Weather Records on 18 January 1979

997 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 18 January 1979. Highest significance: La Harpe, US.

Key Facts for 18 January 1979

On 18 January 1979, 997 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
85 were record highs and 35 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 42 were all-time records, 55 monthly and 900 daily.
La Harpe set a daily record snow depth of 50.8 cm (20.0 in) on 18 January 1979.
Across 161 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 489 records.

Record Map

997 stations

997 station records on 18 January 1979 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 18 January 1979: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
La Harpe	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
Galesburg	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Geneseo	United States	Record snow depth	73.7 cm (29.0 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Havana	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Dixon Wwtp	United States	Record snow depth	78.7 cm (31.0 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Clinton #1	United States	Record snow depth	94.0 cm (37.0 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Minneapolis	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Concordia ASOS	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Merriman	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Fulton L&D #13	United States	Record snow depth	73.7 cm (29.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Muscatine	United States	Record snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Saginaw Mbs Intl AP	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Newcastle Nobbys Signal Statio	Australia	Record daily precipitation	61.6 mm (2.4 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Galva	United States	Record snow depth	73.7 cm (29.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Ottawa 4SW	United States	Record snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Columbus Junction	United States	Record snow depth	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Keokuk L&D 19	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Allora Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	55.4 mm (2.2 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Tibooburra (Fort Grey)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	82.6 mm (3.3 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Tamworth Airport	Australia	Record daily precipitation	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Box Butte Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Chicago Midway AP 3SW	United States	Record snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Kirksville	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Milan	United States	Record snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Mystic Lake	United States	Record snow depth	88.9 cm (35.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Jerome	United States	Record daily precipitation	56.6 mm (2.2 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Bloomfield	United States	Record snow depth	53.3 cm (21.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Madison	United States	Record daily snowfall	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Ontario Ksrv	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Innamincka Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	49.8 mm (2.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Channahon Dresden Isl Dam	United States	Record snow depth	73.7 cm (29.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Rushville	United States	Record snow depth	48.3 cm (19.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Richland	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Whiteriver 1 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
De Smet	United States	Record daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
General Wayne A Downing Intl A	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Atkinson Wwtp	United States	Record snow depth	91.4 cm (36.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Mundoolin	Australia	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Mariposa	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Freeport Wwtp	United States	Record snow depth	76.2 cm (30.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Muscatine 2	United States	Record snow depth	53.3 cm (21.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Kanopolis Lake	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Labelle	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Cuba	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Mackinaw 3WSW	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Wibaux 2 E	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Dodge	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Maxwell 3 NW	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Milwaukee Mitchell AP	United States	Record snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Lincoln 1 SE	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Central Michigan UNIV	United States	Record snow depth	58.4 cm (23.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Hillsboro	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Pawhuska	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.3 mm (1.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Armidale (Radio Station 2Ad)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Clifton	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Redington	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Dubuque L&D 11	United States	Record snow depth	58.4 cm (23.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Bensheim	Germany	Record snow depth	30.0 cm (11.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Doornhoek	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Barcelona -Fabra Observatory	Spain	Record daily precipitation	79.4 mm (3.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

997 records

Records set or tied on 18 January 1979 by type: Highest daily maximum 13, Lowest daily maximum 26, Highest daily minimum 72, Lowest daily minimum 9, Heaviest daily rainfall 363, Heaviest daily snowfall 105, Deepest snow cover 409.

Records on 18 January 1979 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	13
Lowest daily maximum	26
Highest daily minimum	72
Lowest daily minimum	9
Heaviest daily rainfall	363
Heaviest daily snowfall	105
Deepest snow cover	409

Records on 18 January 1979 by timescale: all-time 42, monthly 55, daily 900.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

791 broken records

Margins by which the 791 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 661.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

18 January 1979

Top 20 records on 18 January 1979 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
18 January 1979	La Harpe, US	daily snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	68 years	68 of 100 (Major)
18 January 1979	Galesburg, US	daily snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	40.7 cm (16.0 in)	43 years	60 of 100 (Major)
18 January 1979	Geneseo, US	daily snow depth	73.7 cm (29.0 in)	40.7 cm (16.0 in)	43 years	60 of 100 (Major)
18 January 1979	Havana, US	daily snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	52 years	60 of 100 (Major)
18 January 1979	Dixon Wwtp, US	daily snow depth	78.7 cm (31.0 in)	35.5 cm (14.0 in)	60 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Clinton #1, US	daily snow depth	94.0 cm (37.0 in)	66.1 cm (26.0 in)	39 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Minneapolis, US	daily snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	73 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Concordia ASOS, US	daily snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	55 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Merriman, US	daily snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	48 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Fulton L&D #13, US	daily snow depth	73.7 cm (29.0 in)	40.7 cm (16.0 in)	39 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Muscatine, US	daily snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	28.0 cm (11.0 in)	43 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Saginaw Mbs Intl AP, US	daily snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	48 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Newcastle Nobbys Signal Statio, AU	daily rain	61.6 mm (2.4 in)	35.2 mm (1.4 in)	59 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Galva, US	daily snow depth	73.7 cm (29.0 in)	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	16 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Ottawa 4SW, US	daily snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	16 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Columbus Junction, US	daily snow depth	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	39 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Keokuk L&D 19, US	daily snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	39 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Allora Post Office, AU	daily rain	55.4 mm (2.2 in)	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	87 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Tibooburra (Fort Grey), AU	monthly rain	82.6 mm (3.3 in)	14.0 mm (0.6 in)	71 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
18 January 1979	Tamworth Airport, AU	daily rain	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	24.3 mm (1.0 in)	87 years	51 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 997 records.

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

Records on 01-18 in each year
Year	Records
1795	2
1804	2
1809	1
1828	2
1834	2
1838	2
1841	1
1844	1
1845	1
1849	1
1858	2
1863	1
1864	2
1866	1
1868	1
1872	2
1873	1
1874	1
1875	1
1876	4
1877	1
1879	1
1883	1
1886	2
1887	2
1889	4
1890	1
1891	2
1893	5
1894	8
1895	3
1896	7
1897	6
1898	1
1899	5
1900	7
1901	4
1902	1
1903	2
1904	21
1905	16
1906	30
1907	8
1908	15
1909	5
1910	50
1911	101
1912	5
1913	58
1914	30
1915	57
1916	53
1917	53
1918	65
1919	38
1920	109
1921	72
1922	28
1923	166
1924	62
1925	188
1926	233
1927	233
1928	451
1929	588
1930	951
1931	235
1932	221
1933	343
1934	136
1935	400
1936	385
1937	475
1938	194
1939	285
1940	1,364
1941	277
1942	617
1943	1,380
1944	589
1945	363
1946	1,142
1947	290
1948	717
1949	664
1950	1,184
1951	748
1952	440
1953	444
1954	347
1955	487
1956	387
1957	830
1958	345
1959	613
1960	561
1961	287
1962	652
1963	478
1964	302
1965	537
1966	369
1967	523
1968	508
1969	616
1970	796
1971	953
1972	729
1973	1,334
1974	1,077
1975	822
1976	835
1977	2,053
1978	1,365
1979	997
1980	517
1981	1,072
1982	1,267
1983	581
1984	1,630
1985	536
1986	1,359
1987	1,419
1988	825
1989	679
1990	1,536
1991	612
1992	718
1993	1,383
1994	2,673
1995	907
1996	2,155
1997	1,026
1998	887
1999	909
2000	1,141
2001	639
2002	554
2003	826
2004	662
2005	807
2006	1,229
2007	2,059
2008	947
2009	682
2010	720
2011	755
2012	914
2013	709
2014	442
2015	526
2016	599
2017	799
2018	1,032
2019	490
2020	932
2021	371
2022	423
2023	941
2024	1,075
2025	988
2026	351

Download the Data

Data for records on 1979-01-18: 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	641
100 to 200	93
200 to 300	35
300 to 400	12
400 to 500	6
500 to 600	3
600 to 700	1