Weather Records on 21 January 1980

425 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 January 1980. Highest significance: George W 2 SSW, US.

Key Facts for 21 January 1980

On 21 January 1980, 425 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
101 were record highs and 32 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 2 were all-time records, 14 monthly and 409 daily.
George W 2 SSW set a monthly record daily precipitation of 184.2 mm (7.3 in) on 21 January 1980.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 467 records.

Record Map

425 stations

425 station records on 21 January 1980 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 January 1980: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
George W 2 SSW	United States	Record daily precipitation	184.2 mm (7.3 in)	70 of 100 (Major)
Alvin	United States	Record daily precipitation	97.8 mm (3.9 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Anahuac	United States	Record daily precipitation	152.7 mm (6.0 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Winston	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Widgee	Australia	Record daily precipitation	131.0 mm (5.2 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Klipfontein "Rietpan"	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	68.5 mm (2.7 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Pierce 1 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	121.4 mm (4.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Naalehu 14	United States	Record low minimum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Sinton	United States	Record daily precipitation	66.5 mm (2.6 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Three Rivers	United States	Record daily precipitation	101.6 mm (4.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
New Gulf	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Fajardo	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record low minimum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Darwin Airport	Australia	Record daily precipitation	119.6 mm (4.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Waxahachie	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Goodwell Rsch STN	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Beeville 5 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.7 mm (3.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Sweetwater	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Valdez WSO	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Towera	Australia	Record daily precipitation	41.0 mm (1.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Nqamakwe (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Carrollton	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Goliad	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Cypress	United States	Record daily precipitation	72.1 mm (2.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Ferris	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Cologne	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	88.0 mm (3.5 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Hallettsville 2 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Usina Ester	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	51.7 mm (2.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Olds	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.0 cm (3.9 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Winston	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Turffontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Brewerton Lock 23	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Port Lavaca 2	United States	Record high minimum temperature	17.8 C (64.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Puntilla	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Saint-Germain-Les-Belles	France	Record daily precipitation	36.5 mm (1.4 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Bokfontein, Franklin	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Columbus	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Ennis	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Goliad 1 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
University Exp STN	United States	Record high minimum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Shemya USAF Base	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Katanning Comparison	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	41.9 C (107.4 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Atibaia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	66.6 mm (2.6 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Pointe Noire	Congo (Brazzaville)	Record daily precipitation	68.1 mm (2.7 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Yorktown	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Puntilla	United States	Record snow depth	182.9 cm (72.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Sao Jose Dos Campos	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Presa Alvaro Obregon	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Ozuluama	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Zinder	Niger	Record high minimum temperature	21.2 C (70.2 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Stamps	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Cooper	United States	Record daily precipitation	51.3 mm (2.0 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Timber Creek Police	Australia	Record daily precipitation	53.2 mm (2.1 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Glen Cairn	Australia	Record daily precipitation	112.8 mm (4.4 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Usina Americana (Cpfl)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	48.5 mm (1.9 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Baird	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Houston N Houston	United States	Record daily precipitation	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Harrismith (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	35.5 mm (1.4 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Zinapecuaro	Mexico	Record high minimum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Koeifontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	47.5 mm (1.9 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Rietfontein (Skl)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

425 records

Records set or tied on 21 January 1980 by type: Highest daily maximum 38, Lowest daily maximum 16, Highest daily minimum 63, Lowest daily minimum 16, Heaviest daily rainfall 267, Heaviest daily snowfall 15, Deepest snow cover 10.

Records on 21 January 1980 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	38
Lowest daily maximum	16
Highest daily minimum	63
Lowest daily minimum	16
Heaviest daily rainfall	267
Heaviest daily snowfall	15
Deepest snow cover	10

Records on 21 January 1980 by timescale: all-time 2, monthly 14, daily 409.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

369 broken records

Margins by which the 369 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 140.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 January 1980

Top 20 records on 21 January 1980 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 January 1980	George W 2 SSW, US	monthly rain	184.2 mm (7.3 in)	113.1 mm (4.5 in)	48 years	70 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1980	Alvin, US	daily rain	97.8 mm (3.9 in)	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	66 years	62 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1980	Anahuac, US	monthly rain	152.7 mm (6.0 in)	38.4 mm (1.5 in)	60 years	60 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1980	Winston, US	monthly rain	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	22.8 mm (0.9 in)	0 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Widgee, AU	daily rain	131.0 mm (5.2 in)	93.7 mm (3.7 in)	24 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Klipfontein "Rietpan", ZA	daily rain	68.5 mm (2.7 in)	48.7 mm (1.9 in)	42 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Pierce 1 E, US	daily rain	121.4 mm (4.8 in)	93.2 mm (3.7 in)	12 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Naalehu 14, US	daily low min	11.1 C (52.0 F)	4.5 C (8.1 F)	56 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Sinton, US	daily rain	66.5 mm (2.6 in)	40.3 mm (1.6 in)	13 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Three Rivers, US	monthly rain	101.6 mm (4.0 in)	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	7 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	New Gulf, US	daily rain	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	30 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Fajardo, PR	daily low min	10.6 C (51.1 F)	6.1 C (11.0 F)	24 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Darwin Airport, AU	daily rain	119.6 mm (4.7 in)	61.4 mm (2.4 in)	36 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Waxahachie, US	daily rain	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	16.5 mm (0.6 in)	64 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Goodwell Rsch STN, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	25 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Beeville 5 NE, US	daily rain	76.7 mm (3.0 in)	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	14 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Sweetwater, ZA	daily rain	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	20.4 mm (0.8 in)	62 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Valdez WSO, US	daily rain	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	44 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Towera, AU	daily rain	41.0 mm (1.6 in)	31.9 mm (1.3 in)	28 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1980	Nqamakwe (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	9.5 mm (0.37 in)	65 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

1793 to 1980

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1980. 1980 had 425 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 1980-01-21: 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 2026-10-14 (14 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 20	318
20 to 40	32
40 to 60	8
60 to 80	2
80 to 100	2
100 to 120	6
120 to 140	1