Weather Records on 3 December 1978

1,406 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 3 December 1978. Highest significance: Hutchinson 1 N, US.

Key Facts for 3 December 1978

On 3 December 1978, 1,406 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
214 were record highs and 475 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 3 were all-time records, 75 monthly and 1,328 daily.
Hutchinson 1 N set a daily record precipitation of 30.5 mm (1.2 in) on 3 December 1978.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 461 records.

Record Map

1,406 stations

1,406 station records on 3 December 1978 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 3 December 1978: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Hutchinson 1 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	72 of 100 (Major)
Lexington Bluegrass AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	71 of 100 (Major)
Elgin Water	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	69 of 100 (Major)
Dennison Wtr Wks	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.1 mm (1.5 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Clearwater	United States	Record daily precipitation	115.3 mm (4.5 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Lovelaceville	United States	Record daily precipitation	93.2 mm (3.7 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Norley Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Storm Lake	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Van Wert 1 S	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.4 mm (1.5 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Dexter	United States	Record daily precipitation	93.2 mm (3.7 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Findlay Wpcc	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Algona	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Primghar	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Batesville L&D 1	United States	Record daily precipitation	75.2 mm (3.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Albion	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Crescent Lake Nwr	United States	Record snow depth	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Fullerton	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Meadow Grove	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Charlotte Plains	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Porto Calvo	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	48.4 mm (1.9 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Pocahontas 1	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.2 mm (3.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Auburn 2 SSE	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Onawa 3NW	United States	Record snow depth	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Williamsburg 1E	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Plymouth Wwtp	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.4 cm (8.8 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Sheboygan	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.7 cm (6.2 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Bernie	United States	Record daily precipitation	104.1 mm (4.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Benkelman 1N	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Ravenswood Lock Park	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Gulkana AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.5 cm (6.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Henderson 8 SSW	United States	Record daily precipitation	56.9 mm (2.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Sterling	United States	Record daily precipitation	56.1 mm (2.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Stillwater 1 SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Aurora	United States	Record snow depth	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Hartington	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Black Rock	United States	Record daily precipitation	102.1 mm (4.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Conway	United States	Record daily precipitation	80.5 mm (3.2 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Albion	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Akron Canton AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Ottawa Cda	Canada	Record daily snowfall	19.6 cm (7.7 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Melbourne 5W	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Comstock	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Madison	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Taylor	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Portage Wwtp	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Racine Wwtp	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Alicia 2 NNE	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.5 mm (3.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
1 ENE Fairfield	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Bloomfield	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Louisville Intl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	70.4 mm (2.8 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Gillespie	Australia	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Bancroft	Canada	Record daily precipitation	27.5 mm (1.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Tipton	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Hinckley	United States	Record daily snowfall	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Fairmont	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Brookings 2 NE	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Samburg Wr	United States	Record daily precipitation	77.5 mm (3.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Ravenswood Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Cheesman	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Holyoke	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,406 records

Records set or tied on 3 December 1978 by type: Highest daily maximum 102, Lowest daily maximum 240, Highest daily minimum 112, Lowest daily minimum 235, Heaviest daily rainfall 357, Heaviest daily snowfall 186, Deepest snow cover 174.

Records on 3 December 1978 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	102
Lowest daily maximum	240
Highest daily minimum	112
Lowest daily minimum	235
Heaviest daily rainfall	357
Heaviest daily snowfall	186
Deepest snow cover	174

Records on 3 December 1978 by timescale: all-time 3, monthly 75, daily 1,328.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,099 broken records

Margins by which the 1,099 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 304.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

3 December 1978

Top 20 records on 3 December 1978 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
3 December 1978	Hutchinson 1 N, US	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	81 years	72 of 100 (Major)
3 December 1978	Lexington Bluegrass AP, US	daily rain	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	84 years	71 of 100 (Major)
3 December 1978	Elgin Water, US	daily snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	80 years	69 of 100 (Major)
3 December 1978	Dennison Wtr Wks, US	daily rain	37.1 mm (1.5 in)	24.7 mm (1.0 in)	67 years	61 of 100 (Major)
3 December 1978	Clearwater, US	daily rain	115.3 mm (4.5 in)	55.6 mm (2.2 in)	81 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Lovelaceville, US	daily rain	93.2 mm (3.7 in)	74.1 mm (2.9 in)	40 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Norley Station, AU	daily rain	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	87 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Storm Lake, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	10.7 cm (4.2 in)	76 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Van Wert 1 S, US	daily rain	38.4 mm (1.5 in)	19.3 mm (0.8 in)	76 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Dexter, US	daily rain	93.2 mm (3.7 in)	62.5 mm (2.5 in)	28 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Findlay Wpcc, US	daily rain	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	13.4 mm (0.5 in)	84 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Algona, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	82 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Primghar, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	80 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Batesville L&D 1, US	daily rain	75.2 mm (3.0 in)	43.4 mm (1.7 in)	44 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Albion, US	daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	80 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Crescent Lake Nwr, US	daily snow depth	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	13 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Fullerton, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	68 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Meadow Grove, US	daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	13 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Charlotte Plains, AU	daily rain	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	17.2 mm (0.7 in)	80 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1978	Porto Calvo, BR	daily rain	48.4 mm (1.9 in)	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	33 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 1978

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1978. 1978 had 1,406 records.

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

Records on 12-03 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1796	1
1797	1
1801	1
1807	1
1810	1
1816	1
1828	1
1829	2
1831	1
1832	1
1846	1
1853	1
1855	3
1856	4
1866	2
1867	1
1869	4
1870	2
1872	3
1873	1
1875	4
1876	3
1879	8
1882	3
1886	1
1887	2
1888	3
1890	2
1891	3
1892	4
1893	1
1894	1
1895	4
1896	2
1897	4
1898	2
1899	4
1900	4
1901	9
1902	13
1903	9
1904	5
1905	33
1906	23
1907	2
1908	4
1909	45
1910	8
1911	12
1912	23
1913	66
1914	74
1915	19
1916	153
1917	34
1918	29
1919	88
1920	44
1921	128
1922	68
1923	58
1924	89
1925	152
1926	189
1927	247
1928	79
1929	651
1930	131
1931	352
1932	528
1933	486
1934	270
1935	267
1936	379
1937	284
1938	347
1939	443
1940	1,023
1941	1,141
1942	595
1943	290
1944	284
1945	194
1946	443
1947	814
1948	419
1949	177
1950	689
1951	881
1952	242
1953	804
1954	493
1955	763
1956	679
1957	211
1958	583
1959	372
1960	577
1961	342
1962	923
1963	331
1964	824
1965	308
1966	1,076
1967	859
1968	646
1969	395
1970	1,247
1971	999
1972	890
1973	778
1974	661
1975	638
1976	1,315
1977	681
1978	1,406
1979	959
1980	1,128
1981	644
1982	3,010
1983	1,255
1984	645
1985	2,305
1986	801
1987	682
1988	672
1989	1,064
1990	1,178
1991	1,521
1992	776
1993	670
1994	664
1995	725
1996	694
1997	854
1998	1,969
1999	982
2000	759
2001	604
2002	977
2003	519
2004	739
2005	1,140
2006	1,167
2007	793
2008	804
2009	1,124
2010	1,879
2011	852
2012	1,355
2013	799
2014	510
2015	533
2016	347
2017	669
2018	1,043
2019	490
2020	409
2021	1,364
2022	448
2023	810
2024	709
2025	578

Download the Data

Data for records on 1978-12-03: 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 50	957
50 to 100	90
100 to 150	36
150 to 200	10
200 to 250	3
250 to 300	2
300 to 350	1