Weather Records on 21 January 1979

1,675 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 January 1979. Highest significance: Wartook Reservoir, AU.

Key Facts for 21 January 1979

On 21 January 1979, 1,675 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
48 were record highs and 80 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 32 were all-time records, 109 monthly and 1,534 daily.
Wartook Reservoir set a daily record precipitation of 91.0 mm (3.6 in) on 21 January 1979.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 460 records.

Record Map

1,675 stations

1,675 station records on 21 January 1979 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 January 1979: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Wartook Reservoir	Australia	Record daily precipitation	91.0 mm (3.6 in)	73 of 100 (Major)
Hightstown 2 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	67.1 mm (2.6 in)	72 of 100 (Major)
Setauket Strong	United States	Record daily precipitation	95.3 mm (3.8 in)	71 of 100 (Major)
Flemington 5 NNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	64.0 mm (2.5 in)	70 of 100 (Major)
Moyston	Australia	Record daily precipitation	58.2 mm (2.3 in)	69 of 100 (Major)
Ringwood	United States	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	69 of 100 (Major)
Chapel Hill 2 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	70.1 mm (2.8 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
W Pt	United States	Record daily precipitation	68.6 mm (2.7 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Trawalla	Australia	Record daily precipitation	68.0 mm (2.7 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Maude (Nap Nap)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Swan Hill Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	59.2 mm (2.3 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Clunes	Australia	Record daily precipitation	56.6 mm (2.2 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Leslie Manor (Boolarra)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	34.2 mm (1.3 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Morrison	United States	Record snow depth	81.3 cm (32.0 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Lalbert	Australia	Record daily precipitation	53.8 mm (2.1 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Morrisons (Ballark)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Hickory 1 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	94.5 mm (3.7 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Scarsdale	United States	Record daily precipitation	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Williamsburg 1E	United States	Record snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Gellibrand River West	Australia	Record daily precipitation	51.2 mm (2.0 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Princetown	Australia	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
La Tuque	Canada	Record daily snowfall	32.8 cm (12.9 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Geneseo	United States	Record snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Laguardia AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	79.5 mm (3.1 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Davenport L&D 15	United States	Record snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Igor I Sikorsky Mem AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	109.2 mm (4.3 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Ny City Cntrl Park	United States	Record daily precipitation	87.6 mm (3.4 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
La Pocatiere Cda	Canada	Record daily snowfall	45.5 cm (17.9 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Calhoun City	United States	Record daily precipitation	80.8 mm (3.2 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Hanover	United States	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Woolsthorpe	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Nepisiguit Falls	Canada	Record daily snowfall	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Pemberton	United States	Record daily precipitation	79.0 mm (3.1 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Tuckerton 2 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	59.2 mm (2.3 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Danville 2 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Nyah (Yarraby Tank)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	99.6 mm (3.9 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Great Western (Seppelt)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Beaufort (Wongan)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.6 mm (1.8 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
La Pocatiere Cda	Canada	Record daily precipitation	45.5 mm (1.8 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
La Tuque	Canada	Record daily precipitation	32.8 mm (1.3 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Chicago Midway AP 3SW	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Galesburg	United States	Record snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Westminster 2 SSE	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Moorestown 4 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Little Mtn	United States	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Newark Liberty Intl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	74.9 mm (2.9 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Cape Otway Lighthouse	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.4 mm (1.3 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Nepisiguit Falls	Canada	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Clinton #1	United States	Record snow depth	91.4 cm (36.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Le Claire L&D 14	United States	Record snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Charlotteburg Rsvr	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Newton	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Ny Westerleigh Stat Is	United States	Record daily precipitation	73.2 mm (2.9 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Lorquon	Australia	Record daily precipitation	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Clear Lake	Australia	Record daily precipitation	53.6 mm (2.1 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Moyston (Barton Estate)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	70.6 mm (2.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Gisborne	Australia	Record daily precipitation	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Danbury	United States	Record daily precipitation	84.6 mm (3.3 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Saugatuck Rsvr	United States	Record daily precipitation	110.5 mm (4.4 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Walnut	United States	Record snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,675 records

Records set or tied on 21 January 1979 by type: Highest daily maximum 14, Lowest daily maximum 45, Highest daily minimum 34, Lowest daily minimum 35, Heaviest daily rainfall 1,053, Heaviest daily snowfall 131, Deepest snow cover 363.

Records on 21 January 1979 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	14
Lowest daily maximum	45
Highest daily minimum	34
Lowest daily minimum	35
Heaviest daily rainfall	1,053
Heaviest daily snowfall	131
Deepest snow cover	363

Records on 21 January 1979 by timescale: all-time 32, monthly 109, daily 1,534.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,518 broken records

Margins by which the 1,518 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 864.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 January 1979

Top 20 records on 21 January 1979 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 January 1979	Wartook Reservoir, AU	daily rain	91.0 mm (3.6 in)	68.9 mm (2.7 in)	82 years	73 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Hightstown 2 W, US	daily rain	67.1 mm (2.6 in)	40.7 mm (1.6 in)	81 years	72 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Setauket Strong, US	monthly rain	95.3 mm (3.8 in)	31.3 mm (1.2 in)	79 years	71 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Flemington 5 NNW, US	daily rain	64.0 mm (2.5 in)	41.6 mm (1.6 in)	76 years	70 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Moyston, AU	daily rain	58.2 mm (2.3 in)	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	68 years	69 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Ringwood, US	daily rain	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	42.1 mm (1.7 in)	76 years	69 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Chapel Hill 2 W, US	daily rain	70.1 mm (2.8 in)	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	81 years	68 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	W Pt, US	daily rain	68.6 mm (2.7 in)	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	81 years	67 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Trawalla, AU	daily rain	68.0 mm (2.7 in)	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	51 years	64 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Maude (Nap Nap), AU	daily rain	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	40.2 mm (1.6 in)	75 years	63 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Swan Hill Post Office, AU	daily rain	59.2 mm (2.3 in)	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	75 years	63 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Clunes, AU	daily rain	56.6 mm (2.2 in)	26.1 mm (1.0 in)	94 years	63 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Leslie Manor (Boolarra), AU	daily rain	34.2 mm (1.3 in)	22.5 mm (0.9 in)	75 years	62 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Morrison, US	daily snow depth	81.3 cm (32.0 in)	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	48 years	62 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Lalbert, AU	daily rain	53.8 mm (2.1 in)	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	61 years	61 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Morrisons (Ballark), AU	daily rain	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	41.6 mm (1.6 in)	51 years	61 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Hickory 1 E, US	daily rain	94.5 mm (3.7 in)	70.4 mm (2.8 in)	48 years	61 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Scarsdale, US	monthly rain	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	22.8 mm (0.9 in)	74 years	61 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Williamsburg 1E, US	daily snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	43 years	60 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1979	Gellibrand River West, AU	daily rain	51.2 mm (2.0 in)	29.4 mm (1.2 in)	51 years	59 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 1979

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1979. 1979 had 1,675 records.

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

Records on 01-21 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1795	2
1796	1
1798	1
1800	2
1803	1
1804	2
1829	1
1838	3
1840	2
1845	2
1846	1
1850	2
1864	2
1866	4
1867	1
1869	1
1871	1
1873	2
1876	1
1878	4
1880	3
1881	4
1884	1
1885	1
1886	1
1888	3
1890	2
1891	3
1892	2
1893	1
1894	3
1895	2
1896	2
1897	3
1898	3
1899	15
1900	5
1901	4
1902	8
1903	18
1904	30
1905	3
1906	53
1907	10
1908	11
1909	25
1910	11
1911	8
1912	7
1913	23
1914	37
1915	47
1916	38
1917	83
1918	49
1919	14
1920	75
1921	54
1922	35
1923	62
1924	535
1925	103
1926	157
1927	447
1928	206
1929	132
1930	616
1931	112
1932	167
1933	572
1934	255
1935	771
1936	314
1937	852
1938	250
1939	305
1940	562
1941	205
1942	522
1943	1,168
1944	324
1945	290
1946	339
1947	205
1948	387
1949	452
1950	643
1951	367
1952	436
1953	325
1954	1,094
1955	399
1956	653
1957	527
1958	506
1959	936
1960	319
1961	746
1962	741
1963	761
1964	771
1965	251
1966	636
1967	511
1968	1,179
1969	927
1970	1,770
1971	672
1972	598
1973	573
1974	992
1975	496
1976	860
1977	549
1978	1,301
1979	1,675
1980	425
1981	972
1982	1,339
1983	1,179
1984	2,132
1985	2,457
1986	883
1987	934
1988	771
1989	511
1990	927
1991	559
1992	447
1993	1,763
1994	1,195
1995	1,276
1996	528
1997	950
1998	606
1999	1,387
2000	686
2001	736
2002	796
2003	690
2004	535
2005	1,111
2006	1,116
2007	1,955
2008	1,061
2009	788
2010	1,166
2011	836
2012	1,148
2013	455
2014	522
2015	426
2016	580
2017	1,248
2018	664
2019	526
2020	894
2021	626
2022	430
2023	517
2024	1,015
2025	1,386
2026	201

Download the Data

Data for records on 1979-01-21: 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 2026-10-13 (13 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2026-10-12. Last revised 12 October 2026 (2026-10-12).

Margin	Records
0 to 200	1,463
200 to 400	43
400 to 600	10
600 to 800	1
800 to 1000	1