Weather Records on 20 September 1978

1,216 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 September 1978. Highest significance: Indianola 1SW, US.

Key Facts for 20 September 1978

On 20 September 1978, 1,216 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
291 were record highs and 434 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 2 were all-time records, 29 monthly and 1,185 daily.
Indianola 1SW set a daily record precipitation of 84.1 mm (3.3 in) on 20 September 1978.
Across 156 earlier years (1812 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 437 records.

Record Map

1,216 stations

1,216 station records on 20 September 1978 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 September 1978: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Indianola 1SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	84.1 mm (3.3 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Holton	United States	Record daily precipitation	156.2 mm (6.1 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Silver Lake Brighton	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Horton	United States	Record daily precipitation	108.5 mm (4.3 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Hereford	United States	Record daily precipitation	67.3 mm (2.6 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Luckhoff (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	31.4 mm (1.2 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Ayr	United States	Record daily precipitation	75.9 mm (3.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Wamego 4 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.1 mm (2.1 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Floydada 9SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	79.2 mm (3.1 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Makwassie	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Conception	United States	Record daily precipitation	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Bailey	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.4 cm (3.3 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Plattsmouth 1E	United States	Record daily precipitation	91.9 mm (3.6 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Clarendon	United States	Record daily precipitation	82.3 mm (3.2 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Saguache	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Belle Plaine	United States	Record daily precipitation	73.4 mm (2.9 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Chariton 1 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	114.3 mm (4.5 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Manhattan	United States	Record daily precipitation	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Georgetown	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.1 cm (3.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Kanopolis Lake	United States	Record daily precipitation	93.2 mm (3.7 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Panhandle	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Highland	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.7 mm (3.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Green Cape Lighthouse	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Notla 3 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	78.7 mm (3.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Verma	Norway	Record snow depth	10.0 cm (3.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Chapman	United States	Record daily precipitation	78.7 mm (3.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Den Haag	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Grant City	United States	Record daily precipitation	57.7 mm (2.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Crosbyton	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Cathcart (Old Post Office)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.2 mm (1.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Blockton 1W	United States	Record daily precipitation	68.8 mm (2.7 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Hudson	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.1 mm (2.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Winslow AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Yalwal	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Boone	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Memphis	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Turgaj	Kazakhstan	Record high minimum temperature	16.4 C (61.5 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Irkutsk	Russia	Record high maximum temperature	23.5 C (74.3 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Guthrie Ctr	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Morse	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Marble Bar Comparison	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	27.0 C (80.6 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Windsorton (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Bloomfield 3 SE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Avon	United States	Record high maximum temperature	33.3 C (91.9 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Clifton Vale	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Albion	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Ottawa 4SW	United States	Record high minimum temperature	22.8 C (73.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Wheaton 3 SE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Bayard	United States	Record high minimum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Weston	United States	Record high minimum temperature	20.6 C (69.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Bolshoe Goloustnoe	Russia	Record high maximum temperature	24.3 C (75.7 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Walnut	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Auburn 2 SSE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	20.6 C (69.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Lima	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Johnstown	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Fillmore	United States	Record low maximum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Parsons 3 SE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Sitka Magnetic Obsy	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Waren	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	11.0 C (51.8 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Oranje	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	41.0 mm (1.6 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,216 records

Records set or tied on 20 September 1978 by type: Highest daily maximum 122, Lowest daily maximum 201, Highest daily minimum 169, Lowest daily minimum 233, Heaviest daily rainfall 470, Heaviest daily snowfall 10, Deepest snow cover 11.

Records on 20 September 1978 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	122
Lowest daily maximum	201
Highest daily minimum	169
Lowest daily minimum	233
Heaviest daily rainfall	470
Heaviest daily snowfall	10
Deepest snow cover	11

Records on 20 September 1978 by timescale: all-time 2, monthly 29, daily 1,185.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,013 broken records

Margins by which the 1,013 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 500.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 September 1978

Top 20 records on 20 September 1978 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 September 1978	Indianola 1SW, US	daily rain	84.1 mm (3.3 in)	51.1 mm (2.0 in)	83 years	67 of 100 (Major)
20 September 1978	Holton, US	daily rain	156.2 mm (6.1 in)	124.7 mm (4.9 in)	47 years	61 of 100 (Major)
20 September 1978	Silver Lake Brighton, US	daily snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	53 years	60 of 100 (Major)
20 September 1978	Horton, US	daily rain	108.5 mm (4.3 in)	75.5 mm (3.0 in)	19 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Hereford, US	daily rain	67.3 mm (2.6 in)	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	32 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Luckhoff (Pol), ZA	daily rain	31.4 mm (1.2 in)	31.1 mm (1.2 in)	12 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Mt Ayr, US	daily rain	75.9 mm (3.0 in)	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	52 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Wamego 4 W, US	daily rain	54.1 mm (2.1 in)	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	67 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Floydada 9SE, US	daily rain	79.2 mm (3.1 in)	74.4 mm (2.9 in)	17 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Makwassie, ZA	monthly rain	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	21.1 mm (0.8 in)	35 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Conception, US	daily rain	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	52 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Bailey, US	daily snowfall	8.4 cm (3.3 in)	8.4 cm (3.3 in)	76 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Plattsmouth 1E, US	monthly rain	91.9 mm (3.6 in)	11.1 mm (0.4 in)	73 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Clarendon, US	daily rain	82.3 mm (3.2 in)	39.1 mm (1.5 in)	47 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Saguache, US	monthly low min	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	65 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Belle Plaine, US	daily rain	73.4 mm (2.9 in)	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	29 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Chariton 1 E, US	daily rain	114.3 mm (4.5 in)	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	12 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Manhattan, US	daily rain	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	39.8 mm (1.6 in)	45 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Georgetown, US	daily snowfall	8.1 cm (3.2 in)	8.1 cm (3.2 in)	69 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 September 1978	Kanopolis Lake, US	daily rain	93.2 mm (3.7 in)	86.3 mm (3.4 in)	5 years	44 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

1812 to 1978

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1812 to 1978. 1978 had 1,216 records.

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

Records on 09-20 in each year
Year	Records
1812	1
1837	1
1840	1
1844	1
1848	2
1851	1
1852	1
1854	2
1855	1
1856	2
1859	2
1860	1
1862	1
1870	1
1871	2
1882	2
1883	1
1884	1
1886	2
1887	1
1888	2
1889	8
1891	4
1893	5
1894	1
1895	2
1896	1
1897	16
1898	4
1899	1
1900	2
1901	3
1902	3
1903	3
1904	12
1905	8
1906	22
1907	11
1908	24
1909	10
1910	8
1911	21
1912	34
1913	48
1914	28
1915	239
1916	28
1917	100
1918	59
1919	55
1920	64
1921	40
1922	52
1923	249
1924	329
1925	330
1926	129
1927	169
1928	144
1929	373
1930	102
1931	564
1932	270
1933	223
1934	349
1935	201
1936	133
1937	385
1938	506
1939	312
1940	591
1941	582
1942	436
1943	419
1944	466
1945	406
1946	766
1947	460
1948	454
1949	268
1950	435
1951	267
1952	434
1953	479
1954	628
1955	625
1956	985
1957	514
1958	410
1959	489
1960	352
1961	384
1962	707
1963	290
1964	482
1965	1,180
1966	414
1967	449
1968	617
1969	604
1970	591
1971	884
1972	582
1973	569
1974	771
1975	527
1976	375
1977	776
1978	1,216
1979	767
1980	567
1981	979
1982	911
1983	1,958
1984	895
1985	730
1986	743
1987	856
1988	698
1989	968
1990	743
1991	1,835
1992	718
1993	1,031
1994	788
1995	1,374
1996	1,077
1997	1,282
1998	1,157
1999	923
2000	908
2001	821
2002	845
2003	910
2004	1,156
2005	960
2006	732
2007	645
2008	648
2009	715
2010	1,497
2011	650
2012	549
2013	595
2014	577
2015	439
2016	778
2017	920
2018	1,020
2019	835
2020	630
2021	565
2022	786
2023	482
2024	596
2025	877
2026	682

Download the Data

Data for records on 1978-09-20: 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 100	1,009
100 to 200	2
200 to 300	1
300 to 400	0
400 to 500	1