Weather Records on 21 December 1981

1,476 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 December 1981. Highest significance: Big Bar 4 E, US.

Key Facts for 21 December 1981

On 21 December 1981, 1,476 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
401 were record highs and 411 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 6 were all-time records, 73 monthly and 1,397 daily.
Big Bar 4 E set an all-time record daily precipitation of 184.4 mm (7.3 in) on 21 December 1981.
Across 158 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 483 records.

Record Map

1,476 stations

1,476 station records on 21 December 1981 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 December 1981: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Big Bar 4 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	184.4 mm (7.3 in)	72 of 100 (Major)
Aquiraz	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	54.5 mm (2.1 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Acude Riachao	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Queimadas	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	79.9 mm (3.1 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Pacoti	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	52.4 mm (2.1 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Neustadt/Weinstrasse	Germany	Record snow depth	18.0 cm (7.1 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Cristais	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	80.9 mm (3.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Sape	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	45.6 mm (1.8 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Itapeim	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	83.3 mm (3.3 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Nordby (Fano)	Denmark	Record low minimum temperature	-15.9 C (3.4 F)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Bad Bergzabern	Germany	Record snow depth	26.0 cm (10.2 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Guaiuba	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	105.6 mm (4.2 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Sonneberg-Neufang	Germany	Record snow depth	115.0 cm (45.3 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Taipu	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	45.4 mm (1.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Utsira Fyr	Norway	Record snow depth	40.0 cm (15.7 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Lavras da Mangabeira (Dnocs)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	51.6 mm (2.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Ridgetown	Canada	Record daily snowfall	12.0 cm (4.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Alzey	Germany	Record snow depth	18.0 cm (7.1 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Pforzheim-Eutingen	Germany	Record snow depth	25.0 cm (9.8 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Hof (Stadt)	Germany	Record snow depth	45.0 cm (17.7 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Karval	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.5 cm (6.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Waldeck	Germany	Record snow depth	39.0 cm (15.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Boa Viagem	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Aguiar	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	110.0 mm (4.3 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Acarape	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Karlsruhe	Germany	Record snow depth	21.0 cm (8.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Bananeiras	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	77.0 mm (3.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Philippsburg	Germany	Record snow depth	19.0 cm (7.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Bowie	United States	Record high maximum temperature	28.3 C (82.9 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Pacatuba	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	28.3 mm (1.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Wasserkuppe	Germany	Record snow depth	106.0 cm (41.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Essen-Bredeney	Germany	Record snow depth	12.0 cm (4.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Arnsberg	Germany	Record snow depth	18.0 cm (7.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Kronach	Germany	Record snow depth	29.0 cm (11.4 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Salem	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Acude General Sampaio	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Greenwood	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-14.4 C (6.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Luiz Correia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	56.4 mm (2.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Rheinstetten	Germany	Record snow depth	25.0 cm (9.8 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Las Animas	United States	Record high minimum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Waycross 4 NE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky I	United States	Record daily snowfall	9.9 cm (3.9 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Knittlingen	Germany	Record snow depth	20.0 cm (7.9 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Worms	Germany	Record snow depth	15.0 cm (5.9 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Szombathely	Hungary	Record low minimum temperature	-20.0 C (-4.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Totolapa (Smn)	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Buxton	United Kingdom	Record low maximum temperature	-2.4 C (27.7 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Elberton 2 N	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-14.4 C (6.1 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Frankfort 2NE	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Socorro	United States	Record high maximum temperature	23.3 C (73.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Lautertal-Oberlauter	Germany	Record snow depth	42.0 cm (16.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Evergreen	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Union Springs 9 S	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-11.1 C (12.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Alexandria 4 WSW	United States	Record snow depth	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Conde	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	53.5 mm (2.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Kaiserslautern	Germany	Record snow depth	16.0 cm (6.3 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Waynesboro 2 S	United States	Record low maximum temperature	3.3 C (37.9 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Brewerton Lock 23	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
McKinney Muni AP	United States	Record high maximum temperature	25.6 C (78.1 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Silver Lake Brighton	United States	Record daily snowfall	39.4 cm (15.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,476 records

Records set or tied on 21 December 1981 by type: Highest daily maximum 235, Lowest daily maximum 117, Highest daily minimum 166, Lowest daily minimum 294, Heaviest daily rainfall 296, Heaviest daily snowfall 119, Deepest snow cover 249.

Records on 21 December 1981 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	235
Lowest daily maximum	117
Highest daily minimum	166
Lowest daily minimum	294
Heaviest daily rainfall	296
Heaviest daily snowfall	119
Deepest snow cover	249

Records on 21 December 1981 by timescale: all-time 6, monthly 73, daily 1,397.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,246 broken records

Margins by which the 1,246 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 570.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 December 1981

Top 20 records on 21 December 1981 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 December 1981	Big Bar 4 E, US	all-time rain	184.4 mm (7.3 in)	73.9 mm (2.9 in)	31 years	72 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1981	Aquiraz, BR	daily rain	54.5 mm (2.1 in)	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	64 years	61 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1981	Acude Riachao, BR	daily rain	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	47 years	60 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1981	Queimadas, BR	monthly rain	79.9 mm (3.1 in)	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	21 years	60 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1981	Pacoti, BR	daily rain	52.4 mm (2.1 in)	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	59 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Neustadt/Weinstrasse, DE	daily snow depth	18.0 cm (7.1 in)	13.0 cm (5.1 in)	40 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Cristais, BR	monthly rain	80.9 mm (3.2 in)	35.9 mm (1.4 in)	13 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Sape, BR	daily rain	45.6 mm (1.8 in)	36.2 mm (1.4 in)	34 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Itapeim, BR	daily rain	83.3 mm (3.3 in)	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	35 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Nordby (Fano), DK	monthly low min	-15.9 C (3.4 F)	1.2 C (2.2 F)	97 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Bad Bergzabern, DE	daily snow depth	26.0 cm (10.2 in)	15.0 cm (5.9 in)	34 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Guaiuba, BR	monthly rain	105.6 mm (4.2 in)	35.2 mm (1.4 in)	12 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Sonneberg-Neufang, DE	daily snow depth	115.0 cm (45.3 in)	57.0 cm (22.4 in)	28 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Taipu, BR	daily rain	45.4 mm (1.8 in)	37.4 mm (1.5 in)	19 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Utsira Fyr, NO	daily snow depth	40.0 cm (15.7 in)	30.0 cm (11.8 in)	26 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Lavras da Mangabeira (Dnocs), BR	daily rain	51.6 mm (2.0 in)	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	68 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Ridgetown, CA	daily snowfall	12.0 cm (4.7 in)	4.4 cm (1.7 in)	96 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Alzey, DE	daily snow depth	18.0 cm (7.1 in)	13.0 cm (5.1 in)	19 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Pforzheim-Eutingen, DE	daily snow depth	25.0 cm (9.8 in)	15.0 cm (5.9 in)	34 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1981	Hof (Stadt), DE	daily snow depth	45.0 cm (17.7 in)	23.0 cm (9.1 in)	12 years	47 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 1,476 records.

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

Records on 12-21 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1794	1
1799	1
1801	2
1808	3
1825	1
1828	1
1839	1
1846	1
1850	1
1855	7
1859	1
1860	1
1868	1
1870	1
1871	2
1874	2
1875	3
1876	1
1877	1
1878	1
1879	1
1880	1
1884	1
1886	3
1889	1
1890	4
1893	4
1894	1
1895	5
1896	3
1897	3
1898	1
1900	8
1901	15
1902	5
1903	25
1904	3
1905	15
1906	15
1907	17
1908	19
1909	20
1910	29
1911	36
1912	23
1913	11
1914	107
1915	43
1916	40
1917	18
1918	41
1919	57
1920	30
1921	104
1922	34
1923	323
1924	377
1925	120
1926	178
1927	147
1928	70
1929	156
1930	66
1931	556
1932	150
1933	581
1934	230
1935	398
1936	323
1937	189
1938	145
1939	140
1940	622
1941	651
1942	968
1943	148
1944	762
1945	396
1946	495
1947	700
1948	297
1949	1,281
1950	504
1951	1,061
1952	197
1953	256
1954	444
1955	888
1956	672
1957	846
1958	516
1959	272
1960	585
1961	254
1962	563
1963	1,137
1964	613
1965	247
1966	400
1967	1,923
1968	818
1969	828
1970	547
1971	680
1972	651
1973	1,292
1974	374
1975	548
1976	446
1977	470
1978	517
1979	558
1980	726
1981	1,476
1982	702
1983	3,324
1984	1,012
1985	979
1986	404
1987	775
1988	717
1989	3,203
1990	2,701
1991	1,125
1992	751
1993	967
1994	793
1995	878
1996	1,114
1997	810
1998	1,142
1999	851
2000	944
2001	650
2002	579
2003	1,103
2004	675
2005	606
2006	1,443
2007	946
2008	1,062
2009	1,097
2010	2,039
2011	653
2012	759
2013	1,029
2014	878
2015	1,173
2016	543
2017	459
2018	742
2019	755
2020	965
2021	323
2022	528
2023	1,170
2024	778
2025	1,099

Download the Data

Data for records on 1981-12-21: 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 100	1,193
100 to 200	39
200 to 300	6
300 to 400	4
400 to 500	2
500 to 600	2