Weather Records on 9 December 1978

2,060 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 9 December 1978. Highest significance: Creston, US.

Key Facts for 9 December 1978

On 9 December 1978, 2,060 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
356 were record highs and 800 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 13 were all-time records, 186 monthly and 1,861 daily.
Creston set a monthly record daily precipitation of 90.9 mm (3.6 in) on 9 December 1978.
Across 157 earlier years (1796 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 465 records.

Record Map

2,000 stations, highest significance shown

2,000 station records on 9 December 1978 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 9 December 1978: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Creston	United States	Record daily precipitation	90.9 mm (3.6 in)	72 of 100 (Major)
Colesberg (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Ellesmere	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Prince Albert Road	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Cradock	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Middelplaats	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	67.5 mm (2.7 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Convamore	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	108.5 mm (4.3 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Celina	United States	Record daily precipitation	101.6 mm (4.0 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Dwars-In-Die-Weg	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Elliotdale (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	135.0 mm (5.3 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Zastron (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Sheenspost	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	102.6 mm (4.0 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Graaff Reinet	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Redelinghuis (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Manor Holme	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
De Aar	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	42.0 mm (1.7 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Waterland	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	87.0 mm (3.4 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Ladybrand (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Khorog	Tajikistan	Record daily precipitation	36.2 mm (1.4 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Schenley Lock 5	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Kermit	United States	Record daily precipitation	93.2 mm (3.7 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Ladysdale	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	68.5 mm (2.7 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Salopia	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Meteghan River	Canada	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Roodebloem	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	41.2 mm (1.6 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Grapevale	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	38.5 mm (1.5 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Chickamauga 2 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.2 mm (3.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Usina Ester	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	83.0 mm (3.3 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Nieu-Bethesda (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Avoca	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	75.5 mm (3.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Barkly East	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	58.0 mm (2.3 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Funnystone	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	87.0 mm (3.4 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Cave Run Lake	United States	Record daily precipitation	98.3 mm (3.9 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Chadron 3SW	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Ironton	United States	Record daily precipitation	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Branchland 1 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	78.2 mm (3.1 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Dull Ctr 1SE	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Pearce - Sunsites	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-18.3 C (-0.9 F)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Beaverdale 1 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	77.5 mm (3.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Red Lodge	United States	Record snow depth	127.0 cm (50.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Elk	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-25.0 C (-13.0 F)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Westminter Estate	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	58.0 mm (2.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Gallipolis	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.5 mm (1.9 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Billings Intl AP	United States	Record snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Concordia (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Waterford	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	49.8 mm (2.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
De Kalk	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Merriman	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Middlebourne	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Bens Run 1 SSE	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
The Mills	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Wargundy	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	82.1 mm (3.2 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
High Brg Lock 7	United States	Record daily precipitation	92.7 mm (3.6 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Jackson	United States	Record daily precipitation	103.6 mm (4.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Portsmouth-Sciotoville	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Maseru	Lesotho	Record daily precipitation	76.7 mm (3.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Tombstone	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-14.4 C (6.1 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Berea 1 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	104.1 mm (4.1 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Willow Lock 13	United States	Record daily precipitation	93.5 mm (3.7 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Bluff Lake	United States	Record daily precipitation	101.6 mm (4.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

2,060 records

Records set or tied on 9 December 1978 by type: Highest daily maximum 198, Lowest daily maximum 391, Highest daily minimum 158, Lowest daily minimum 409, Heaviest daily rainfall 699, Heaviest daily snowfall 64, Deepest snow cover 141.

Records on 9 December 1978 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	198
Lowest daily maximum	391
Highest daily minimum	158
Lowest daily minimum	409
Heaviest daily rainfall	699
Heaviest daily snowfall	64
Deepest snow cover	141

Records on 9 December 1978 by timescale: all-time 13, monthly 186, daily 1,861.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,769 broken records

Margins by which the 1,769 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 813.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

9 December 1978

Top 20 records on 9 December 1978 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
9 December 1978	Creston, US	monthly rain	90.9 mm (3.6 in)	31.2 mm (1.2 in)	56 years	72 of 100 (Major)
9 December 1978	Colesberg (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	87 years	67 of 100 (Major)
9 December 1978	Ellesmere, ZA	daily rain	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	41.0 mm (1.6 in)	56 years	66 of 100 (Major)
9 December 1978	Prince Albert Road, ZA	daily rain	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	22.7 mm (0.9 in)	100 years	64 of 100 (Major)
9 December 1978	Cradock, ZA	daily rain	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	21.3 mm (0.8 in)	87 years	62 of 100 (Major)
9 December 1978	Middelplaats, ZA	daily rain	67.5 mm (2.7 in)	45.4 mm (1.8 in)	53 years	62 of 100 (Major)
9 December 1978	Convamore, ZA	monthly rain	108.5 mm (4.3 in)	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	19 years	61 of 100 (Major)
9 December 1978	Celina, US	daily rain	101.6 mm (4.0 in)	56.9 mm (2.2 in)	47 years	61 of 100 (Major)
9 December 1978	Dwars-In-Die-Weg, ZA	daily rain	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	49 years	60 of 100 (Major)
9 December 1978	Elliotdale (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	135.0 mm (5.3 in)	113.7 mm (4.5 in)	40 years	60 of 100 (Major)
9 December 1978	Zastron (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	45.9 mm (1.8 in)	56 years	60 of 100 (Major)
9 December 1978	Sheenspost, ZA	monthly rain	102.6 mm (4.0 in)	49.6 mm (2.0 in)	19 years	60 of 100 (Major)
9 December 1978	Graaff Reinet, ZA	daily rain	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	87 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
9 December 1978	Redelinghuis (Pol), ZA	monthly rain	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	19.5 mm (0.8 in)	24 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
9 December 1978	Manor Holme, ZA	daily rain	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	32.6 mm (1.3 in)	40 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
9 December 1978	De Aar, ZA	monthly rain	42.0 mm (1.7 in)	9.0 mm (0.35 in)	86 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
9 December 1978	Waterland, ZA	monthly rain	87.0 mm (3.4 in)	29.6 mm (1.2 in)	28 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
9 December 1978	Ladybrand (Bos), ZA	daily rain	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	50.6 mm (2.0 in)	20 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
9 December 1978	Khorog, TJ	daily rain	36.2 mm (1.4 in)	29.1 mm (1.1 in)	28 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
9 December 1978	Worcester, ZA	daily rain	16.0 mm (0.6 in)	15.2 mm (0.6 in)	96 years	20 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

1796 to 1978

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1796 to 1978. 1978 had 2,060 records.

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

Records on 12-09 in each year
Year	Records
1796	1
1820	1
1825	3
1831	1
1844	1
1856	1
1860	1
1862	1
1867	2
1868	1
1869	1
1871	3
1872	1
1873	2
1876	2
1878	4
1879	9
1880	1
1882	3
1883	1
1885	2
1886	2
1887	1
1889	1
1891	3
1893	1
1894	1
1895	3
1896	1
1897	4
1898	3
1899	5
1900	1
1901	4
1902	18
1903	7
1904	2
1905	9
1906	15
1907	28
1908	5
1909	18
1910	36
1911	31
1912	18
1913	37
1914	57
1915	139
1916	366
1917	106
1918	40
1919	58
1920	221
1921	58
1922	311
1923	203
1924	164
1925	93
1926	113
1927	356
1928	110
1929	192
1930	211
1931	434
1932	339
1933	250
1934	364
1935	263
1936	143
1937	348
1938	329
1939	1,030
1940	251
1941	144
1942	370
1943	496
1944	327
1945	178
1946	1,308
1947	303
1948	278
1949	299
1950	382
1951	849
1952	553
1953	347
1954	226
1955	352
1956	672
1957	565
1958	678
1959	217
1960	426
1961	818
1962	377
1963	642
1964	547
1965	706
1966	968
1967	639
1968	482
1969	347
1970	987
1971	655
1972	1,776
1973	679
1974	629
1975	668
1976	868
1977	1,548
1978	2,060
1979	693
1980	760
1981	748
1982	589
1983	664
1984	588
1985	1,074
1986	658
1987	1,007
1988	939
1989	1,270
1990	844
1991	878
1992	791
1993	912
1994	1,071
1995	1,247
1996	946
1997	1,214
1998	769
1999	774
2000	920
2001	505
2002	1,052
2003	824
2004	1,108
2005	1,714
2006	1,718
2007	1,124
2008	1,052
2009	2,442
2010	1,726
2011	496
2012	753
2013	1,018
2014	510
2015	1,054
2016	679
2017	715
2018	626
2019	614
2020	571
2021	674
2022	666
2023	907
2024	422
2025	1,602

Download the Data

Data for records on 1978-12-09: 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 200	1,764
200 to 400	3
400 to 600	1
600 to 800	0
800 to 1000	1