Weather Records on 23 March 1981

940 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 23 March 1981. Highest significance: Kamiesberg, ZA.

Key Facts for 23 March 1981

On 23 March 1981, 940 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
183 were record highs and 142 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 5 were all-time records, 35 monthly and 900 daily.
Kamiesberg set a monthly record daily precipitation of 108.0 mm (4.3 in) on 23 March 1981.
Across 157 earlier years (1796 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 496 records.

Record Map

940 stations

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

Weather records on 23 March 1981: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Kamiesberg	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	77 of 100 (Major)
Lenoir	United States	Record daily snowfall	26.7 cm (10.5 in)	72 of 100 (Major)
Chitradurga	India	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Rocky Mt	United States	Record daily snowfall	26.7 cm (10.5 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Morganton	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Propria	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	57.4 mm (2.3 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Elkin	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Martinsville Fltr Plt	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.8 cm (8.2 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Roxboro 7 ESE	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Swannanoa 2 E	United States	Record daily snowfall	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Wytheville	United States	Record daily snowfall	28.2 cm (11.1 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Blowing Rock 1NW	United States	Record daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Rocky Mt	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Hartebeesthoek	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	56.5 mm (2.2 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Celo 2 S	United States	Record daily snowfall	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Bom Conselho	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	119.4 mm (4.7 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Port Alfred	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Morganton	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Pisgah Forest 3 NE	United States	Record daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Hillsville	United States	Record daily snowfall	31.8 cm (12.5 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Itajuipe (Piranji)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	134.6 mm (5.3 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Danbury	United States	Record daily snowfall	24.1 cm (9.5 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Limoeiro de Anadia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	70.6 mm (2.8 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Robben Island (Vrt)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Jefferson 2 E	United States	Record daily snowfall	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Geroda-Platz	Germany	Record daily precipitation	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Idlewild	United States	Record daily snowfall	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Marion	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Clarksville	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Princeton	United States	Record daily snowfall	16.3 cm (6.4 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Barkestad	Norway	Record snow depth	173.0 cm (68.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Tabl.Mtn Molteno Rsv	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
N Wilkesboro	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Santa Ines	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	66.4 mm (2.6 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Lagoa da Canoa	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	84.8 mm (3.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Hamar-Daban	Russia	Record daily precipitation	26.3 mm (1.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Overtornea	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	28.2 mm (1.1 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Swannanoa 2 E	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Transou	United States	Record daily snowfall	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Copper Hill	United States	Record daily snowfall	34.3 cm (13.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
St. Petersburg	Russia	Record high maximum temperature	12.9 C (55.2 F)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Roxboro 7 ESE	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Major Isidoro (Sertaozinho)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Lafayette 1 NE	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Table.Mtn Woodhead Tunnel	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Newport 2 NNW	United States	Record daily snowfall	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Malta	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	146.1 mm (5.8 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Rosman	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Georgetown 2 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	84.6 mm (3.3 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Lafayette 1 NE	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Shelby 2 NW	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Airy 2 W	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Alderson	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Hamelfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	45.5 mm (1.8 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Sertania (Alagoa de Baixo)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	103.0 mm (4.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Salgadalia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	50.4 mm (2.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Matjiesfontein (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Banner Elk	United States	Record daily snowfall	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Oxford 1 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Buchanan	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

940 records

Records set or tied on 23 March 1981 by type: Highest daily maximum 72, Lowest daily maximum 113, Highest daily minimum 111, Lowest daily minimum 29, Heaviest daily rainfall 485, Heaviest daily snowfall 75, Deepest snow cover 55.

Records on 23 March 1981 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	72
Lowest daily maximum	113
Highest daily minimum	111
Lowest daily minimum	29
Heaviest daily rainfall	485
Heaviest daily snowfall	75
Deepest snow cover	55

Records on 23 March 1981 by timescale: all-time 5, monthly 35, daily 900.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

862 broken records

Margins by which the 862 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 550.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

23 March 1981

Top 20 records on 23 March 1981 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
23 March 1981	Kamiesberg, ZA	monthly rain	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	49.8 mm (2.0 in)	63 years	77 of 100 (Major)
23 March 1981	Lenoir, US	daily snowfall	26.7 cm (10.5 in)	26.7 cm (10.5 in)	87 years	72 of 100 (Major)
23 March 1981	Chitradurga, IN	daily rain	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	71 years	64 of 100 (Major)
23 March 1981	Rocky Mt, US	daily snowfall	26.7 cm (10.5 in)	25.9 cm (10.2 in)	47 years	62 of 100 (Major)
23 March 1981	Morganton, US	daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	74 years	61 of 100 (Major)
23 March 1981	Propria, BR	daily rain	57.4 mm (2.3 in)	47.5 mm (1.9 in)	50 years	60 of 100 (Major)
23 March 1981	Elkin, US	daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	67 years	60 of 100 (Major)
23 March 1981	Martinsville Fltr Plt, US	daily snowfall	20.8 cm (8.2 in)	20.8 cm (8.2 in)	50 years	60 of 100 (Major)
23 March 1981	Roxboro 7 ESE, US	daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	87 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
23 March 1981	Swannanoa 2 E, US	daily snowfall	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	48 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
23 March 1981	Wytheville, US	daily snowfall	28.2 cm (11.1 in)	20.1 cm (7.9 in)	47 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
23 March 1981	Blowing Rock 1NW, US	daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	31 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
23 March 1981	Rocky Mt, US	daily snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	31 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
23 March 1981	Hartebeesthoek, ZA	daily rain	56.5 mm (2.2 in)	47.6 mm (1.9 in)	34 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
23 March 1981	Celo 2 S, US	all-time snowfall	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	15 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
23 March 1981	Bom Conselho, BR	monthly rain	119.4 mm (4.7 in)	40.2 mm (1.6 in)	0 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
23 March 1981	Port Alfred, ZA	daily rain	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	80 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
23 March 1981	Morganton, US	daily snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	48 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
23 March 1981	Pisgah Forest 3 NE, US	daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	40 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
23 March 1981	Hillsville, US	daily snowfall	31.8 cm (12.5 in)	31.8 cm (12.5 in)	38 years	54 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

1796 to 1981

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1796 to 1981. 1981 had 940 records.

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

Records on 03-23 in each year
Year	Records
1796	1
1808	1
1836	2
1837	2
1853	2
1858	1
1862	1
1864	2
1865	2
1868	2
1871	3
1874	2
1875	4
1877	2
1878	3
1879	1
1882	1
1883	6
1884	2
1885	3
1886	1
1887	1
1888	3
1889	2
1890	1
1891	1
1893	1
1895	4
1896	13
1897	9
1898	6
1899	3
1901	5
1902	26
1903	32
1904	3
1905	16
1906	23
1907	53
1908	11
1909	7
1910	12
1911	8
1912	22
1913	76
1914	72
1915	11
1916	50
1917	65
1918	31
1919	17
1920	75
1921	10
1922	30
1923	97
1924	78
1925	164
1926	283
1927	202
1928	154
1929	517
1930	135
1931	267
1932	169
1933	123
1934	689
1935	486
1936	437
1937	243
1938	601
1939	565
1940	1,031
1941	188
1942	187
1943	286
1944	466
1945	386
1946	170
1947	275
1948	331
1949	390
1950	874
1951	337
1952	1,479
1953	589
1954	483
1955	999
1956	420
1957	354
1958	486
1959	249
1960	1,004
1961	361
1962	306
1963	839
1964	815
1965	1,537
1966	793
1967	822
1968	1,490
1969	634
1970	380
1971	758
1972	533
1973	537
1974	1,099
1975	618
1976	399
1977	642
1978	608
1979	1,012
1980	422
1981	940
1982	845
1983	1,522
1984	715
1985	437
1986	1,104
1987	1,279
1988	710
1989	805
1990	1,389
1991	1,264
1992	883
1993	1,151
1994	1,499
1995	1,514
1996	673
1997	743
1998	1,253
1999	722
2000	1,162
2001	995
2002	1,130
2003	971
2004	1,516
2005	1,014
2006	1,311
2007	1,595
2008	956
2009	952
2010	918
2011	1,245
2012	2,269
2013	1,270
2014	594
2015	577
2016	536
2017	739
2018	790
2019	525
2020	465
2021	1,050
2022	1,031
2023	1,135
2024	611
2025	702
2026	1,806

Download the Data

Data for records on 1981-03-23: 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 2026-10-16 (16 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 100	804
100 to 200	32
200 to 300	22
300 to 400	3
400 to 500	0
500 to 600	1