Weather Records on 23 January 1981

1,387 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 23 January 1981. Highest significance: Britstown (Pol), ZA.

Key Facts for 23 January 1981

On 23 January 1981, 1,387 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
874 were record highs and 162 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 6 were all-time records, 125 monthly and 1,256 daily.
Britstown (Pol) set a daily record precipitation of 56.0 mm (2.2 in) on 23 January 1981.
Across 165 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 464 records.

Record Map

1,387 stations

1,387 station records on 23 January 1981 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 23 January 1981: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Britstown (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	56.0 mm (2.2 in)	74 of 100 (Major)
Tennant Creek Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	125.0 mm (4.9 in)	73 of 100 (Major)
Matjiesfontein (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	73 of 100 (Major)
Letjiebos (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Humansdorp (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Klipfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	38.5 mm (1.5 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Barkestad	Norway	Record snow depth	130.0 cm (51.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Winterhoek	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Liafoss	Norway	Record daily precipitation	60.1 mm (2.4 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Knysna (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Blouboskuil	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	90.0 mm (3.5 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Great Brak River	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Hopewell	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	110.0 mm (4.3 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Butterworth (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	90.0 mm (3.5 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Makwassie	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Calitzdorp (Dam)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Elliotdale (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
George Airport	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	67.0 mm (2.6 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Fir Glen	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Clarens (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	72.0 mm (2.8 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Merced	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.2 mm (1.2 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Boesmansrivier	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	42.5 mm (1.7 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Cathcart	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	48.5 mm (1.9 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Woodland 1 WNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Darwin Airport	Australia	Record daily precipitation	205.2 mm (8.1 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Rawsonville (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Bet-El	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Dordrecht - Tnk 14	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	56.0 mm (2.2 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Gouna (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Hay Springs	United States	Record high maximum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
New Salem 5NW	United States	Record high maximum temperature	16.7 C (62.1 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Plaatjies Kraal	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Agterkop	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.5 mm (1.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Doornhoek	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	103.0 mm (4.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Faulkton	United States	Record high maximum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Kleinfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Klipplaat (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	100.0 mm (3.9 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Cegcuana (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Rietpan II	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	96.0 mm (3.8 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Turlock #2	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.1 mm (1.4 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Ashley	United States	Record high maximum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Watertown Rgnl AP	United States	Record high maximum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Fairview	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Mittenwald-Buckelwiesen	Germany	Record snow depth	124.0 cm (48.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Marysville	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
New England	United States	Record high maximum temperature	17.8 C (64.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Dassieshoek	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Minden	United States	Record high maximum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Evanston 1 E	United States	Record high maximum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Grenfell	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	-2.5 C (27.5 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Grootfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	96.0 mm (3.8 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Primghar	United States	Record high maximum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Leribe	Lesotho	Record daily precipitation	80.1 mm (3.2 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Bergplaats (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Keurboomsrivier (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Wamakersvlei	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.5 mm (1.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Cofimvaba (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Drieputs	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Ficksburg;Kersieproe	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	62.9 mm (2.5 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Kestell (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	58.0 mm (2.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,387 records

Records set or tied on 23 January 1981 by type: Highest daily maximum 593, Lowest daily maximum 68, Highest daily minimum 281, Lowest daily minimum 94, Heaviest daily rainfall 285, Heaviest daily snowfall 16, Deepest snow cover 50.

Records on 23 January 1981 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	593
Lowest daily maximum	68
Highest daily minimum	281
Lowest daily minimum	94
Heaviest daily rainfall	285
Heaviest daily snowfall	16
Deepest snow cover	50

Records on 23 January 1981 by timescale: all-time 6, monthly 125, daily 1,256.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,147 broken records

Margins by which the 1,147 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 540.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

23 January 1981

Top 20 records on 23 January 1981 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
23 January 1981	Britstown (Pol), ZA	daily rain	56.0 mm (2.2 in)	51.4 mm (2.0 in)	85 years	74 of 100 (Major)
23 January 1981	Tennant Creek Post Office, AU	daily rain	125.0 mm (4.9 in)	85.4 mm (3.4 in)	77 years	73 of 100 (Major)
23 January 1981	Matjiesfontein (Sar), ZA	daily rain	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	77 years	73 of 100 (Major)
23 January 1981	Letjiebos (Sar), ZA	daily rain	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	41.6 mm (1.6 in)	68 years	67 of 100 (Major)
23 January 1981	Humansdorp (Pol), ZA	daily rain	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	20.4 mm (0.8 in)	96 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Klipfontein, ZA	daily rain	38.5 mm (1.5 in)	21.5 mm (0.8 in)	85 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Barkestad, NO	daily snow depth	130.0 cm (51.2 in)	46.0 cm (18.1 in)	79 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Winterhoek, ZA	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	85 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Liafoss, NO	daily rain	60.1 mm (2.4 in)	35.2 mm (1.4 in)	43 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Knysna (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	13.0 mm (0.5 in)	93 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Blouboskuil, ZA	all-time rain	90.0 mm (3.5 in)	19.5 mm (0.8 in)	13 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Great Brak River, ZA	daily rain	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	10 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Hopewell, ZA	daily rain	110.0 mm (4.3 in)	80.5 mm (3.2 in)	18 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Butterworth (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	90.0 mm (3.5 in)	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	7 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Makwassie, ZA	daily rain	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	41.7 mm (1.6 in)	61 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Calitzdorp (Dam), ZA	daily rain	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	57 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Elliotdale (Tnk), ZA	monthly rain	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	10.3 mm (0.4 in)	69 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	George Airport, ZA	daily rain	67.0 mm (2.6 in)	11.9 mm (0.5 in)	96 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Fir Glen, ZA	daily rain	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	9.0 mm (0.35 in)	96 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
23 January 1981	Clarens (Pol), ZA	daily rain	72.0 mm (2.8 in)	35.7 mm (1.4 in)	39 years	48 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 1,387 records.

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

Records on 01-23 in each year
Year	Records
1795	2
1800	2
1812	1
1815	1
1823	3
1827	1
1840	1
1845	1
1846	2
1849	1
1850	1
1852	1
1855	2
1856	1
1860	1
1867	1
1869	2
1871	1
1872	1
1873	1
1874	1
1879	1
1880	1
1881	2
1882	1
1884	3
1886	1
1887	4
1888	1
1890	2
1891	3
1892	3
1893	5
1894	4
1895	4
1896	6
1897	1
1898	5
1899	8
1900	5
1901	5
1902	6
1903	5
1904	11
1905	4
1906	49
1907	22
1908	7
1909	60
1910	18
1911	5
1912	8
1913	32
1914	17
1915	30
1916	31
1917	245
1918	69
1919	28
1920	49
1921	38
1922	54
1923	63
1924	79
1925	118
1926	223
1927	262
1928	39
1929	304
1930	697
1931	243
1932	265
1933	757
1934	287
1935	588
1936	1,202
1937	686
1938	335
1939	406
1940	701
1941	345
1942	535
1943	1,200
1944	478
1945	146
1946	417
1947	414
1948	918
1949	705
1950	644
1951	283
1952	498
1953	531
1954	472
1955	568
1956	354
1957	593
1958	259
1959	535
1960	544
1961	529
1962	624
1963	1,366
1964	455
1965	831
1966	973
1967	1,336
1968	547
1969	1,128
1970	1,157
1971	407
1972	695
1973	495
1974	484
1975	457
1976	1,092
1977	629
1978	911
1979	1,109
1980	743
1981	1,387
1982	1,884
1983	845
1984	736
1985	775
1986	611
1987	1,231
1988	741
1989	634
1990	1,376
1991	891
1992	737
1993	1,273
1994	798
1995	991
1996	889
1997	936
1998	724
1999	2,024
2000	1,155
2001	588
2002	1,174
2003	1,269
2004	726
2005	1,207
2006	1,104
2007	1,127
2008	802
2009	1,334
2010	1,284
2011	741
2012	610
2013	764
2014	916
2015	561
2016	1,168
2017	1,089
2018	643
2019	688
2020	896
2021	455
2022	685
2023	567
2024	868
2025	1,016
2026	535

Download the Data

Data for records on 1981-01-23: 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 100	1,129
100 to 200	11
200 to 300	1
300 to 400	3
400 to 500	1
500 to 600	2