Weather Records on 8 January 1979

1,640 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 8 January 1979. Highest significance: Sussex 1 NW, US.

Key Facts for 8 January 1979

On 8 January 1979, 1,640 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
99 were record highs and 542 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 8 were all-time records, 38 monthly and 1,594 daily.
Sussex 1 NW set a daily record precipitation of 51.3 mm (2.0 in) on 8 January 1979.
Across 155 earlier years (1806 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 551 records.

Record Map

1,640 stations

1,640 station records on 8 January 1979 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 8 January 1979: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Sussex 1 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	51.3 mm (2.0 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Falls Village	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Matamoras	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Carmel	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.1 mm (2.2 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Pendzhikent	Tajikistan	Record daily precipitation	39.7 mm (1.6 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Belvidere	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Wilkes Barre	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.3 mm (1.5 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Cooperstown	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Liberty 1 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Kresgeville 2 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Richmond	Canada	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
W Otis	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Boonton 1 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	52.8 mm (2.1 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Grahamsville	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
New Kingston	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Eagles Mere	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Middletown 4 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	70.1 mm (2.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Brewster	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Gouldsboro	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Marysville	United States	Record daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Cornwall	United States	Record daily snowfall	31.8 cm (12.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Itaobim	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	66.1 mm (2.6 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Newton	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Middletown 2 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.7 mm (1.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Chippewa Lake	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Port Clinton	United States	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Anklam	Germany	Record snow depth	50.0 cm (19.7 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Dushanbe	Tajikistan	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Box Butte Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	81.3 cm (32.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Rockdale	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.3 mm (1.3 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Stamford	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Cedar Run (River)	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Lehighton 1SSW	United States	Record daily precipitation	52.1 mm (2.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Tamaqua 4 N Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Sydney (Observatory Hill)	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	23.0 C (73.4 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Plainfield	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Alfred	United States	Record daily snowfall	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Ellenville	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Freeville 1 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
W Pt	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Santa Cruz-Litoral	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	63.1 mm (2.5 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Moncton A	Canada	Record daily precipitation	67.1 mm (2.6 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Cincinnatus	United States	Record daily precipitation	28.7 mm (1.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Dolgeville	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.7 mm (1.2 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Morris 2W	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Tupper Lake Sunmount	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Claussville	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Le Roy	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Fazenda Cajubi	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	90.6 mm (3.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Sackville	Canada	Record daily precipitation	66.4 mm (2.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Gardner	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Little Falls	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.7 mm (1.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Ringwood	United States	Record daily precipitation	60.2 mm (2.4 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Smiths Basin	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Susquehanna	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Tamaqua	United States	Record daily precipitation	47.5 mm (1.9 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Wellsboro 4 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Saint John A	Canada	Record daily precipitation	78.0 mm (3.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Summerside A	Canada	Record daily precipitation	59.8 mm (2.4 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Chesterfield	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,640 records

Records set or tied on 8 January 1979 by type: Highest daily maximum 60, Lowest daily maximum 204, Highest daily minimum 39, Lowest daily minimum 338, Heaviest daily rainfall 555, Heaviest daily snowfall 118, Deepest snow cover 326.

Records on 8 January 1979 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	60
Lowest daily maximum	204
Highest daily minimum	39
Lowest daily minimum	338
Heaviest daily rainfall	555
Heaviest daily snowfall	118
Deepest snow cover	326

Records on 8 January 1979 by timescale: all-time 8, monthly 38, daily 1,594.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,385 broken records

Margins by which the 1,385 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 559.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

8 January 1979

Top 20 records on 8 January 1979 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
8 January 1979	Sussex 1 NW, US	daily rain	51.3 mm (2.0 in)	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	65 years	64 of 100 (Major)
8 January 1979	Falls Village, US	daily rain	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	56 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Matamoras, US	daily rain	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	23.4 mm (0.9 in)	71 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Carmel, US	daily rain	55.1 mm (2.2 in)	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	71 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Pendzhikent, TJ	monthly rain	39.7 mm (1.6 in)	15.9 mm (0.6 in)	9 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Belvidere, US	daily rain	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	28.7 mm (1.1 in)	65 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Wilkes Barre, US	daily rain	37.3 mm (1.5 in)	20.0 mm (0.8 in)	59 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Cooperstown, US	daily rain	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	17.3 mm (0.7 in)	56 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Liberty 1 NE, US	daily rain	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	23.6 mm (0.9 in)	72 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Kresgeville 2 W, US	daily rain	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	32 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Richmond, CA	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	9.1 cm (3.6 in)	89 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	W Otis, US	daily rain	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	36.5 mm (1.4 in)	20 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Boonton 1 SE, US	daily rain	52.8 mm (2.1 in)	23.3 mm (0.9 in)	71 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Grahamsville, US	daily rain	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	36.5 mm (1.4 in)	28 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	New Kingston, US	daily rain	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	31.3 mm (1.2 in)	28 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Eagles Mere, US	daily rain	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	28 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Middletown 4 W, US	daily rain	70.1 mm (2.8 in)	11.4 mm (0.4 in)	104 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Brewster, US	daily snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	15 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Gouldsboro, US	daily rain	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	32.7 mm (1.3 in)	28 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
8 January 1979	Marysville, US	daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	59 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

1806 to 1979

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1806 to 1979. 1979 had 1,640 records.

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

Records on 01-08 in each year
Year	Records
1806	2
1839	1
1841	1
1846	1
1854	1
1855	1
1856	1
1858	2
1862	1
1866	1
1867	3
1871	1
1873	1
1874	2
1877	5
1880	1
1882	2
1884	2
1886	3
1887	2
1888	2
1890	5
1891	1
1893	1
1895	4
1896	1
1897	5
1898	3
1899	1
1900	5
1901	6
1902	7
1903	13
1904	10
1905	10
1906	9
1907	24
1908	25
1909	12
1910	9
1911	13
1912	49
1913	35
1914	39
1915	51
1916	33
1917	23
1918	83
1919	91
1920	68
1921	43
1922	243
1923	165
1924	112
1925	70
1926	245
1927	107
1928	291
1929	183
1930	810
1931	104
1932	173
1933	243
1934	450
1935	824
1936	714
1937	1,703
1938	207
1939	619
1940	560
1941	414
1942	1,643
1943	371
1944	228
1945	520
1946	476
1947	238
1948	566
1949	463
1950	290
1951	387
1952	341
1953	669
1954	362
1955	167
1956	402
1957	616
1958	658
1959	295
1960	422
1961	236
1962	780
1963	692
1964	437
1965	1,185
1966	443
1967	463
1968	1,675
1969	651
1970	1,713
1971	730
1972	516
1973	1,496
1974	1,171
1975	957
1976	1,215
1977	537
1978	805
1979	1,640
1980	569
1981	589
1982	1,320
1983	598
1984	604
1985	1,545
1986	654
1987	820
1988	1,644
1989	1,900
1990	1,161
1991	872
1992	1,640
1993	1,525
1994	1,224
1995	783
1996	2,009
1997	1,203
1998	2,895
1999	1,107
2000	605
2001	954
2002	1,628
2003	1,362
2004	684
2005	1,764
2006	1,204
2007	1,003
2008	2,350
2009	761
2010	2,002
2011	885
2012	591
2013	398
2014	1,398
2015	1,311
2016	748
2017	1,045
2018	620
2019	522
2020	565
2021	590
2022	698
2023	426
2024	1,170
2025	597
2026	1,053

Download the Data

Data for records on 1979-01-08: 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	1,326
100 to 200	54
200 to 300	4
300 to 400	0
400 to 500	0
500 to 600	1