Weather Records on 4 January 1979

1,606 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 4 January 1979. Highest significance: Yarrabah Comm Council, AU.

Key Facts for 4 January 1979

On 4 January 1979, 1,606 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
86 were record highs and 1,078 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 9 were all-time records, 37 monthly and 1,560 daily.
Yarrabah Comm Council set a daily record precipitation of 322.0 mm (12.7 in) on 4 January 1979.
Across 162 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 499 records.

Record Map

1,606 stations

1,606 station records on 4 January 1979 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 4 January 1979: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Yarrabah Comm Council	Australia	Record daily precipitation	322.0 mm (12.7 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
Clohesy River	Australia	Record daily precipitation	401.2 mm (15.8 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Port Douglas - Warner St	Australia	Record daily precipitation	288.3 mm (11.4 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Kuranda Railway Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	535.0 mm (21.1 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Mount Molloy Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	244.8 mm (9.6 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Millaa Millaa Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	251.0 mm (9.9 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Mowbray	Australia	Record daily precipitation	342.0 mm (13.5 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Ravenshoe Kuradilla Street	Australia	Record daily precipitation	195.0 mm (7.7 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Centennial 1NE	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Danbulla Forestry	Australia	Record daily precipitation	177.4 mm (7.0 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Mossman South Alchera Drive	Australia	Record daily precipitation	220.0 mm (8.7 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Hambledon Mill Csr	Australia	Record daily precipitation	256.0 mm (10.1 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Box Butte Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	83.8 cm (33.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Deeral	Australia	Record daily precipitation	331.0 mm (13.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Meringa Sugar Exp STN	Australia	Record daily precipitation	248.0 mm (9.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Vine Creek	Australia	Record daily precipitation	240.0 mm (9.4 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Cairns Aero	Australia	Record daily precipitation	225.6 mm (8.9 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Mossman Central Mill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	334.2 mm (13.2 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Kairi Research Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	148.4 mm (5.8 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Julatten	Australia	Record daily precipitation	323.8 mm (12.7 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Mossman Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	334.2 mm (13.2 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Evelyn State Forest	Australia	Record daily precipitation	137.8 mm (5.4 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Whyanbeel Valley	Australia	Record daily precipitation	342.2 mm (13.5 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Lovell	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Barisaho	Georgia	Record daily precipitation	55.3 mm (2.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Malanda Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	129.4 mm (5.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Barron Upper 1	Australia	Record daily precipitation	155.6 mm (6.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Westermarkelsdorf/Fehmarn	Germany	Record snow depth	30.0 cm (11.8 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Borkum-Suderstrasse	Germany	Record snow depth	35.0 cm (13.8 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Nordby (Fano)	Denmark	Record low maximum temperature	-6.0 C (21.2 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Geisenheim	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-14.4 C (6.1 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Hamburg Fuhlsbuettel	Germany	Record snow depth	27.0 cm (10.6 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Mystic Lake	United States	Record snow depth	81.3 cm (32.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Cairns Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	178.1 mm (7.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Koah	Australia	Record daily precipitation	274.8 mm (10.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Bremen-Seefahrtschule	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-20.6 C (-5.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Walnut	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Kent City 2 SW	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Muskoka A	Canada	Record daily snowfall	34.4 cm (13.5 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Putbus	Germany	Record snow depth	31.0 cm (12.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Wrixum/Fohr	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	-6.3 C (20.7 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Winter Park	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Lexington	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-15.0 C (5.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Waren	Germany	Record snow depth	32.0 cm (12.6 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Wrixum/Fohr	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-12.0 C (10.4 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Alma	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-13.9 C (7.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Morris 2W	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Palmerville	Australia	Record low minimum temperature	18.5 C (65.3 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Norfolk 2 SW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-10.0 C (14.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Geneseo	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Grayling	United States	Record snow depth	78.7 cm (31.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Roxboro 7 ESE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-4.4 C (24.1 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Gaddede	Sweden	Record low maximum temperature	-29.7 C (-21.5 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Avon Park 2 W	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Galesburg	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Benton Harbor AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-18.9 C (-2.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Chambersburg 1 ESE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Traverse Cy Cherry Capital AP	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-13.9 C (7.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Glenview NAS	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Banff	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-34.1 C (-29.4 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,606 records

Records set or tied on 4 January 1979 by type: Highest daily maximum 54, Lowest daily maximum 585, Highest daily minimum 32, Lowest daily minimum 493, Heaviest daily rainfall 157, Heaviest daily snowfall 50, Deepest snow cover 235.

Records on 4 January 1979 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	54
Lowest daily maximum	585
Highest daily minimum	32
Lowest daily minimum	493
Heaviest daily rainfall	157
Heaviest daily snowfall	50
Deepest snow cover	235

Records on 4 January 1979 by timescale: all-time 9, monthly 37, daily 1,560.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,327 broken records

Margins by which the 1,327 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 584.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

4 January 1979

Top 20 records on 4 January 1979 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
4 January 1979	Yarrabah Comm Council, AU	daily rain	322.0 mm (12.7 in)	181.3 mm (7.1 in)	69 years	68 of 100 (Major)
4 January 1979	Clohesy River, AU	all-time rain	401.2 mm (15.8 in)	107.8 mm (4.2 in)	11 years	67 of 100 (Major)
4 January 1979	Port Douglas - Warner St, AU	daily rain	288.3 mm (11.4 in)	199.4 mm (7.9 in)	49 years	63 of 100 (Major)
4 January 1979	Kuranda Railway Station, AU	monthly rain	535.0 mm (21.1 in)	120.0 mm (4.7 in)	65 years	62 of 100 (Major)
4 January 1979	Mount Molloy Post Office, AU	daily rain	244.8 mm (9.6 in)	174.2 mm (6.9 in)	49 years	61 of 100 (Major)
4 January 1979	Millaa Millaa Post Office, AU	daily rain	251.0 mm (9.9 in)	182.9 mm (7.2 in)	49 years	60 of 100 (Major)
4 January 1979	Mowbray, AU	daily rain	342.0 mm (13.5 in)	237.6 mm (9.4 in)	49 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Ravenshoe Kuradilla Street, AU	daily rain	195.0 mm (7.7 in)	150.8 mm (5.9 in)	49 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Centennial 1NE, US	daily snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	64 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Danbulla Forestry, AU	daily rain	177.4 mm (7.0 in)	112.1 mm (4.4 in)	49 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Mossman South Alchera Drive, AU	daily rain	220.0 mm (8.7 in)	128.8 mm (5.1 in)	49 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Hambledon Mill Csr, AU	daily rain	256.0 mm (10.1 in)	133.1 mm (5.2 in)	48 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Box Butte Exp STN, US	daily snow depth	83.8 cm (33.0 in)	48.2 cm (19.0 in)	29 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Deeral, AU	daily rain	331.0 mm (13.0 in)	226.6 mm (8.9 in)	20 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Meringa Sugar Exp STN, AU	daily rain	248.0 mm (9.8 in)	188.6 mm (7.4 in)	20 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Vine Creek, AU	daily rain	240.0 mm (9.4 in)	185.9 mm (7.3 in)	21 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Cairns Aero, AU	daily rain	225.6 mm (8.9 in)	180.4 mm (7.1 in)	20 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Mossman Central Mill, AU	daily rain	334.2 mm (13.2 in)	220.6 mm (8.7 in)	4 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Kairi Research Station, AU	daily rain	148.4 mm (5.8 in)	116.2 mm (4.6 in)	4 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1979	Julatten, AU	daily rain	323.8 mm (12.7 in)	253.8 mm (10.0 in)	4 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

1795 to 1979

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1795 to 1979. 1979 had 1,606 records.

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

Records on 01-04 in each year
Year	Records
1795	2
1803	2
1824	1
1845	1
1855	1
1860	2
1864	4
1866	1
1867	2
1869	2
1871	2
1872	1
1873	2
1874	3
1876	1
1877	3
1878	3
1879	1
1880	1
1881	3
1882	2
1884	2
1886	5
1887	2
1888	4
1889	4
1890	2
1891	4
1892	1
1893	2
1894	9
1895	8
1896	2
1897	1
1898	2
1899	4
1900	6
1901	9
1902	7
1903	16
1904	51
1905	21
1906	15
1907	13
1908	8
1909	23
1910	20
1911	17
1912	30
1913	27
1914	45
1915	21
1916	59
1917	59
1918	78
1919	34
1920	113
1921	121
1922	56
1923	54
1924	184
1925	128
1926	310
1927	185
1928	150
1929	96
1930	134
1931	94
1932	200
1933	231
1934	319
1935	207
1936	394
1937	251
1938	136
1939	647
1940	332
1941	1,010
1942	1,191
1943	453
1944	300
1945	194
1946	371
1947	858
1948	391
1949	1,261
1950	2,015
1951	394
1952	349
1953	267
1954	249
1955	659
1956	462
1957	262
1958	448
1959	1,124
1960	358
1961	378
1962	359
1963	559
1964	349
1965	403
1966	798
1967	319
1968	661
1969	645
1970	497
1971	1,191
1972	728
1973	667
1974	957
1975	394
1976	534
1977	524
1978	656
1979	1,606
1980	643
1981	1,430
1982	2,261
1983	953
1984	996
1985	1,049
1986	705
1987	1,172
1988	903
1989	1,205
1990	509
1991	1,016
1992	1,201
1993	1,538
1994	1,418
1995	922
1996	1,389
1997	3,256
1998	1,246
1999	1,842
2000	1,486
2001	1,350
2002	1,151
2003	1,229
2004	1,611
2005	1,581
2006	1,167
2007	2,045
2008	845
2009	824
2010	1,183
2011	586
2012	1,357
2013	797
2014	770
2015	715
2016	618
2017	997
2018	1,096
2019	616
2020	497
2021	427
2022	698
2023	1,236
2024	562
2025	477
2026	1,013

Download the Data

Data for records on 1979-01-04: 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	1,260
100 to 200	53
200 to 300	10
300 to 400	2
400 to 500	1
500 to 600	1