Weather Records on 3 December 1981

644 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 3 December 1981. Highest significance: Cordova AP, US.

Key Facts for 3 December 1981

On 3 December 1981, 644 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
211 were record highs and 118 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 24 monthly and 620 daily.
Cordova AP set a monthly record daily snowfall of 58.4 cm (23.0 in) on 3 December 1981.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 466 records.

Record Map

644 stations

644 station records on 3 December 1981 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 3 December 1981: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Cordova AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	58.4 cm (23.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Nooitgedag	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Trang	Thailand	Record daily precipitation	66.6 mm (2.6 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Songkhla	Thailand	Record daily precipitation	286.0 mm (11.3 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Franklyn Vale	Australia	Record daily precipitation	53.8 mm (2.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Shamrock Mine	Australia	Record daily precipitation	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Medina	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Jonesboro	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.5 mm (3.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Doctors Creek	Australia	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Stanthorpe Leslie Parade	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Galdinopolis	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	163.8 mm (6.4 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Richmond	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	1.0 C (33.8 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Hafslo	Norway	Record snow depth	88.0 cm (34.6 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Rumbulara Vineyards	Australia	Record daily precipitation	124.0 mm (4.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Monte Carmelo	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	89.4 mm (3.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Fazenda Guaxupe	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	116.8 mm (4.6 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Colgate	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Old Koreelah (McPherson)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Montreal McGill	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	4.0 C (39.2 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Grindstone Island	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	9.2 C (48.6 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Piller	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	124.3 mm (4.9 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Gulkana AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	29.0 cm (11.4 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Rastenberg	Germany	Record daily precipitation	26.5 mm (1.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Tres Piedras	United States	Record high minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Warren	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-20.6 C (-5.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Gayndah Post Office	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	27.6 C (81.7 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Sharon	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Valdez WSO	United States	Record daily snowfall	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Baixo Guandu	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	70.2 mm (2.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Fazenda Acude	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	120.3 mm (4.7 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Picinguaba	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	135.7 mm (5.3 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Laranjeiras	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Nappan Cda	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	4.0 C (39.2 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Sarna	Sweden	Record snow depth	69.0 cm (27.2 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Valdez WSO	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Coen Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Macuspana (Dge)	Mexico	Record high minimum temperature	23.9 C (75.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Rinconada	Mexico	Record high minimum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Sable Island	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	9.0 C (48.2 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
St Margaret's Bay	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Kaltennordheim	Germany	Record daily precipitation	26.1 mm (1.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Curtis	United States	Record high minimum temperature	1.1 C (34.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Cooperstown	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Moreton Sugar Mill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	138.0 mm (5.4 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Muniz Freire (Dnos)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	71.2 mm (2.8 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Ubatuba	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	83.8 mm (3.3 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Weimar-Schondorf	Germany	Record daily precipitation	27.7 mm (1.1 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Reit Im Winkl	Germany	Record snow depth	127.0 cm (50.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Ilyinskiy	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-22.2 C (-8.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Matilde (Dnos)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	71.4 mm (2.8 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Clyde A	Canada	Record daily snowfall	6.6 cm (2.6 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Teuschnitz	Germany	Record snow depth	37.0 cm (14.6 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Eagle	United States	Record high maximum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Julatten	Australia	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Carawatha	Australia	Record daily precipitation	75.6 mm (3.0 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Tenterfield (Sailor Jack)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Catemaco	Mexico	Record high minimum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
La Tuna 1 S	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Valdez WSO	United States	Record high maximum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Moogerah Dam	Australia	Record daily precipitation	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

644 records

Records set or tied on 3 December 1981 by type: Highest daily maximum 82, Lowest daily maximum 45, Highest daily minimum 129, Lowest daily minimum 73, Heaviest daily rainfall 213, Heaviest daily snowfall 39, Deepest snow cover 63.

Records on 3 December 1981 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	82
Lowest daily maximum	45
Highest daily minimum	129
Lowest daily minimum	73
Heaviest daily rainfall	213
Heaviest daily snowfall	39
Deepest snow cover	63

Records on 3 December 1981 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 24, daily 620.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

526 broken records

Margins by which the 526 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 450.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

3 December 1981

Top 20 records on 3 December 1981 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
3 December 1981	Cordova AP, US	monthly snowfall	58.4 cm (23.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	68 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Nooitgedag, ZA	daily rain	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	53.4 mm (2.1 in)	34 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Trang, TH	daily rain	66.6 mm (2.6 in)	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	24 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Songkhla, TH	monthly rain	286.0 mm (11.3 in)	79.4 mm (3.1 in)	24 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Franklyn Vale, AU	daily rain	53.8 mm (2.1 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	72 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Shamrock Mine, AU	daily rain	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	49.6 mm (2.0 in)	50 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Medina, US	daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	76 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Jonesboro, US	daily rain	76.5 mm (3.0 in)	56.4 mm (2.2 in)	7 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Doctors Creek, AU	daily rain	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	21.1 mm (0.8 in)	72 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Stanthorpe Leslie Parade, AU	daily rain	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	10.7 mm (0.4 in)	74 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Galdinopolis, BR	monthly rain	163.8 mm (6.4 in)	42.5 mm (1.7 in)	22 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Richmond, CA	daily high min	1.0 C (33.8 F)	1.0 C (1.8 F)	102 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Hafslo, NO	daily snow depth	88.0 cm (34.6 in)	25.0 cm (9.8 in)	64 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Rumbulara Vineyards, AU	monthly rain	124.0 mm (4.9 in)	22.4 mm (0.9 in)	21 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Monte Carmelo, BR	daily rain	89.4 mm (3.5 in)	40.4 mm (1.6 in)	36 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Fazenda Guaxupe, BR	daily rain	116.8 mm (4.6 in)	62.6 mm (2.5 in)	26 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Colgate, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	7.7 cm (3.0 in)	28 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Old Koreelah (McPherson), AU	daily rain	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	18.7 mm (0.7 in)	62 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Montreal McGill, CA	daily high min	4.0 C (39.2 F)	1.8 C (3.2 F)	89 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1981	Grindstone Island, CA	daily high max	9.2 C (48.6 F)	0.9 C (1.6 F)	85 years	36 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

1793 to 1981

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1981. 1981 had 644 records.

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

Records on 12-03 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1796	1
1797	1
1801	1
1807	1
1810	1
1816	1
1828	1
1829	2
1831	1
1832	1
1846	1
1853	1
1855	3
1856	4
1866	2
1867	1
1869	4
1870	2
1872	3
1873	1
1875	4
1876	3
1879	8
1882	3
1886	1
1887	2
1888	3
1890	2
1891	3
1892	4
1893	1
1894	1
1895	4
1896	2
1897	4
1898	2
1899	4
1900	4
1901	9
1902	13
1903	9
1904	5
1905	33
1906	23
1907	2
1908	4
1909	45
1910	8
1911	12
1912	23
1913	66
1914	74
1915	19
1916	153
1917	34
1918	29
1919	88
1920	44
1921	128
1922	68
1923	58
1924	89
1925	152
1926	189
1927	247
1928	79
1929	651
1930	131
1931	352
1932	528
1933	486
1934	270
1935	267
1936	379
1937	284
1938	347
1939	443
1940	1,023
1941	1,141
1942	595
1943	290
1944	284
1945	194
1946	443
1947	814
1948	419
1949	177
1950	689
1951	881
1952	242
1953	804
1954	493
1955	763
1956	679
1957	211
1958	583
1959	372
1960	577
1961	342
1962	923
1963	331
1964	824
1965	308
1966	1,076
1967	859
1968	646
1969	395
1970	1,247
1971	999
1972	890
1973	778
1974	661
1975	638
1976	1,315
1977	681
1978	1,406
1979	959
1980	1,128
1981	644
1982	3,010
1983	1,255
1984	645
1985	2,305
1986	801
1987	682
1988	672
1989	1,064
1990	1,178
1991	1,521
1992	776
1993	670
1994	664
1995	725
1996	694
1997	854
1998	1,969
1999	982
2000	759
2001	604
2002	977
2003	519
2004	739
2005	1,140
2006	1,167
2007	793
2008	804
2009	1,124
2010	1,879
2011	852
2012	1,355
2013	799
2014	510
2015	533
2016	347
2017	669
2018	1,043
2019	490
2020	409
2021	1,364
2022	448
2023	810
2024	709
2025	578

Download the Data

Data for records on 1981-12-03: 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	515
100 to 200	5
200 to 300	5
300 to 400	0
400 to 500	1