Weather Records on 17 December 1978

710 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 December 1978. Highest significance: Lennoxville, CA.

Key Facts for 17 December 1978

On 17 December 1978, 710 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
117 were record highs and 191 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 41 monthly and 668 daily.
Lennoxville set a daily record precipitation of 46.2 mm (1.8 in) on 17 December 1978.
Across 160 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 462 records.

Record Map

710 stations

710 station records on 17 December 1978 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 December 1978: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Lennoxville	Canada	Record daily precipitation	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	75 of 100 (Major)
P-Ranch South Place	United States	Record daily snowfall	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	65 of 100 (Major)
Wanakena Rngr School	United States	Record daily snowfall	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Otatitlan	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	205.0 mm (8.1 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Ostas I Hegra	Norway	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Colonia Guerrero	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Merriman	United States	Record snow depth	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Blanding	United States	Record daily snowfall	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Bartlett Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	87.1 mm (3.4 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Port Campbell Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.2 mm (1.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Chandler	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Lennoxville	Canada	Record daily snowfall	46.2 cm (18.2 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Salitre	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	91.0 mm (3.6 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Pearce - Sunsites	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Cosamaloapan de Carpio (Smn)	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	207.8 mm (8.2 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Bull Harbour	Canada	Record daily snowfall	17.0 cm (6.7 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Lambton	Canada	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Parnu	Estonia	Record low minimum temperature	-23.8 C (-10.8 F)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Tartu	Estonia	Record low maximum temperature	-27.9 C (-18.2 F)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Sierra Ancha	United States	Record daily precipitation	52.3 mm (2.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Red Lodge	United States	Record snow depth	106.7 cm (42.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Thundelarra	Australia	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Gellibrand River West	Australia	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Santa Helena (Mariquita)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	85.4 mm (3.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Svyatoy Nos;Cape(Closed)	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-22.2 C (-8.0 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Bailey	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Chadron 3SW	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Tanana AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.4 cm (4.9 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Velikie Luki	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-36.3 C (-33.3 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Lambton	Canada	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
New Harmony	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.9 mm (1.6 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Princetown	Australia	Record daily precipitation	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Poway Valley	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Santo Tomas	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	75.9 mm (3.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Arhangelsk	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-39.0 C (-38.2 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Sunflower 3 NNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Hatch	United States	Record daily snowfall	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
La Rumorosa	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Velikie Luki	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	-27.5 C (-17.5 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Dull Ctr 1SE	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Dunedin	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	57.0 mm (2.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Flagstaff AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Dandaraga	Australia	Record daily precipitation	44.0 mm (1.7 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Mount Forest	Canada	Record daily snowfall	16.6 cm (6.5 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Tartu-Toravere	Estonia	Record low maximum temperature	-23.6 C (-10.5 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Chester	United States	Record daily snowfall	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Zion Np	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Linton Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Eastern View	Australia	Record daily precipitation	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Canton	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	66.3 mm (2.6 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Escondido	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Berrybank	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Baddeck	Canada	Record daily precipitation	45.5 mm (1.8 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Trafalgar	Canada	Record daily precipitation	36.2 mm (1.4 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
El Alamo	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	65.8 mm (2.6 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Stewart Mtn Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	69.6 mm (2.7 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Descanso Rs	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Perangery	Australia	Record daily precipitation	38.4 mm (1.5 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Mount Mercer (Woodbank)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Voru	Estonia	Record low minimum temperature	-34.8 C (-30.6 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

710 records

Records set or tied on 17 December 1978 by type: Highest daily maximum 47, Lowest daily maximum 90, Highest daily minimum 70, Lowest daily minimum 101, Heaviest daily rainfall 292, Heaviest daily snowfall 67, Deepest snow cover 43.

Records on 17 December 1978 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	47
Lowest daily maximum	90
Highest daily minimum	70
Lowest daily minimum	101
Heaviest daily rainfall	292
Heaviest daily snowfall	67
Deepest snow cover	43

Records on 17 December 1978 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 41, daily 668.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

613 broken records

Margins by which the 613 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 508.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 December 1978

Top 20 records on 17 December 1978 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 December 1978	Lennoxville, CA	daily rain	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	89 years	75 of 100 (Major)
17 December 1978	P-Ranch South Place, US	daily snowfall	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	75 years	65 of 100 (Major)
17 December 1978	Wanakena Rngr School, US	daily snowfall	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	52 years	61 of 100 (Major)
17 December 1978	Otatitlan, MX	monthly rain	205.0 mm (8.1 in)	123.7 mm (4.9 in)	13 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Ostas I Hegra, NO	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	17.0 mm (0.7 in)	77 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Colonia Guerrero, MX	monthly rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	16 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Merriman, US	daily snow depth	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	53 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Blanding, US	daily snowfall	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	22.8 cm (9.0 in)	69 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Bartlett Dam, US	monthly rain	87.1 mm (3.4 in)	35.5 mm (1.4 in)	18 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Port Campbell Post Office, AU	daily rain	32.2 mm (1.3 in)	14.2 mm (0.6 in)	76 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Chandler, US	daily rain	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	53 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Lennoxville, CA	daily snowfall	46.2 cm (18.2 in)	32.7 cm (12.9 in)	8 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Salitre, BR	daily rain	91.0 mm (3.6 in)	71.5 mm (2.8 in)	24 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Pearce - Sunsites, US	daily rain	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	11 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Cosamaloapan de Carpio (Smn), MX	daily rain	207.8 mm (8.2 in)	205.0 mm (8.1 in)	15 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Bull Harbour, CA	daily snowfall	17.0 cm (6.7 in)	14.5 cm (5.7 in)	53 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Lambton, CA	daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	61 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Parnu, EE	daily low min	-23.8 C (-10.8 F)	5.7 C (10.3 F)	95 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Tartu, EE	monthly low max	-27.9 C (-18.2 F)	4.4 C (7.9 F)	70 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1978	Sierra Ancha, US	daily rain	52.3 mm (2.1 in)	33.2 mm (1.3 in)	64 years	47 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 710 records.

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

Records on 12-17 in each year
Year	Records
1793	2
1796	1
1806	2
1808	2
1814	1
1815	1
1839	1
1845	1
1846	4
1847	1
1848	1
1859	3
1866	1
1867	1
1868	1
1869	2
1873	2
1876	3
1877	2
1878	1
1879	2
1881	2
1885	1
1886	1
1888	2
1889	2
1890	4
1892	4
1893	2
1894	4
1895	3
1896	4
1897	4
1898	2
1899	1
1900	6
1901	5
1902	47
1903	2
1904	14
1905	2
1906	17
1907	9
1908	13
1909	5
1910	37
1911	12
1912	15
1913	21
1914	17
1915	31
1916	21
1917	21
1918	21
1919	109
1920	97
1921	94
1922	120
1923	170
1924	505
1925	79
1926	172
1927	143
1928	359
1929	221
1930	362
1931	217
1932	684
1933	710
1934	200
1935	87
1936	504
1937	379
1938	118
1939	1,126
1940	248
1941	261
1942	507
1943	444
1944	189
1945	621
1946	207
1947	258
1948	316
1949	296
1950	294
1951	773
1952	277
1953	283
1954	409
1955	419
1956	448
1957	686
1958	540
1959	548
1960	492
1961	911
1962	676
1963	531
1964	1,239
1965	482
1966	516
1967	1,121
1968	338
1969	238
1970	820
1971	781
1972	601
1973	1,016
1974	390
1975	474
1976	507
1977	1,024
1978	710
1979	951
1980	1,116
1981	1,354
1982	569
1983	1,264
1984	1,618
1985	1,210
1986	743
1987	1,191
1988	481
1989	2,905
1990	866
1991	577
1992	1,461
1993	761
1994	685
1995	956
1996	1,212
1997	1,279
1998	695
1999	901
2000	1,566
2001	1,262
2002	858
2003	751
2004	554
2005	806
2006	1,307
2007	1,100
2008	1,354
2009	926
2010	1,405
2011	430
2012	942
2013	718
2014	370
2015	1,378
2016	1,521
2017	408
2018	498
2019	917
2020	768
2021	908
2022	595
2023	931
2024	560
2025	1,198

Download the Data

Data for records on 1978-12-17: 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	588
100 to 200	19
200 to 300	4
300 to 400	1
400 to 500	0
500 to 600	1