (61.5 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Mecca Fire STN	United States	Record low minimum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Kalispell Glacier AP	United States	Record low maximum temperature	14.4 C (57.9 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
La Tuna 1 S	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Centralia	United States	Record low maximum temperature	17.2 C (63.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Magiscatzin (Smn)	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Vladikavkaz	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Laguna Beach	United States	Record low minimum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Green Mt Dam	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.2 C (28.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Henrietta	United States	Record low maximum temperature	25.0 C (77.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Union 3 SSE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Riverton	United States	Record low minimum temperature	2.8 C (37.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Canton 4 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Caron	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Lost River	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Astana	Kazakhstan	Record low maximum temperature	10.2 C (50.4 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Aralskoe More	Kazakhstan	Record low maximum temperature	20.9 C (69.6 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

563 records

Records set or tied on 20 August 1978 by type: Highest daily maximum 41, Lowest daily maximum 162, Highest daily minimum 82, Lowest daily minimum 115, Heaviest daily rainfall 162, Heaviest daily snowfall 1.

Records on 20 August 1978 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	41
Lowest daily maximum	162
Highest daily minimum	82
Lowest daily minimum	115
Heaviest daily rainfall	162
Heaviest daily snowfall	1
Deepest snow cover	0

Records on 20 August 1978 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 8, daily 554.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

428 broken records

Margins by which the 428 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 169.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 August 1978

Top 20 records on 20 August 1978 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 August 1978	Tonti (Bos), ZA	all-time rain	250.5 mm (9.9 in)	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	0 years	66 of 100 (Major)
20 August 1978	Velikie Luki, RU	daily rain	30.3 mm (1.2 in)	12.0 mm (0.5 in)	90 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Jornada Exp Range, US	daily rain	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	37.9 mm (1.5 in)	15 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Flagstaff (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	90.0 mm (3.5 in)	59.5 mm (2.3 in)	7 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Afton 6 NE, US	daily rain	61.7 mm (2.4 in)	51.3 mm (2.0 in)	19 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Luna Rs, US	daily rain	32.3 mm (1.3 in)	10.7 mm (0.4 in)	75 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Clyde A, CA	daily snowfall	18.2 cm (7.2 in)	16.9 cm (6.7 in)	8 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Van Reenen, ZA	daily rain	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	21.4 mm (0.8 in)	60 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Aktobe, KZ	daily low min	1.7 C (35.1 F)	5.3 C (9.5 F)	68 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Quanah 2 SW, US	daily rain	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	20.3 mm (0.8 in)	59 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Phoenix AP, US	daily rain	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	9 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Gosford (Gertrude Place), AU	daily rain	46.6 mm (1.8 in)	8.8 mm (0.35 in)	72 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Elida, US	daily rain	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	15.2 mm (0.6 in)	63 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Oswego, US	daily rain	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	25.2 mm (1.0 in)	17 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Saskatoon Diefenbaker Int'l A, CA	daily low max	10.7 C (51.3 F)	3.2 C (5.8 F)	71 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Frederick, US	daily rain	54.9 mm (2.2 in)	28.5 mm (1.1 in)	28 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Vernon, US	daily rain	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	23.9 mm (0.9 in)	40 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
20 August 1978	Liberty 1 NE, US	daily high max	31.1 C (88.0 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	78 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
20 August 1978	Wyee (Wyee Farms Rd), AU	daily rain	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	3.1 mm (0.12 in)	78 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
20 August 1978	Santa Fe del Rio, MX	daily low max	20.6 C (69.1 F)	5.0 C (9.0 F)	25 years	33 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

1797 to 1978

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1797 to 1978. 1978 had 563 records.

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

Records on 08-20 in each year
Year	Records
1797	1
1807	1
1809	2
1816	1
1830	1
1832	1
1838	1
1840	1
1842	1
1846	1
1849	1
1850	1
1852	1
1858	3
1863	5
1867	4
1870	3
1871	1
1873	1
1875	2
1877	1
1883	2
1884	2
1885	6
1886	1
1888	1
1889	2
1890	2
1891	2
1892	6
1893	1
1894	1
1895	1
1896	5
1897	6
1898	1
1899	5
1900	7
1901	12
1902	3
1903	7
1904	30
1905	7
1906	26
1907	15
1908	21
1909	69
1910	7
1911	18
1912	25
1913	23
1914	15
1915	14
1916	74
1917	51
1918	69
1919	25
1920	47
1921	23
1922	52
1923	83
1924	132
1925	193
1926	187
1927	338
1928	101
1929	213
1930	318
1931	214
1932	299
1933	324
1934	376
1935	339
1936	543
1937	537
1938	250
1939	448
1940	695
1941	230
1942	429
1943	436
1944	355
1945	398
1946	349
1947	988
1948	403
1949	431
1950	1,341
1951	824
1952	425
1953	441
1954	476
1955	848
1956	678
1957	342
1958	281
1959	764
1960	465
1961	520
1962	684
1963	577
1964	629
1965	470
1966	1,094
1967	657
1968	862
1969	608
1970	414
1971	585
1972	522
1973	490
1974	565
1975	411
1976	894
1977	860
1978	563
1979	1,009
1980	991
1981	856
1982	620
1983	1,465
1984	696
1985	666
1986	819
1987	564
1988	991
1989	603
1990	1,262
1991	804
1992	1,168
1993	759
1994	719
1995	1,113
1996	900
1997	1,214
1998	802
1999	810
2000	989
2001	909
2002	1,208
2003	1,031
2004	1,333
2005	1,112
2006	851
2007	1,955
2008	1,170
2009	1,414
2010	1,028
2011	987
2012	1,086
2013	545
2014	582
2015	1,075
2016	872
2017	324
2018	657
2019	698
2020	1,051
2021	1,028
2022	1,038
2023	1,479
2024	589
2025	1,134
2026	985

Download the Data

Data for records on 1978-08-20: 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	417
25 to 50	7
50 to 75	3
75 to 100	0
100 to 125	0
125 to 150	0
150 to 175	1