Weather Records on 20 January 1981

823 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 January 1981. Highest significance: Palmyra, ZA.

Key Facts for 20 January 1981

On 20 January 1981, 823 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
387 were record highs and 115 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 43 monthly and 779 daily.
Palmyra set a daily record precipitation of 76.0 mm (3.0 in) on 20 January 1981.
Across 157 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 510 records.

Record Map

823 stations

823 station records on 20 January 1981 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 January 1981: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Palmyra	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	76.0 mm (3.0 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Barkestad	Norway	Record snow depth	136.0 cm (53.5 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Beeville 5 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Morawa	Australia	Record daily precipitation	37.5 mm (1.5 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Bol'soe-Almaatinskoe-Ozero	Kazakhstan	Record daily precipitation	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Perenjori	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Clutha Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	159.0 mm (6.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Bay City Wtr Wks	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Milray Station Wrc	Australia	Record daily precipitation	81.0 mm (3.2 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Shirbourne Park	Australia	Record daily precipitation	178.2 mm (7.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Elliotdale (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Brenham	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Vercniy-Gorel'nik	Kazakhstan	Record daily precipitation	32.4 mm (1.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Cassville 1 NE	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Fergana	Uzbekistan	Record high minimum temperature	2.9 C (37.2 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Clare	Australia	Record daily precipitation	106.5 mm (4.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Huerta Vieja	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Jasper	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Friant Government Camp	United States	Record high maximum temperature	25.0 C (77.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Baltimore Customs House	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Quatsino	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	9.0 C (48.2 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Oberstdorf	Germany	Record snow depth	130.0 cm (51.2 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Dividalen	Norway	Record snow depth	80.0 cm (31.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Robstown	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Olga 2 SE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Augustus Downs Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	72.4 mm (2.9 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Lethebrook	Australia	Record daily precipitation	188.0 mm (7.4 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Medicine Hat A	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	12.6 C (54.7 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Estevan Point	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Lemon Cove	United States	Record high maximum temperature	23.9 C (75.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Ft Benton	United States	Record high maximum temperature	17.8 C (64.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Yoakum	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Colfax	United States	Record high maximum temperature	12.2 C (54.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Mount Wilkin	Australia	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Barcombe	Australia	Record daily precipitation	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Alni	Australia	Record daily precipitation	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Kajabbi Kalkadoon Hotel	Australia	Record daily precipitation	110.0 mm (4.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Hillgrove Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	68.8 mm (2.7 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Santana Do Ipanema	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	43.5 mm (1.7 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Fort St James	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	7.5 C (45.5 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Milaca	United States	Record high maximum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Glenlyon Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Calgary Int'l A	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	16.3 C (61.3 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Garmisch-Partenkirchen	Germany	Record snow depth	100.0 cm (39.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Myklebust I Breim	Norway	Record snow depth	100.0 cm (39.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Tavil-Dora	Tajikistan	Record daily precipitation	27.1 mm (1.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Baratria	Australia	Record daily precipitation	55.4 mm (2.2 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Stave Falls	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	16.5 C (61.7 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Oksoey Fyr	Norway	Record low minimum temperature	-7.9 C (17.8 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Lisboa Geofisica	Portugal	Record high maximum temperature	20.6 C (69.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Fajardo	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record low maximum temperature	23.3 C (73.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Haparanda	Sweden	Record snow depth	84.0 cm (33.1 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Rapelje	United States	Record high maximum temperature	16.1 C (61.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Ashland	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Houston Barker	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Reit Im Winkl	Germany	Record snow depth	159.0 cm (62.6 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Klippeneck	Germany	Record snow depth	68.0 cm (26.8 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Grand Meadow	United States	Record high maximum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Bridger 2 N	United States	Record high maximum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
La Grange	United States	Record daily precipitation	47.8 mm (1.9 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

823 records

Records set or tied on 20 January 1981 by type: Highest daily maximum 290, Lowest daily maximum 74, Highest daily minimum 97, Lowest daily minimum 41, Heaviest daily rainfall 219, Heaviest daily snowfall 43, Deepest snow cover 59.

Records on 20 January 1981 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	290
Lowest daily maximum	74
Highest daily minimum	97
Lowest daily minimum	41
Heaviest daily rainfall	219
Heaviest daily snowfall	43
Deepest snow cover	59

Records on 20 January 1981 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 43, daily 779.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

697 broken records

Margins by which the 697 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 560.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 January 1981

Top 20 records on 20 January 1981 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 January 1981	Palmyra, ZA	daily rain	76.0 mm (3.0 in)	58.2 mm (2.3 in)	47 years	60 of 100 (Major)
20 January 1981	Barkestad, NO	daily snow depth	136.0 cm (53.5 in)	56.0 cm (22.0 in)	79 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Beeville 5 NE, US	daily rain	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	24.9 mm (1.0 in)	83 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Morawa, AU	daily rain	37.5 mm (1.5 in)	31.9 mm (1.3 in)	29 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Bol'soe-Almaatinskoe-Ozero, KZ	monthly rain	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	10.7 mm (0.4 in)	12 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Perenjori, AU	daily rain	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	42 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Clutha Station, AU	monthly rain	159.0 mm (6.3 in)	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	35 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Bay City Wtr Wks, US	daily rain	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	31.7 mm (1.2 in)	33 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Milray Station Wrc, AU	daily rain	81.0 mm (3.2 in)	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	5 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Shirbourne Park, AU	daily rain	178.2 mm (7.0 in)	66.7 mm (2.6 in)	62 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Elliotdale (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	8.1 mm (0.32 in)	76 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Brenham, US	daily rain	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	23 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Vercniy-Gorel'nik, KZ	monthly rain	32.4 mm (1.3 in)	9.5 mm (0.37 in)	1 year	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Cassville 1 NE, US	daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	70 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Fergana, UZ	daily high min	2.9 C (37.2 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	96 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Clare, AU	daily rain	106.5 mm (4.2 in)	30.3 mm (1.2 in)	72 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Huerta Vieja, MX	daily low max	12.8 C (55.0 F)	6.6 C (11.9 F)	23 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Jasper, US	daily rain	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	32.3 mm (1.3 in)	23 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Friant Government Camp, US	monthly high max	25.0 C (77.0 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	62 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 January 1981	Baltimore Customs House, US	daily high min	8.9 C (48.0 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	80 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

1795 to 1981

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1795 to 1981. 1981 had 823 records.

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

Records on 01-20 in each year
Year	Records
1795	2
1796	1
1798	1
1804	2
1820	1
1844	1
1850	1
1858	2
1861	1
1862	1
1863	1
1866	2
1867	1
1872	1
1874	4
1875	4
1878	1
1879	1
1880	5
1881	4
1885	1
1890	2
1891	1
1892	3
1893	3
1894	1
1895	2
1896	1
1897	3
1898	6
1899	12
1900	15
1901	11
1902	5
1903	4
1904	14
1905	2
1906	25
1907	26
1908	9
1909	30
1910	11
1911	3
1912	7
1913	44
1914	57
1915	153
1916	34
1917	123
1918	71
1919	28
1920	103
1921	45
1922	86
1923	41
1924	298
1925	181
1926	110
1927	381
1928	383
1929	203
1930	540
1931	90
1932	139
1933	441
1934	118
1935	904
1936	602
1937	1,041
1938	219
1939	238
1940	1,147
1941	214
1942	979
1943	1,002
1944	568
1945	302
1946	487
1947	534
1948	422
1949	429
1950	653
1951	958
1952	386
1953	476
1954	791
1955	278
1956	906
1957	349
1958	494
1959	603
1960	329
1961	641
1962	1,162
1963	921
1964	567
1965	283
1966	634
1967	556
1968	1,096
1969	859
1970	1,301
1971	936
1972	823
1973	450
1974	978
1975	688
1976	848
1977	997
1978	1,669
1979	1,158
1980	423
1981	823
1982	958
1983	847
1984	1,957
1985	2,188
1986	1,327
1987	1,063
1988	1,637
1989	955
1990	1,257
1991	562
1992	493
1993	1,327
1994	2,035
1995	1,136
1996	851
1997	658
1998	576
1999	1,368
2000	1,132
2001	667
2002	666
2003	732
2004	451
2005	1,335
2006	1,395
2007	2,143
2008	1,366
2009	738
2010	986
2011	731
2012	848
2013	432
2014	480
2015	413
2016	726
2017	1,370
2018	634
2019	722
2020	498
2021	375
2022	346
2023	778
2024	841
2025	1,599
2026	193

Download the Data

Data for records on 1981-01-20: 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 2026-10-15 (15 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2026-10-15. Last revised 15 October 2026 (2026-10-15).

Margin	Records
0 to 100	683
100 to 200	9
200 to 300	2
300 to 400	2
400 to 500	0
500 to 600	1