Weather Records on 31 January 1979

1,995 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 31 January 1979. Highest significance: Atchison, US.

Key Facts for 31 January 1979

On 31 January 1979, 1,995 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
161 were record highs and 830 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 58 were all-time records, 111 monthly and 1,826 daily.
Atchison set a daily record snow depth of 38.1 cm (15.0 in) on 31 January 1979.
Across 162 earlier years (1800 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 493 records.

Record Map

1,995 stations

1,995 station records on 31 January 1979 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 31 January 1979: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Atchison	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	69 of 100 (Major)
Keokuk L&D 19	United States	Record snow depth	48.3 cm (19.0 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Galva	United States	Record snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Minneapolis	United States	Record snow depth	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Beaumont #2	United States	Record daily snowfall	35.1 cm (13.8 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Walnut	United States	Record snow depth	58.4 cm (23.0 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Wheaton 3 SE	United States	Record snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Williamsburg 1E	United States	Record snow depth	86.4 cm (34.0 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Club Crocodile Resort	Australia	Record daily precipitation	326.8 mm (12.9 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Morrison	United States	Record snow depth	81.3 cm (32.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Manhattan	United States	Record snow depth	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Lytle Creek Rs	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Eskridge	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Concordia ASOS	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Hamburg Fuhlsbuettel	Germany	Record snow depth	35.0 cm (13.8 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Wrixum/Fohr	Germany	Record snow depth	19.0 cm (7.5 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Fairmont	United States	Record daily snowfall	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Galesburg	United States	Record snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
La Harpe	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Clinton #1	United States	Record snow depth	81.3 cm (32.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Rolla Missouri S&T	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Columbus Junction	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Milan	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Whitewater Wwtp	United States	Record snow depth	83.8 cm (33.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Mapleton No.2	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Blue Rapids	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Lincoln 1 SE	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Farleigh Railway Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	274.4 mm (10.8 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Payette	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Dubuque L&D 11	United States	Record snow depth	73.7 cm (29.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Muscatine 2	United States	Record snow depth	53.3 cm (21.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Warsaw 1	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Floraville Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	87.0 mm (3.4 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Lecompton	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Nevada Wtp	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Salem	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
General Wayne A Downing Intl A	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Davenport L&D 15	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Mirani Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	223.0 mm (8.8 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Donnellson	United States	Record snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Downey Fire Dept. Fc107C	United States	Record daily precipitation	87.6 mm (3.4 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Yorba Linda	United States	Record daily precipitation	74.2 mm (2.9 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Morris River	United States	Record snow depth	76.2 cm (30.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Lindsborg 3E	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Olathe 3E	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Box Butte Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Plane Creek Sugar Mill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	297.6 mm (11.7 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Gravette	United States	Record snow depth	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Fulton L&D #13	United States	Record snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
New Boston Dam 17	United States	Record snow depth	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Troy 3N	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Steffenville	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Te Kowai Exp STN	Australia	Record daily precipitation	229.0 mm (9.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
La Mesa	United States	Record daily precipitation	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Walnut Ni Fc102C	United States	Record daily precipitation	86.9 mm (3.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Sterling	United States	Record snow depth	48.3 cm (19.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Pawhuska	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Farleigh Co-Op Sugar Mill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	266.0 mm (10.5 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Havana	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Searchlight	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,995 records

Records set or tied on 31 January 1979 by type: Highest daily maximum 62, Lowest daily maximum 347, Highest daily minimum 99, Lowest daily minimum 483, Heaviest daily rainfall 304, Heaviest daily snowfall 132, Deepest snow cover 568.

Records on 31 January 1979 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	62
Lowest daily maximum	347
Highest daily minimum	99
Lowest daily minimum	483
Heaviest daily rainfall	304
Heaviest daily snowfall	132
Deepest snow cover	568

Records on 31 January 1979 by timescale: all-time 58, monthly 111, daily 1,826.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,636 broken records

Margins by which the 1,636 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 1244.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

31 January 1979

Top 20 records on 31 January 1979 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
31 January 1979	Atchison, US	daily snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	76 years	69 of 100 (Major)
31 January 1979	Keokuk L&D 19, US	daily snow depth	48.3 cm (19.0 in)	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	83 years	67 of 100 (Major)
31 January 1979	Galva, US	daily snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	60 years	66 of 100 (Major)
31 January 1979	Minneapolis, US	daily snow depth	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	22.8 cm (9.0 in)	63 years	66 of 100 (Major)
31 January 1979	Beaumont #2, US	all-time snowfall	35.1 cm (13.8 in)	17.1 cm (6.7 in)	30 years	66 of 100 (Major)
31 January 1979	Walnut, US	daily snow depth	58.4 cm (23.0 in)	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	48 years	62 of 100 (Major)
31 January 1979	Wheaton 3 SE, US	daily snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	40 years	60 of 100 (Major)
31 January 1979	Williamsburg 1E, US	daily snow depth	86.4 cm (34.0 in)	53.4 cm (21.0 in)	43 years	60 of 100 (Major)
31 January 1979	Club Crocodile Resort, AU	daily rain	326.8 mm (12.9 in)	190.1 mm (7.5 in)	40 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1979	Morrison, US	daily snow depth	81.3 cm (32.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	60 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1979	Manhattan, US	daily snow depth	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	29 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1979	Lytle Creek Rs, US	daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	33 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1979	Eskridge, US	daily snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	31 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1979	Concordia ASOS, US	daily snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	76 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1979	Hamburg Fuhlsbuettel, DE	daily snow depth	35.0 cm (13.8 in)	19.0 cm (7.5 in)	33 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1979	Wrixum/Fohr, DE	daily snow depth	19.0 cm (7.5 in)	11.0 cm (4.3 in)	77 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1979	Fairmont, US	daily snowfall	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	56 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1979	Galesburg, US	daily snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	20 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1979	La Harpe, US	daily snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	20 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
31 January 1979	Clinton #1, US	daily snow depth	81.3 cm (32.0 in)	58.4 cm (23.0 in)	20 years	54 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

1800 to 1979

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1800 to 1979. 1979 had 1,995 records.

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

Records on 01-31 in each year
Year	Records
1800	1
1801	1
1830	2
1843	1
1846	1
1850	1
1852	1
1853	2
1854	2
1862	1
1863	2
1868	1
1869	2
1870	1
1873	1
1875	1
1877	1
1878	2
1880	1
1882	1
1883	1
1884	5
1885	1
1886	2
1887	1
1888	3
1889	3
1890	2
1892	1
1893	9
1894	1
1895	3
1896	1
1897	2
1898	7
1899	7
1900	5
1901	4
1902	10
1903	3
1904	6
1905	21
1906	17
1907	8
1908	36
1909	27
1910	10
1911	52
1912	20
1913	49
1914	36
1915	115
1916	94
1917	190
1918	150
1919	14
1920	113
1921	29
1922	55
1923	152
1924	203
1925	134
1926	204
1927	64
1928	47
1929	263
1930	83
1931	326
1932	153
1933	212
1934	597
1935	431
1936	830
1937	309
1938	362
1939	323
1940	361
1941	354
1942	273
1943	698
1944	232
1945	943
1946	359
1947	788
1948	600
1949	1,058
1950	1,022
1951	1,192
1952	519
1953	879
1954	744
1955	383
1956	434
1957	563
1958	692
1959	237
1960	349
1961	475
1962	686
1963	928
1964	402
1965	696
1966	1,295
1967	637
1968	524
1969	703
1970	209
1971	1,506
1972	426
1973	714
1974	1,128
1975	1,110
1976	569
1977	781
1978	844
1979	1,995
1980	757
1981	687
1982	1,287
1983	1,078
1984	610
1985	1,725
1986	616
1987	787
1988	1,582
1989	1,718
1990	821
1991	617
1992	1,573
1993	856
1994	1,049
1995	1,122
1996	1,594
1997	898
1998	641
1999	938
2000	1,115
2001	1,061
2002	3,080
2003	1,281
2004	1,392
2005	767
2006	722
2007	713
2008	704
2009	552
2010	1,311
2011	741
2012	1,037
2013	1,397
2014	986
2015	663
2016	1,147
2017	575
2018	564
2019	1,426
2020	1,031
2021	504
2022	255
2023	907
2024	1,117
2025	827
2026	839

Download the Data

Data for records on 1979-01-31: 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 200	1,551
200 to 400	76
400 to 600	8
600 to 800	0
800 to 1000	0
1000 to 1200	0
1200 to 1400	1