1,354 station records on 17 December 1981 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.
Weather records on 17 December 1981: highest significance records shown on the map
Station
Country
Type
Value
Significance
Trenton
United States
Record daily snowfall
21.6 cm (8.5 in)
70 of 100 (Major)
Table Rock 4N
United States
Record daily snowfall
20.3 cm (8.0 in)
66 of 100 (Major)
Valparaiso Wtr Wks
United States
Record daily snowfall
50.8 cm (20.0 in)
64 of 100 (Major)
Shelbina
United States
Record daily snowfall
22.9 cm (9.0 in)
64 of 100 (Major)
Havana
United States
Record daily snowfall
20.3 cm (8.0 in)
63 of 100 (Major)
Vandalia
United States
Record daily snowfall
20.3 cm (8.0 in)
62 of 100 (Major)
Quincy Mem Brg
United States
Record daily snowfall
17.8 cm (7.0 in)
61 of 100 (Major)
Knightstown 2 ENE
United States
Record daily snowfall
12.7 cm (5.0 in)
61 of 100 (Major)
Decatur Wtp
United States
Record daily snowfall
22.9 cm (9.0 in)
60 of 100 (Major)
Jacksonville 2E
United States
Record daily snowfall
17.8 cm (7.0 in)
60 of 100 (Major)
Sidell 4N
United States
Record daily snowfall
17.8 cm (7.0 in)
60 of 100 (Major)
Mt Pulaski
United States
Record daily snowfall
19.1 cm (7.5 in)
59 of 100 (Notable)
Pawnee City
United States
Record daily snowfall
17.8 cm (7.0 in)
58 of 100 (Notable)
Griggsville
United States
Record daily snowfall
20.3 cm (8.0 in)
57 of 100 (Notable)
Grant City
United States
Record daily snowfall
17.8 cm (7.0 in)
57 of 100 (Notable)
Edina
United States
Record daily snowfall
20.8 cm (8.2 in)
56 of 100 (Notable)
Steffenville
United States
Record daily snowfall
17.3 cm (6.8 in)
55 of 100 (Notable)
Virden
United States
Record daily snowfall
22.9 cm (9.0 in)
54 of 100 (Notable)
Greensburg
United States
Record daily snowfall
17.8 cm (7.0 in)
53 of 100 (Notable)
Virginia
Brazil
Record daily precipitation
116.4 mm (4.6 in)
52 of 100 (Notable)
Greencastle 1 W
United States
Record daily snowfall
12.7 cm (5.0 in)
52 of 100 (Notable)
Atchison
United States
Record daily snowfall
12.7 cm (5.0 in)
52 of 100 (Notable)
Frankfort Downtown
United States
Record daily snowfall
7.4 cm (2.9 in)
52 of 100 (Notable)
Saverton L&D 22
United States
Record daily snowfall
20.3 cm (8.0 in)
52 of 100 (Notable)
Chillicothe 2S
United States
Record daily snowfall
12.7 cm (5.0 in)
51 of 100 (Notable)
Elsberry 1 S
United States
Record daily snowfall
12.7 cm (5.0 in)
51 of 100 (Notable)
Beatrice
United States
Record daily snowfall
15.2 cm (6.0 in)
51 of 100 (Notable)
Hillsboro
United States
Record daily snowfall
14.0 cm (5.5 in)
50 of 100 (Notable)
Conception
United States
Record daily snowfall
20.3 cm (8.0 in)
50 of 100 (Notable)
Halmstad
Sweden
Record low minimum temperature
-22.9 C (-9.2 F)
49 of 100 (Notable)
Durham
United Kingdom
Record low minimum temperature
-11.4 C (11.5 F)
49 of 100 (Notable)
Beardstown
United States
Record daily snowfall
12.7 cm (5.0 in)
49 of 100 (Notable)
Columbus
United States
Record daily snowfall
15.2 cm (6.0 in)
49 of 100 (Notable)
Martinsville 2 SW
United States
Record daily snowfall
14.0 cm (5.5 in)
49 of 100 (Notable)
Hickman
United States
Record daily snowfall
12.7 cm (5.0 in)
49 of 100 (Notable)
Hamlin
United States
Record daily snowfall
12.7 cm (5.0 in)
49 of 100 (Notable)
Waldeck
Germany
Record snow depth
34.0 cm (13.4 in)
48 of 100 (Notable)
Utsira Fyr
Norway
Record snow depth
50.0 cm (19.7 in)
48 of 100 (Notable)
Carlinville
United States
Record daily snowfall
13.0 cm (5.1 in)
48 of 100 (Notable)
Stockholm
Sweden
Record low maximum temperature
-11.2 C (11.8 F)
47 of 100 (Notable)
Pana
United States
Record daily snowfall
15.2 cm (6.0 in)
47 of 100 (Notable)
Tuscola
United States
Record daily snowfall
15.2 cm (6.0 in)
47 of 100 (Notable)
Madison Sewage Plt
United States
Record daily snowfall
6.4 cm (2.5 in)
47 of 100 (Notable)
Ironton
United States
Record snow depth
12.7 cm (5.0 in)
47 of 100 (Notable)
Carandai
Brazil
Record daily precipitation
107.0 mm (4.2 in)
46 of 100 (Notable)
Hof (Stadt)
Germany
Record snow depth
38.0 cm (15.0 in)
46 of 100 (Notable)
Bergland Dam
United States
Record daily snowfall
28.2 cm (11.1 in)
46 of 100 (Notable)
Hof
Germany
Record snow depth
45.0 cm (17.7 in)
45 of 100 (Notable)
Wasserkuppe
Germany
Record snow depth
102.0 cm (40.2 in)
45 of 100 (Notable)
Sonneberg-Neufang
Germany
Record snow depth
116.0 cm (45.7 in)
45 of 100 (Notable)
Rockville
United States
Record daily snowfall
15.2 cm (6.0 in)
45 of 100 (Notable)
Seymour 1 WSW
United States
Record snow depth
15.2 cm (6.0 in)
45 of 100 (Notable)
Centralia
United States
Record daily snowfall
19.1 cm (7.5 in)
45 of 100 (Notable)
Mexico
United States
Record daily snowfall
14.0 cm (5.5 in)
45 of 100 (Notable)
Western 2W
United States
Record daily snowfall
17.8 cm (7.0 in)
45 of 100 (Notable)
Greenville Wtp
United States
Record daily snowfall
10.9 cm (4.3 in)
45 of 100 (Notable)
Biskra
Algeria
Record high minimum temperature
17.0 C (62.6 F)
44 of 100 (Notable)
Barra Do Itapemirim (Dnos)
Brazil
Record daily precipitation
78.0 mm (3.1 in)
44 of 100 (Notable)
Teuschnitz
Germany
Record snow depth
72.0 cm (28.3 in)
44 of 100 (Notable)
Lincoln
United States
Record daily snowfall
17.8 cm (7.0 in)
44 of 100 (Notable)
Counts by Type and Timescale
1,354 records
Records set or tied on 17 December 1981 by type: Highest daily maximum 111, Lowest daily maximum 160, Highest daily minimum 85, Lowest daily minimum 219, Heaviest daily rainfall 198, Heaviest daily snowfall 281, Deepest snow cover 300.
Records on 17 December 1981 by type
Record type
Records
Highest daily maximum
111
Lowest daily maximum
160
Highest daily minimum
85
Lowest daily minimum
219
Heaviest daily rainfall
198
Heaviest daily snowfall
281
Deepest snow cover
300
Records on 17 December 1981 by timescale: all-time 12, monthly 59, daily 1,283.
Records on 17 December 1981 by timescale
Timescale
Records
all-time
12
monthly
59
daily
1,283
How Much Records Were Beaten By
1,136 broken records
Margins by which the 1,136 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 700.0. Ties are not counted.
Histogram of margins by which records were beaten on 17 December 1981
Margin
Records
0 to 100
1,026
100 to 200
89
200 to 300
14
300 to 400
2
400 to 500
2
500 to 600
1
600 to 700
2
Top 20 by Significance
17 December 1981
Top 20 records on 17 December 1981 by significance
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
1981
Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1981. 1981 had 1,354 records.
Counts for years before the ledger starts come from the same station rules.
Records on 12-17 in each year
Year
Records
1793
2
1796
1
1806
2
1808
2
1814
1
1815
1
1839
1
1845
1
1846
4
1847
1
1848
1
1859
3
1866
1
1867
1
1868
1
1869
2
1873
2
1876
3
1877
2
1878
1
1879
2
1881
2
1885
1
1886
1
1888
2
1889
2
1890
4
1892
4
1893
2
1894
4
1895
3
1896
4
1897
4
1898
2
1899
1
1900
6
1901
5
1902
47
1903
2
1904
14
1905
2
1906
17
1907
9
1908
13
1909
5
1910
37
1911
12
1912
15
1913
21
1914
17
1915
31
1916
21
1917
21
1918
21
1919
109
1920
97
1921
94
1922
120
1923
170
1924
505
1925
79
1926
172
1927
143
1928
359
1929
221
1930
362
1931
217
1932
684
1933
710
1934
200
1935
87
1936
504
1937
379
1938
118
1939
1,126
1940
248
1941
261
1942
507
1943
444
1944
189
1945
621
1946
207
1947
258
1948
316
1949
296
1950
294
1951
773
1952
277
1953
283
1954
409
1955
419
1956
448
1957
686
1958
540
1959
548
1960
492
1961
911
1962
676
1963
531
1964
1,239
1965
482
1966
516
1967
1,121
1968
338
1969
238
1970
820
1971
781
1972
601
1973
1,016
1974
390
1975
474
1976
507
1977
1,024
1978
710
1979
951
1980
1,116
1981
1,354
1982
569
1983
1,264
1984
1,618
1985
1,210
1986
743
1987
1,191
1988
481
1989
2,905
1990
866
1991
577
1992
1,461
1993
761
1994
685
1995
956
1996
1,212
1997
1,279
1998
695
1999
901
2000
1,566
2001
1,262
2002
858
2003
751
2004
554
2005
806
2006
1,307
2007
1,100
2008
1,354
2009
926
2010
1,405
2011
430
2012
942
2013
718
2014
370
2015
1,378
2016
1,521
2017
408
2018
498
2019
917
2020
768
2021
908
2022
595
2023
931
2024
560
2025
1,198
Download the Data
Data for records on 1981-12-17: 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 2026-10-17 (17 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.