Weather Records on 4 January 1981

1,430 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 4 January 1981. Highest significance: Angola, US.

Key Facts for 4 January 1981

On 4 January 1981, 1,430 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
369 were record highs and 865 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 52 were all-time records, 38 monthly and 1,340 daily.
Angola set an all-time record low minimum temperature of -32.8 C (-27.0 F) on 4 January 1981.
Across 162 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 500 records.

Record Map

1,430 stations

1,430 station records on 4 January 1981 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 4 January 1981: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Angola	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-32.8 C (-27.0 F)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Enosburg Falls	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-27.8 C (-18.0 F)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Griffiss AFB	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-20.6 C (-5.1 F)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Grafton	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-22.2 C (-8.0 F)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Hesperia 4 WNW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-28.9 C (-20.0 F)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Beaver Is	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-30.6 C (-23.1 F)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Dannemora	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-26.7 C (-16.1 F)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Presque Isle	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-27.8 C (-18.0 F)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Belgrade (Observatory)	Serbia	Record daily precipitation	33.2 mm (1.3 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Freehold-Marlboro	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-17.8 C (0.0 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Sorel	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-41.0 C (-41.8 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Schenectady	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-25.6 C (-14.1 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
El Salto (Smn)	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	60.7 mm (2.4 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Coldwater St School	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-30.6 C (-23.1 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Morgantown Muni AP	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-13.3 C (8.1 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Woodstock	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-24.5 C (-12.1 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Woodstock	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-40.5 C (-40.9 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Baddeck	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-12.0 C (10.4 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Norfolk 2 SW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-23.9 C (-11.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Belfast	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-32.8 C (-27.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Hastings	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-30.0 C (-22.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Petoskey	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-29.4 C (-20.9 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Peterboro 2 S	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-15.0 C (5.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Jersey City	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-15.6 C (3.9 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Bowling Green Wwtp	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Hawley 1 E	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-26.7 C (-16.1 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Ridgetown	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-26.0 C (-14.8 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Belleville	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-34.0 C (-29.2 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Montreal McGill	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-33.5 C (-28.3 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Pointe Noire	Congo (Brazzaville)	Record high maximum temperature	35.0 C (95.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Barkestad	Norway	Record snow depth	80.0 cm (31.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Elizabethtown	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-35.0 C (-31.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
St Catharines	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-23.0 C (-9.4 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Woodstock	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-31.5 C (-24.7 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Haliburton A	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-24.5 C (-12.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Huntingdon	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-20.0 C (-4.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Richmond	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-21.0 C (-5.8 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Richmond	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-38.5 C (-37.3 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Rexton	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-24.5 C (-12.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Farmington	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-36.7 C (-34.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Cheboygan	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-32.2 C (-26.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Bethlehem	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-35.6 C (-32.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Newton	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-29.4 C (-20.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Gouverneur 3 NW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-29.4 C (-20.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Plattsburgh AFB	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-36.7 C (-34.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Enosburg Falls	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-40.6 C (-41.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Ottawa Cda	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-35.0 C (-31.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Welland	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-25.5 C (-13.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Bancroft	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-40.0 C (-40.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Kent	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-26.7 C (-16.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
E Wareham	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Bloomingdale	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-27.2 C (-17.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Gaylord	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-34.4 C (-29.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Three Rivers	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Durham	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-29.4 C (-20.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Dannemora	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-36.7 C (-34.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Ogdensburg 4 NE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-35.0 C (-31.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Chelsea	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-35.0 C (-31.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Saint Johnsbury	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-35.0 C (-31.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Saginaw Mbs Intl AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-26.1 C (-15.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,430 records

Records set or tied on 4 January 1981 by type: Highest daily maximum 205, Lowest daily maximum 366, Highest daily minimum 164, Lowest daily minimum 499, Heaviest daily rainfall 141, Heaviest daily snowfall 15, Deepest snow cover 40.

Records on 4 January 1981 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	205
Lowest daily maximum	366
Highest daily minimum	164
Lowest daily minimum	499
Heaviest daily rainfall	141
Heaviest daily snowfall	15
Deepest snow cover	40

Records on 4 January 1981 by timescale: all-time 52, monthly 38, daily 1,340.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,224 broken records

Margins by which the 1,224 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 203.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

4 January 1981

Top 20 records on 4 January 1981 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
4 January 1981	Angola, US	all-time low min	-32.8 C (-27.0 F)	3.9 C (7.0 F)	81 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Enosburg Falls, US	all-time low max	-27.8 C (-18.0 F)	3.4 C (6.1 F)	72 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Griffiss AFB, US	all-time low max	-20.6 C (-5.1 F)	0.6 C (1.1 F)	77 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Grafton, US	all-time low max	-22.2 C (-8.0 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	77 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Hesperia 4 WNW, US	daily low min	-28.9 C (-20.0 F)	11.1 C (20.0 F)	85 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Beaver Is, US	daily low min	-30.6 C (-23.1 F)	12.8 C (23.0 F)	71 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Dannemora, US	all-time low max	-26.7 C (-16.1 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	61 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Presque Isle, US	all-time low max	-27.8 C (-18.0 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	63 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Belgrade (Observatory), RS	daily rain	33.2 mm (1.3 in)	27.7 mm (1.1 in)	12 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Freehold-Marlboro, US	daily low min	-17.8 C (0.0 F)	3.9 C (7.0 F)	98 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Sorel, CA	all-time low min	-41.0 C (-41.8 F)	0.4 C (0.7 F)	63 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Schenectady, US	daily low min	-25.6 C (-14.1 F)	8.4 C (15.1 F)	80 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	El Salto (Smn), MX	daily rain	60.7 mm (2.4 in)	43.7 mm (1.7 in)	36 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Coldwater St School, US	all-time low min	-30.6 C (-23.1 F)	0.6 C (1.1 F)	51 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Morgantown Muni AP, US	daily low max	-13.3 C (8.1 F)	2.2 C (4.0 F)	101 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Woodstock, CA	daily low max	-24.5 C (-12.1 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	93 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Woodstock, CA	daily low min	-40.5 C (-40.9 F)	3.8 C (6.8 F)	93 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Baddeck, CA	daily low max	-12.0 C (10.4 F)	0.9 C (1.6 F)	103 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Norfolk 2 SW, US	daily low min	-23.9 C (-11.0 F)	3.3 C (5.9 F)	93 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
4 January 1981	Belfast, US	daily low min	-32.8 C (-27.0 F)	7.8 C (14.0 F)	77 years	41 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

1795 to 1981

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1795 to 1981. 1981 had 1,430 records.

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

Records on 01-04 in each year
Year	Records
1795	2
1803	2
1824	1
1845	1
1855	1
1860	2
1864	4
1866	1
1867	2
1869	2
1871	2
1872	1
1873	2
1874	3
1876	1
1877	3
1878	3
1879	1
1880	1
1881	3
1882	2
1884	2
1886	5
1887	2
1888	4
1889	4
1890	2
1891	4
1892	1
1893	2
1894	9
1895	8
1896	2
1897	1
1898	2
1899	4
1900	6
1901	9
1902	7
1903	16
1904	51
1905	21
1906	15
1907	13
1908	8
1909	23
1910	20
1911	17
1912	30
1913	27
1914	45
1915	21
1916	59
1917	59
1918	78
1919	34
1920	113
1921	121
1922	56
1923	54
1924	184
1925	128
1926	310
1927	185
1928	150
1929	96
1930	134
1931	94
1932	200
1933	231
1934	319
1935	207
1936	394
1937	251
1938	136
1939	647
1940	332
1941	1,010
1942	1,191
1943	453
1944	300
1945	194
1946	371
1947	858
1948	391
1949	1,261
1950	2,015
1951	394
1952	349
1953	267
1954	249
1955	659
1956	462
1957	262
1958	448
1959	1,124
1960	358
1961	378
1962	359
1963	559
1964	349
1965	403
1966	798
1967	319
1968	661
1969	645
1970	497
1971	1,191
1972	728
1973	667
1974	957
1975	394
1976	534
1977	524
1978	656
1979	1,606
1980	643
1981	1,430
1982	2,261
1983	953
1984	996
1985	1,049
1986	705
1987	1,172
1988	903
1989	1,205
1990	509
1991	1,016
1992	1,201
1993	1,538
1994	1,418
1995	922
1996	1,389
1997	3,256
1998	1,246
1999	1,842
2000	1,486
2001	1,350
2002	1,151
2003	1,229
2004	1,611
2005	1,581
2006	1,167
2007	2,045
2008	845
2009	824
2010	1,183
2011	586
2012	1,357
2013	797
2014	770
2015	715
2016	618
2017	997
2018	1,096
2019	616
2020	497
2021	427
2022	698
2023	1,236
2024	562
2025	477
2026	1,013

Download the Data

Data for records on 1981-01-04: 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	1,203
50 to 100	11
100 to 150	6
150 to 200	3
200 to 250	1