Weather Records on 20 March 1979

712 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 March 1979. Highest significance: Long Lake 5 SW, US.

Key Facts for 20 March 1979

On 20 March 1979, 712 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
189 were record highs and 139 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 2 were all-time records, 12 monthly and 698 daily.
Long Lake 5 SW set a daily record precipitation of 91.4 mm (3.6 in) on 20 March 1979.
Across 166 earlier years (1808 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 454 records.

Record Map

712 stations

712 station records on 20 March 1979 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 March 1979: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Long Lake 5 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	91.4 mm (3.6 in)	69 of 100 (Major)
Buena Vista 2S	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Palestine 2 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	78.2 mm (3.1 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Orange	United States	Record daily precipitation	101.6 mm (4.0 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Vallecito Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Houston-Westbury	United States	Record daily precipitation	65.8 mm (2.6 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Westcliffe	United States	Record daily snowfall	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Cordes	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.4 mm (1.7 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Palestina (Smn)	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	96.8 mm (3.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Bowie	United States	Record daily precipitation	75.7 mm (3.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Atil	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Blanca 4 NW	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Richmond	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Tuskahoma	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Gainesville	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Marlin	United States	Record daily precipitation	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Centerville	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Muenster	United States	Record daily precipitation	91.9 mm (3.6 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Anahuac	United States	Record daily precipitation	88.9 mm (3.5 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Sao Luiz Do Quitunde	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	84.0 mm (3.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Nicosia	Cyprus	Record high minimum temperature	12.6 C (54.7 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Juana Diaz Camp	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Tacoma	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Dyer 5S	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Houston Deer Park	United States	Record daily precipitation	90.7 mm (3.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Sunflower 3 NNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.1 mm (2.1 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Rockland 2 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Monticello 2E	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Vallecito Dam	United States	Record daily snowfall	31.8 cm (12.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Geyser Rch	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Alto 5 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.6 mm (1.4 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Jasper	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.3 mm (1.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Jerome	United States	Record low maximum temperature	4.4 C (39.9 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Mecca Fire STN	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Colorado Springs Muni AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Bom Jesus Do Galho	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	65.8 mm (2.6 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Prescott	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Barstow	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Cuyamaca	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Mt Vernon	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Tavira	Portugal	Record daily precipitation	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Hanford 1 S	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Sugartown	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.1 mm (1.4 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Manistique Wwtp	United States	Record high minimum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Tecumseh 1W	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.7 mm (1.6 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Martim Francisco	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	121.0 mm (4.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Vajda-Guba	Russia	Record low maximum temperature	-11.3 C (11.7 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Crockett	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Eastland	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.5 mm (1.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Longview	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Carcross	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	1.5 C (34.7 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Mormon Flat	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Parker	United States	Record low maximum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Prescott	United States	Record low maximum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Parker Rsvr	United States	Record low maximum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Lake City	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Atlin	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	8.5 C (47.3 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Atlin	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	2.0 C (35.6 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Bright Angel Rs	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.4 cm (8.8 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Haiwee	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

712 records

Records set or tied on 20 March 1979 by type: Highest daily maximum 72, Lowest daily maximum 106, Highest daily minimum 117, Lowest daily minimum 33, Heaviest daily rainfall 305, Heaviest daily snowfall 42, Deepest snow cover 37.

Records on 20 March 1979 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	72
Lowest daily maximum	106
Highest daily minimum	117
Lowest daily minimum	33
Heaviest daily rainfall	305
Heaviest daily snowfall	42
Deepest snow cover	37

Records on 20 March 1979 by timescale: all-time 2, monthly 12, daily 698.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

604 broken records

Margins by which the 604 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 279.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 March 1979

Top 20 records on 20 March 1979 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 March 1979	Long Lake 5 SW, US	daily rain	91.4 mm (3.6 in)	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	73 years	69 of 100 (Major)
20 March 1979	Buena Vista 2S, US	daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	64 years	66 of 100 (Major)
20 March 1979	Palestine 2 NE, US	daily rain	78.2 mm (3.1 in)	59.1 mm (2.3 in)	48 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Orange, US	daily rain	101.6 mm (4.0 in)	66.3 mm (2.6 in)	37 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Vallecito Dam, US	daily rain	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	21.1 mm (0.8 in)	34 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Houston-Westbury, US	daily rain	65.8 mm (2.6 in)	62.8 mm (2.5 in)	28 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Westcliffe, US	daily snowfall	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	24.2 cm (9.5 in)	36 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Cordes, US	daily rain	43.4 mm (1.7 in)	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	4 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Palestina (Smn), MX	monthly rain	96.8 mm (3.8 in)	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	38 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Bowie, US	daily rain	75.7 mm (3.0 in)	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	10 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Atil, MX	daily rain	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	23.6 mm (0.9 in)	21 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Blanca 4 NW, US	daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	69 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Richmond, US	daily rain	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	44.9 mm (1.8 in)	8 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Tuskahoma, US	daily rain	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	24.1 mm (0.9 in)	54 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Gainesville, US	daily rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	24.6 mm (1.0 in)	48 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Marlin, US	daily rain	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	21 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Centerville, US	daily rain	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	33 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Muenster, US	daily rain	91.9 mm (3.6 in)	45.9 mm (1.8 in)	10 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Anahuac, US	daily rain	88.9 mm (3.5 in)	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	37 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 March 1979	Sao Luiz Do Quitunde, BR	daily rain	84.0 mm (3.3 in)	40.9 mm (1.6 in)	32 years	37 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

1808 to 1979

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1808 to 1979. 1979 had 712 records.

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

Records on 03-20 in each year
Year	Records
1808	3
1818	1
1822	2
1830	1
1834	1
1838	1
1845	1
1849	3
1850	1
1852	1
1853	1
1858	1
1862	1
1865	11
1866	1
1870	1
1872	2
1873	1
1874	2
1875	2
1876	2
1879	2
1881	2
1882	2
1883	1
1884	2
1885	3
1886	2
1887	3
1888	5
1889	5
1890	1
1892	1
1893	2
1894	5
1895	2
1896	5
1897	2
1898	5
1899	9
1900	8
1901	6
1902	13
1903	34
1904	12
1905	6
1906	16
1907	17
1908	4
1909	6
1910	20
1911	35
1912	12
1913	42
1914	51
1915	22
1916	46
1917	49
1918	40
1919	31
1920	52
1921	93
1922	49
1923	275
1924	76
1925	121
1926	103
1927	298
1928	258
1929	56
1930	86
1931	492
1932	117
1933	354
1934	243
1935	408
1936	245
1937	220
1938	394
1939	240
1940	486
1941	390
1942	325
1943	378
1944	611
1945	636
1946	435
1947	299
1948	697
1949	352
1950	367
1951	788
1952	589
1953	350
1954	303
1955	719
1956	527
1957	516
1958	467
1959	293
1960	594
1961	332
1962	363
1963	447
1964	525
1965	2,020
1966	367
1967	784
1968	819
1969	374
1970	912
1971	377
1972	635
1973	422
1974	755
1975	932
1976	989
1977	352
1978	863
1979	712
1980	458
1981	712
1982	1,189
1983	1,179
1984	775
1985	636
1986	666
1987	867
1988	1,044
1989	793
1990	1,496
1991	1,205
1992	654
1993	1,014
1994	1,040
1995	857
1996	1,147
1997	1,801
1998	963
1999	793
2000	894
2001	1,048
2002	1,698
2003	1,166
2004	1,701
2005	602
2006	1,353
2007	1,053
2008	993
2009	445
2010	1,264
2011	1,003
2012	3,051
2013	762
2014	800
2015	521
2016	450
2017	1,331
2018	587
2019	530
2020	1,006
2021	487
2022	667
2023	975
2024	520
2025	848
2026	3,126

Download the Data

Data for records on 1979-03-20: 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 50	567
50 to 100	24
100 to 150	9
150 to 200	1
200 to 250	2
250 to 300	1