Weather Records on 18 August 1979

1,309 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 18 August 1979. Highest significance: Rietpoort, ZA.

Key Facts for 18 August 1979

On 18 August 1979, 1,309 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
98 were record highs and 527 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 4 were all-time records, 32 monthly and 1,273 daily.
Rietpoort set a daily record precipitation of 34.5 mm (1.4 in) on 18 August 1979.
Across 171 earlier years (1797 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 436 records.

Record Map

1,309 stations

1,309 station records on 18 August 1979 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 18 August 1979: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Rietpoort	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Hillsdale	United States	Record daily precipitation	69.6 mm (2.7 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Marquard - Pol 29	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	65 of 100 (Major)
Hopewell	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	117.5 mm (4.6 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Glen Morgan	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.5 mm (1.0 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Vlakfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	28.9 mm (1.1 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Jonkersdam	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Trona	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Kismet Estate	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Haarlem	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Milan	Italy	Record daily precipitation	161.2 mm (6.3 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Silverton	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	56.0 mm (2.2 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Edenville (Mun)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Makwassie	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Goedgevonden	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Davenport L&D 15	United States	Record daily precipitation	68.3 mm (2.7 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Hawker	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Quadra	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Astrahanka	Russia	Record daily precipitation	84.2 mm (3.3 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Rabula (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	72.0 mm (2.8 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Yarima	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Los Reyes	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	125.0 mm (4.9 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Achinsk	Russia	Record daily precipitation	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Hawker (Holowilena)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Strelka Chunja	Russia	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Catharinasvlei	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Streator 2SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	60.2 mm (2.4 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Dalton	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.1 mm (2.2 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Jaroma	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Icem (Usina Marimbondo)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	32.4 mm (1.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Mariinsk	Russia	Record daily precipitation	38.4 mm (1.5 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Val (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	27.1 mm (1.1 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Lambertina	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Weltevrede	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Haswell	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Tiskilwa 2 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	145.3 mm (5.7 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Le Claire L&D 14	United States	Record daily precipitation	106.2 mm (4.2 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Ogden Pioneer Ph	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Manna Hill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	30.4 mm (1.2 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Cwencwe (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	76.0 mm (3.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Kewanee 1E	United States	Record daily precipitation	69.3 mm (2.7 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Sanderson	United States	Record daily precipitation	70.1 mm (2.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Cradock (Yednalue)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Jacupiranga	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	41.8 mm (1.6 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Barra Do Capinzal	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	43.5 mm (1.7 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Eldorado	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	44.0 mm (1.7 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Ficksburg;Kersieproe	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Elkader 6 SSW	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.2 mm (2.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Potter	United States	Record daily precipitation	65.3 mm (2.6 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Double Four Rch	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Blinman	Australia	Record daily precipitation	28.6 mm (1.1 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Bogotol	Russia	Record daily precipitation	57.6 mm (2.3 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Loskop	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Wauseon Wtp	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.7 mm (1.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Sete Barras	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	45.8 mm (1.8 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Cameron Lake	Canada	Record daily precipitation	34.2 mm (1.3 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Bakchar	Russia	Record daily precipitation	47.6 mm (1.9 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Korana "Xorana"	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	80.2 mm (3.2 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Wexford	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Chenoa	United States	Record daily precipitation	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,309 records

Records set or tied on 18 August 1979 by type: Highest daily maximum 44, Lowest daily maximum 289, Highest daily minimum 54, Lowest daily minimum 238, Heaviest daily rainfall 682, Heaviest daily snowfall 2.

Records on 18 August 1979 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	44
Lowest daily maximum	289
Highest daily minimum	54
Lowest daily minimum	238
Heaviest daily rainfall	682
Heaviest daily snowfall	2
Deepest snow cover	0

Records on 18 August 1979 by timescale: all-time 4, monthly 32, daily 1,273.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,131 broken records

Margins by which the 1,131 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 106.3. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

18 August 1979

Top 20 records on 18 August 1979 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
18 August 1979	Rietpoort, ZA	daily rain	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	64 years	66 of 100 (Major)
18 August 1979	Hillsdale, US	daily rain	69.6 mm (2.7 in)	51.1 mm (2.0 in)	62 years	66 of 100 (Major)
18 August 1979	Marquard - Pol 29, ZA	daily rain	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	34.7 mm (1.4 in)	64 years	65 of 100 (Major)
18 August 1979	Hopewell, ZA	daily rain	117.5 mm (4.6 in)	106.3 mm (4.2 in)	62 years	64 of 100 (Major)
18 August 1979	Glen Morgan, ZA	daily rain	25.5 mm (1.0 in)	25.5 mm (1.0 in)	64 years	64 of 100 (Major)
18 August 1979	Vlakfontein, ZA	daily rain	28.9 mm (1.1 in)	27.6 mm (1.1 in)	64 years	64 of 100 (Major)
18 August 1979	Jonkersdam, ZA	daily rain	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	60 years	64 of 100 (Major)
18 August 1979	Trona, US	monthly rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	15.3 mm (0.6 in)	29 years	63 of 100 (Major)
18 August 1979	Kismet Estate, ZA	daily rain	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	54 years	61 of 100 (Major)
18 August 1979	Haarlem, ZA	daily rain	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	52 years	60 of 100 (Major)
18 August 1979	Milan, IT	all-time rain	161.2 mm (6.3 in)	5.4 mm (0.21 in)	86 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
18 August 1979	Silverton, ZA	daily rain	56.0 mm (2.2 in)	56.0 mm (2.2 in)	49 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
18 August 1979	Edenville (Mun), ZA	daily rain	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	49 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
18 August 1979	Makwassie, ZA	daily rain	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	20.6 mm (0.8 in)	64 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
18 August 1979	Goedgevonden, ZA	daily rain	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	52 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
18 August 1979	Davenport L&D 15, US	daily rain	68.3 mm (2.7 in)	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	68 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
18 August 1979	Hawker, AU	daily rain	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	11.2 mm (0.4 in)	92 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
18 August 1979	Quadra, BR	daily rain	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	38 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
18 August 1979	Astrahanka, RU	daily rain	84.2 mm (3.3 in)	56.2 mm (2.2 in)	40 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
18 August 1979	Rabula (Bos), ZA	daily rain	72.0 mm (2.8 in)	57.3 mm (2.3 in)	62 years	55 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

1797 to 1979

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1797 to 1979. 1979 had 1,309 records.

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

Records on 08-18 in each year
Year	Records
1797	2
1805	1
1816	1
1827	1
1829	1
1830	1
1833	1
1841	1
1844	1
1845	3
1846	1
1847	1
1849	1
1851	1
1852	1
1853	1
1854	2
1855	1
1856	1
1861	1
1864	2
1866	1
1868	2
1869	1
1870	2
1872	1
1873	1
1875	3
1876	1
1878	1
1879	2
1883	3
1885	3
1886	3
1887	3
1888	2
1889	1
1890	1
1891	2
1892	6
1893	4
1894	4
1895	1
1898	4
1899	6
1900	2
1901	10
1902	8
1903	6
1904	8
1905	10
1906	40
1907	7
1908	21
1909	24
1910	16
1911	11
1912	21
1913	43
1914	37
1915	60
1916	71
1917	70
1918	53
1919	34
1920	51
1921	39
1922	129
1923	90
1924	225
1925	300
1926	168
1927	269
1928	141
1929	181
1930	150
1931	241
1932	382
1933	431
1934	638
1935	424
1936	766
1937	308
1938	243
1939	381
1940	434
1941	467
1942	333
1943	738
1944	325
1945	400
1946	416
1947	958
1948	315
1949	393
1950	683
1951	355
1952	405
1953	323
1954	622
1955	795
1956	580
1957	380
1958	580
1959	537
1960	599
1961	415
1962	428
1963	760
1964	443
1965	525
1966	573
1967	623
1968	795
1969	530
1970	597
1971	381
1972	493
1973	734
1974	639
1975	844
1976	917
1977	1,112
1978	854
1979	1,309
1980	771
1981	1,386
1982	563
1983	1,420
1984	600
1985	765
1986	861
1987	1,609
1988	1,351
1989	952
1990	920
1991	533
1992	1,497
1993	706
1994	1,027
1995	1,882
1996	760
1997	1,191
1998	923
1999	888
2000	1,183
2001	1,036
2002	1,306
2003	860
2004	1,050
2005	865
2006	842
2007	1,116
2008	1,265
2009	839
2010	1,167
2011	1,239
2012	1,247
2013	752
2014	751
2015	880
2016	704
2017	565
2018	462
2019	615
2020	1,541
2021	1,118
2022	1,237
2023	1,094
2024	696
2025	455
2026	545

Download the Data

Data for records on 1979-08-18: 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 20	981
20 to 40	120
40 to 60	23
60 to 80	4
80 to 100	1
100 to 120	2