Weather Records on 21 October 1981

667 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 October 1981. Highest significance: Lusk 2 SW, US.

Key Facts for 21 October 1981

On 21 October 1981, 667 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
89 were record highs and 255 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 8 monthly and 659 daily.
Lusk 2 SW set a daily record precipitation of 30.5 mm (1.2 in) on 21 October 1981.
Across 167 earlier years (1795 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 418 records.

Record Map

667 stations

667 station records on 21 October 1981 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 October 1981: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Lusk 2 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Chadron 3SW	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Mayville	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Spearfish	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Ada	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Nenzel 20 S	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Detroit Lakes 1 NNE	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Chadron 3SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Grand Forks UNIV (NWS)	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Hillsboro 3 N	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Mullen 3S	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Moorcroft 3S	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Belle Fourche	United States	Record daily snowfall	11.2 cm (4.4 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Chatswood Council Depot	Australia	Record daily precipitation	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Shelford	Australia	Record daily precipitation	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Belmont (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	44.0 mm (1.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Woomelang	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.6 mm (1.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Kweekwa	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Colgate	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Hay Springs	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Edmore 4NW	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Laghouat	Algeria	Record high minimum temperature	17.0 C (62.6 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Lascelles	Australia	Record daily precipitation	54.4 mm (2.1 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Stellenbosch (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Lewistown AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Rushville	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Robinvale (Kyndalyn Park)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.6 mm (1.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Corozal Substn	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record daily precipitation	69.3 mm (2.7 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Upton	United States	Record low maximum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Bergschenhoek	Netherlands	Record daily precipitation	29.7 mm (1.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Chester	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-15.0 C (5.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Kenai AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Kerang	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.8 mm (1.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Causapscal	Canada	Record daily snowfall	6.0 cm (2.4 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Dull Ctr 1SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Randwick Racecourse	Australia	Record daily precipitation	63.2 mm (2.5 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Birchip Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	65.4 mm (2.6 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Fort Frances	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-9.5 C (14.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Hornepayne	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-18.0 C (-0.4 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Chatham Exp Fa	United States	Record low maximum temperature	3.3 C (37.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Sundance	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Sundance	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Tibooburra Post Office	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	17.2 C (63.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Koffiefontein (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Elk City 1NE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Newberry-Luce Co Rd Commission	United States	Record low maximum temperature	1.1 C (34.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Mahnomen	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Buffalo	United States	Record low maximum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Buffalo Bill Dam	United States	Record low maximum temperature	1.1 C (34.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Russell	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	-3.5 C (25.7 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Morrisburg	Canada	Record daily snowfall	12.0 cm (4.7 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Broadview	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-11.1 C (12.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Ellsworth 2W	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Rochelle 7ENE	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Lake Bolac (Post Office)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Whitewood	Canada	Record daily snowfall	5.8 cm (2.3 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Kapuskasing Cda	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-13.5 C (7.7 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Broadview	United States	Record low maximum temperature	1.1 C (34.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Busby	United States	Record low maximum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Merriman	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

667 records

Records set or tied on 21 October 1981 by type: Highest daily maximum 39, Lowest daily maximum 115, Highest daily minimum 50, Lowest daily minimum 140, Heaviest daily rainfall 201, Heaviest daily snowfall 85, Deepest snow cover 37.

Records on 21 October 1981 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	39
Lowest daily maximum	115
Highest daily minimum	50
Lowest daily minimum	140
Heaviest daily rainfall	201
Heaviest daily snowfall	85
Deepest snow cover	37

Records on 21 October 1981 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 8, daily 659.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

556 broken records

Margins by which the 556 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 178.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 October 1981

Top 20 records on 21 October 1981 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 October 1981	Lusk 2 SW, US	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	67 years	63 of 100 (Major)
21 October 1981	Chadron 3SW, US	daily snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	62 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Mayville, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.3 cm (2.9 in)	32 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Spearfish, US	daily snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	48 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Ada, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	85 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Nenzel 20 S, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	64 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Detroit Lakes 1 NNE, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	84 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Chadron 3SW, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	34 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Grand Forks UNIV (NWS), US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	85 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Hillsboro 3 N, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	75 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Mullen 3S, US	daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	84 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Moorcroft 3S, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	64 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Belle Fourche, US	daily snowfall	11.2 cm (4.4 in)	9.9 cm (3.9 in)	46 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Chatswood Council Depot, AU	daily rain	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	12.5 mm (0.5 in)	82 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Shelford, AU	monthly rain	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	8.8 mm (0.35 in)	22 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Belmont (Pol), ZA	daily rain	44.0 mm (1.7 in)	23.7 mm (0.9 in)	35 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Woomelang, AU	daily rain	26.6 mm (1.0 in)	10.3 mm (0.4 in)	56 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Kweekwa, ZA	monthly rain	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	12.5 mm (0.5 in)	18 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Colgate, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	64 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1981	Hay Springs, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	7.7 cm (3.0 in)	64 years	39 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 667 records.

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

Records on 10-21 in each year
Year	Records
1795	1
1802	2
1805	1
1808	1
1810	1
1834	1
1835	1
1840	1
1845	1
1847	1
1850	1
1851	2
1854	1
1859	1
1863	1
1864	1
1866	3
1867	1
1868	3
1869	2
1871	1
1872	1
1873	1
1874	1
1876	4
1877	2
1878	1
1880	3
1881	1
1883	1
1886	1
1888	2
1889	2
1890	3
1891	6
1892	6
1893	1
1894	1
1895	2
1896	5
1898	6
1899	3
1900	2
1901	9
1902	2
1903	3
1904	30
1905	15
1906	11
1907	35
1908	35
1909	19
1910	21
1911	10
1912	18
1913	59
1914	35
1915	43
1916	70
1917	208
1918	18
1919	102
1920	149
1921	58
1922	78
1923	81
1924	389
1925	150
1926	77
1927	187
1928	78
1929	200
1930	492
1931	217
1932	165
1933	733
1934	407
1935	707
1936	407
1937	132
1938	121
1939	491
1940	537
1941	644
1942	258
1943	421
1944	367
1945	538
1946	297
1947	977
1948	266
1949	1,015
1950	438
1951	382
1952	848
1953	1,579
1954	279
1955	481
1956	276
1957	511
1958	322
1959	410
1960	408
1961	553
1962	359
1963	725
1964	457
1965	465
1966	425
1967	472
1968	174
1969	881
1970	548
1971	498
1972	813
1973	464
1974	866
1975	509
1976	1,467
1977	451
1978	616
1979	1,958
1980	378
1981	667
1982	870
1983	786
1984	1,872
1985	776
1986	814
1987	852
1988	696
1989	1,668
1990	807
1991	877
1992	1,095
1993	845
1994	670
1995	1,120
1996	1,581
1997	915
1998	711
1999	688
2000	771
2001	610
2002	1,241
2003	2,066
2004	1,674
2005	949
2006	1,057
2007	916
2008	610
2009	713
2010	710
2011	662
2012	703
2013	440
2014	716
2015	493
2016	734
2017	750
2018	440
2019	757
2020	1,135
2021	574
2022	629
2023	890
2024	1,138
2025	364

Download the Data

Data for records on 1981-10-21: 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 2026-10-13 (13 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 25	479
25 to 50	42
50 to 75	16
75 to 100	13
100 to 125	2
125 to 150	2
150 to 175	1
175 to 200	1