Weather Records on 21 September 1978

818 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 September 1978. Highest significance: Worcester, ZA.

Key Facts for 21 September 1978

On 21 September 1978, 818 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
226 were record highs and 365 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 21 monthly and 797 daily.
Worcester set a daily record precipitation of 35.0 mm (1.4 in) on 21 September 1978.
Across 155 earlier years (1805 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 449 records.

Record Map

818 stations

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

Weather records on 21 September 1978: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Worcester	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Motozintla (Smn)	Mexico	Record high maximum temperature	38.3 C (100.9 F)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Flagstaff (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Memphis	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Carlsbad Caverns	United States	Record daily precipitation	58.2 mm (2.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Snyder	United States	Record daily precipitation	72.9 mm (2.9 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Gunnison 3SW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Ackerly 4SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	94.0 mm (3.7 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Hamlin 1SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	87.6 mm (3.4 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Knapp 2 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	95.3 mm (3.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Dublin Phoenix Park	Ireland	Record high maximum temperature	22.5 C (72.5 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Beaver	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Florida	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Erick	United States	Record daily precipitation	84.3 mm (3.3 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Ashland	United States	Record low maximum temperature	12.2 C (54.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Pecos	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Ohotsk	Russia	Record daily precipitation	33.7 mm (1.3 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Toledo Blade	United States	Record high maximum temperature	36.1 C (97.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Haskell	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Post	United States	Record daily precipitation	87.1 mm (3.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Centennial 1NE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Tropic	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Columbus	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.8 mm (1.9 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Avoca	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Miami	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Tomsk	Russia	Record high minimum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Beaver City	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.2 C (28.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Matador	United States	Record daily precipitation	56.6 mm (2.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Bluff	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-3.9 C (25.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Bedford	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.1 C (70.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Scottsburg	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Wellington	United States	Record low maximum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Afton 6 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Bucyrus	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Vega 2NW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Bjelasnica	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Record low maximum temperature	-2.9 C (26.8 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Fayetteville Exp STN	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.7 mm (3.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Pikeville	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.1 C (70.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Taos	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Mutual	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Aberdeen	United States	Record low maximum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Voroncovka	Russia	Record daily precipitation	26.8 mm (1.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Holbrook	United States	Record low minimum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Saguache	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Rupert 3 WSW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Johnstown	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Midland 4 ENE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Rotan	United States	Record daily precipitation	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Midland Odessa	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Marble Bar Comparison	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	28.4 C (83.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Bjelasnica	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Record low minimum temperature	-5.5 C (22.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Zhigalovo	Russia	Record high minimum temperature	11.6 C (52.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Collbran	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Marion	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.1 C (70.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Madison 3NNW	United States	Record high minimum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Snake Rvr	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Mineirolandia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	109.2 mm (4.3 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Utuado	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record low maximum temperature	28.9 C (84.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Bolshoe Goloustnoe	Russia	Record high maximum temperature	24.4 C (75.9 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Keams Canyon	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.2 C (28.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

818 records

Records set or tied on 21 September 1978 by type: Highest daily maximum 100, Lowest daily maximum 152, Highest daily minimum 126, Lowest daily minimum 213, Heaviest daily rainfall 220, Heaviest daily snowfall 1, Deepest snow cover 6.

Records on 21 September 1978 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	100
Lowest daily maximum	152
Highest daily minimum	126
Lowest daily minimum	213
Heaviest daily rainfall	220
Heaviest daily snowfall	1
Deepest snow cover	6

Records on 21 September 1978 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 21, daily 797.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

634 broken records

Margins by which the 634 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 400.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 September 1978

Top 20 records on 21 September 1978 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 September 1978	Worcester, ZA	daily rain	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	18.5 mm (0.7 in)	89 years	60 of 100 (Major)
21 September 1978	Motozintla (Smn), MX	daily high max	38.3 C (100.9 F)	6.6 C (11.9 F)	56 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Flagstaff (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	40.5 mm (1.6 in)	17 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Memphis, US	daily rain	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	31.7 mm (1.2 in)	71 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Carlsbad Caverns, US	daily rain	58.2 mm (2.3 in)	50.1 mm (2.0 in)	41 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Snyder, US	daily rain	72.9 mm (2.9 in)	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	59 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Gunnison 3SW, US	monthly low min	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	2.2 C (4.0 F)	84 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Ackerly 4SE, US	daily rain	94.0 mm (3.7 in)	86.4 mm (3.4 in)	13 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Hamlin 1SW, US	daily rain	87.6 mm (3.4 in)	67.3 mm (2.6 in)	5 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Knapp 2 SW, US	daily rain	95.3 mm (3.8 in)	76.5 mm (3.0 in)	3 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Dublin Phoenix Park, IE	daily high max	22.5 C (72.5 F)	1.0 C (1.8 F)	107 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Beaver, US	daily low max	11.7 C (53.1 F)	8.9 C (16.0 F)	65 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Florida, US	daily rain	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	41 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Erick, US	daily rain	84.3 mm (3.3 in)	48.5 mm (1.9 in)	12 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Ashland, US	daily low max	12.2 C (54.0 F)	5.6 C (10.1 F)	73 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Pecos, US	daily rain	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	28.9 mm (1.1 in)	28 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Ohotsk, RU	daily rain	33.7 mm (1.3 in)	14.6 mm (0.6 in)	51 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Toledo Blade, US	daily high max	36.1 C (97.0 F)	2.2 C (4.0 F)	82 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Haskell, US	daily rain	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	16.0 mm (0.6 in)	73 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
21 September 1978	Post, US	monthly rain	87.1 mm (3.4 in)	9.6 mm (0.38 in)	55 years	38 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

1805 to 1978

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1805 to 1978. 1978 had 818 records.

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

Records on 09-21 in each year
Year	Records
1805	1
1812	1
1825	2
1840	1
1841	1
1842	1
1848	1
1854	1
1856	2
1868	1
1872	2
1873	1
1877	1
1878	1
1881	1
1882	1
1884	1
1886	1
1888	2
1889	1
1891	10
1892	1
1893	10
1894	2
1895	3
1896	2
1897	6
1898	6
1899	3
1900	2
1901	5
1902	5
1903	8
1904	20
1905	12
1906	17
1907	10
1908	17
1909	10
1910	8
1911	18
1912	26
1913	37
1914	29
1915	34
1916	48
1917	28
1918	43
1919	54
1920	29
1921	64
1922	35
1923	232
1924	291
1925	278
1926	178
1927	165
1928	81
1929	232
1930	82
1931	681
1932	242
1933	193
1934	492
1935	199
1936	329
1937	487
1938	508
1939	308
1940	908
1941	416
1942	291
1943	407
1944	413
1945	507
1946	176
1947	534
1948	301
1949	298
1950	334
1951	241
1952	430
1953	382
1954	453
1955	752
1956	1,100
1957	366
1958	588
1959	513
1960	418
1961	441
1962	1,085
1963	306
1964	374
1965	1,088
1966	565
1967	577
1968	790
1969	593
1970	708
1971	645
1972	599
1973	421
1974	652
1975	528
1976	694
1977	918
1978	818
1979	736
1980	990
1981	696
1982	1,484
1983	2,207
1984	707
1985	796
1986	671
1987	965
1988	557
1989	1,002
1990	716
1991	1,021
1992	752
1993	911
1994	713
1995	2,002
1996	1,233
1997	1,112
1998	1,481
1999	1,025
2000	884
2001	718
2002	696
2003	959
2004	888
2005	1,143
2006	920
2007	742
2008	740
2009	715
2010	1,290
2011	542
2012	595
2013	769
2014	716
2015	565
2016	989
2017	1,178
2018	1,051
2019	833
2020	580
2021	465
2022	1,049
2023	783
2024	470
2025	588
2026	469

Download the Data

Data for records on 1978-09-21: 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	628
50 to 100	5
100 to 150	0
150 to 200	0
200 to 250	0
250 to 300	0
300 to 350	0
350 to 400	1