Weather Records on 3 January 1979

2,417 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 3 January 1979. Highest significance: Port Douglas - Warner St, AU.

Key Facts for 3 January 1979

On 3 January 1979, 2,417 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
215 were record highs and 1,683 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 11 were all-time records, 63 monthly and 2,343 daily.
Port Douglas - Warner St set a daily record precipitation of 297.2 mm (11.7 in) on 3 January 1979.
Across 163 earlier years (1794 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 479 records.

Record Map

2,000 stations, highest significance shown

2,000 station records on 3 January 1979 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 3 January 1979: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Port Douglas - Warner St	Australia	Record daily precipitation	297.2 mm (11.7 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Malanda Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	178.0 mm (7.0 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Fredonia	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Mount Molloy Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	179.4 mm (7.1 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Southport 5 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	69.9 mm (2.8 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Kalmar_Flygflottilj	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	25.8 mm (1.0 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Ravenshoe Kuradilla Street	Australia	Record daily precipitation	236.0 mm (9.3 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Bloomfield	Canada	Record daily snowfall	30.0 cm (11.8 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Low Isles Lighthouse	Australia	Record daily precipitation	293.0 mm (11.5 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Tully Sugar Mill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	291.0 mm (11.5 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
South Wales Emery Park	United States	Record daily snowfall	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Vine Creek	Australia	Record daily precipitation	285.0 mm (11.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Mossman Central Mill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	404.0 mm (15.9 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Mossman South Alchera Drive	Australia	Record daily precipitation	292.8 mm (11.5 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Celle (Stadt)	Germany	Record snow depth	30.0 cm (11.8 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Mossman Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	404.0 mm (15.9 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Mowbray	Australia	Record daily precipitation	279.0 mm (11.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Meringa Sugar Exp STN	Australia	Record daily precipitation	262.0 mm (10.3 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Whyanbeel Valley	Australia	Record daily precipitation	386.6 mm (15.2 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Danbulla Forestry	Australia	Record daily precipitation	207.0 mm (8.1 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Evelyn State Forest	Australia	Record daily precipitation	168.8 mm (6.6 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Millaa Millaa Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	398.0 mm (15.7 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Julatten	Australia	Record daily precipitation	249.4 mm (9.8 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Kuranda Railway Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	363.0 mm (14.3 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Port Hastings	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Belhaven 1 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Pte de Chassiron	France	Record daily precipitation	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Reus/Aeropuerto	Spain	Record daily precipitation	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Atchison	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Greenville	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Misantla	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Box Butte Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	86.4 cm (34.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Herberton White St	Australia	Record daily precipitation	128.6 mm (5.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Tiete	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	79.6 mm (3.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Shovi	Georgia	Record daily precipitation	46.6 mm (1.8 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Jaral de Berrios	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Beechwood	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.3 mm (1.9 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Minonk	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-20.6 C (-5.1 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Carrollton Lock 1	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Pembroke	United States	Record daily precipitation	56.1 mm (2.2 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Oconomowoc Wwtp	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-18.3 C (-0.9 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Koah	Australia	Record daily precipitation	212.0 mm (8.3 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Feluga	Australia	Record daily precipitation	284.6 mm (11.2 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Niagara Falls	Canada	Record daily snowfall	16.0 cm (6.3 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Vilsandi	Estonia	Record low maximum temperature	-16.0 C (3.2 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Hamburg Fuhlsbuettel	Germany	Record snow depth	27.0 cm (10.6 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Clausthal-Zellerfeld	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-20.2 C (-4.4 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Yungaburra	Australia	Record daily precipitation	191.0 mm (7.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Marengo	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-20.6 C (-5.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Vanceburg	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Bjelasnica	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Record low maximum temperature	-20.9 C (-5.6 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Ponte Melo Peixoto	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	51.3 mm (2.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Hambledon Mill Csr	Australia	Record daily precipitation	278.0 mm (10.9 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Arhangelsk	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	-24.5 C (-12.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Watseka Public Works	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-18.3 C (-0.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Brassua Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.3 mm (1.3 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Grayling	United States	Record snow depth	78.7 cm (31.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Ludington 4 SE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Lexington	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-13.9 C (7.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Oconomowoc Wwtp	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-29.4 C (-20.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

2,417 records

Records set or tied on 3 January 1979 by type: Highest daily maximum 155, Lowest daily maximum 782, Highest daily minimum 60, Lowest daily minimum 901, Heaviest daily rainfall 231, Heaviest daily snowfall 47, Deepest snow cover 241.

Records on 3 January 1979 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	155
Lowest daily maximum	782
Highest daily minimum	60
Lowest daily minimum	901
Heaviest daily rainfall	231
Heaviest daily snowfall	47
Deepest snow cover	241

Records on 3 January 1979 by timescale: all-time 11, monthly 63, daily 2,343.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

2,077 broken records

Margins by which the 2,077 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 610.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

3 January 1979

Top 20 records on 3 January 1979 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
3 January 1979	Port Douglas - Warner St, AU	daily rain	297.2 mm (11.7 in)	146.8 mm (5.8 in)	68 years	67 of 100 (Major)
3 January 1979	Malanda Post Office, AU	daily rain	178.0 mm (7.0 in)	112.0 mm (4.4 in)	52 years	61 of 100 (Major)
3 January 1979	Fredonia, US	daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	17.0 cm (6.7 in)	60 years	61 of 100 (Major)
3 January 1979	Mount Molloy Post Office, AU	daily rain	179.4 mm (7.1 in)	103.2 mm (4.1 in)	68 years	60 of 100 (Major)
3 January 1979	Southport 5 N, US	daily rain	69.9 mm (2.8 in)	40.7 mm (1.6 in)	68 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Kalmar_Flygflottilj, SE	monthly rain	25.8 mm (1.0 in)	9.4 mm (0.37 in)	27 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Ravenshoe Kuradilla Street, AU	monthly rain	236.0 mm (9.3 in)	57.9 mm (2.3 in)	44 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Bloomfield, CA	daily snowfall	30.0 cm (11.8 in)	18.6 cm (7.3 in)	56 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Low Isles Lighthouse, AU	daily rain	293.0 mm (11.5 in)	185.8 mm (7.3 in)	21 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Tully Sugar Mill, AU	daily rain	291.0 mm (11.5 in)	212.8 mm (8.4 in)	43 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	South Wales Emery Park, US	daily snowfall	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	20.4 cm (8.0 in)	36 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Vine Creek, AU	monthly rain	285.0 mm (11.2 in)	126.0 mm (5.0 in)	0 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Mossman Central Mill, AU	daily rain	404.0 mm (15.9 in)	282.8 mm (11.1 in)	21 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Mossman South Alchera Drive, AU	daily rain	292.8 mm (11.5 in)	193.2 mm (7.6 in)	21 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Celle (Stadt), DE	daily snow depth	30.0 cm (11.8 in)	20.0 cm (7.9 in)	28 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Mossman Post Office, AU	daily rain	404.0 mm (15.9 in)	289.4 mm (11.4 in)	21 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Mowbray, AU	daily rain	279.0 mm (11.0 in)	202.8 mm (8.0 in)	21 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Meringa Sugar Exp STN, AU	daily rain	262.0 mm (10.3 in)	190.6 mm (7.5 in)	21 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Whyanbeel Valley, AU	daily rain	386.6 mm (15.2 in)	217.2 mm (8.6 in)	21 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
3 January 1979	Danbulla Forestry, AU	daily rain	207.0 mm (8.1 in)	128.8 mm (5.1 in)	15 years	49 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

1794 to 1979

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1794 to 1979. 1979 had 2,417 records.

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

Records on 01-03 in each year
Year	Records
1794	1
1798	1
1800	1
1823	2
1825	1
1830	2
1839	1
1848	1
1853	1
1860	2
1861	1
1864	1
1867	2
1868	2
1871	2
1873	1
1874	2
1876	2
1877	3
1878	1
1879	2
1882	2
1883	3
1884	1
1886	4
1887	5
1888	3
1889	4
1890	3
1891	4
1892	1
1893	1
1894	1
1895	3
1896	1
1897	3
1899	2
1900	15
1901	4
1902	15
1903	17
1904	51
1905	12
1906	13
1907	26
1908	8
1909	11
1910	23
1911	40
1912	26
1913	83
1914	33
1915	29
1916	60
1917	52
1918	80
1919	54
1920	31
1921	139
1922	80
1923	46
1924	222
1925	139
1926	268
1927	235
1928	412
1929	58
1930	160
1931	100
1932	167
1933	160
1934	208
1935	249
1936	404
1937	291
1938	139
1939	498
1940	312
1941	595
1942	505
1943	508
1944	361
1945	148
1946	171
1947	662
1948	462
1949	910
1950	2,025
1951	459
1952	587
1953	241
1954	370
1955	443
1956	188
1957	177
1958	326
1959	861
1960	431
1961	543
1962	802
1963	494
1964	513
1965	492
1966	885
1967	247
1968	582
1969	516
1970	749
1971	1,280
1972	313
1973	623
1974	1,010
1975	710
1976	524
1977	790
1978	745
1979	2,417
1980	470
1981	1,401
1982	1,380
1983	921
1984	983
1985	739
1986	676
1987	843
1988	1,034
1989	740
1990	467
1991	1,077
1992	1,200
1993	910
1994	902
1995	726
1996	2,085
1997	3,676
1998	1,434
1999	1,568
2000	2,063
2001	1,385
2002	1,307
2003	981
2004	1,406
2005	1,157
2006	1,472
2007	1,396
2008	948
2009	682
2010	1,337
2011	681
2012	956
2013	496
2014	1,029
2015	869
2016	605
2017	1,053
2018	1,444
2019	474
2020	772
2021	476
2022	989
2023	1,318
2024	734
2025	653
2026	902

Download the Data

Data for records on 1979-01-03: 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 100	2,010
100 to 200	50
200 to 300	15
300 to 400	1
400 to 500	0
500 to 600	0
600 to 700	1