Weather Records on 16 December 1985

983 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 16 December 1985. Highest significance: Tsumeb - Pol, NA.

Key Facts for 16 December 1985

On 16 December 1985, 983 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
190 were record highs and 267 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 5 were all-time records, 43 monthly and 935 daily.
Tsumeb - Pol set a daily record precipitation of 69.0 mm (2.7 in) on 16 December 1985.
Across 160 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 479 records.

Record Map

983 stations

983 station records on 16 December 1985 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 16 December 1985: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Tsumeb - Pol	Namibia	Record daily precipitation	69.0 mm (2.7 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
De Smet	United States	Record snow depth	81.3 cm (32.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Currie Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Mobridge 2NNW	United States	Record snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Harwell	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Mineiros Do Tiete (Cpef)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	95.0 mm (3.7 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Sterling	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Hankinson	United States	Record snow depth	48.3 cm (19.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Choma	Zambia	Record daily precipitation	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Holland Wtp	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Milesville 5 NE	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Beulah	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Ardmore 1 NW	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Salzburg	Austria	Record high minimum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Glad Valley 2 W	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Witsieshoek	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	71.0 mm (2.8 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Caldwell	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Hall 1 NNE	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Lockport 2SE	United States	Record snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Timber Lake	United States	Record snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
White Lake	United States	Record snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Collins	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Adrian 2 NNE	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Bryant	United States	Record snow depth	48.3 cm (19.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Aberdeen Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Camp Crook	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Grand Forks Intl AP	United States	Record snow depth	53.3 cm (21.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Praha-Klementinum	Czech Republic	Record high minimum temperature	8.7 C (47.7 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Caiana	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	85.0 mm (3.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Zuara	Libya	Record daily precipitation	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Bliss 4 NW	United States	Record snow depth	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Britt 3E	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Cottonwood 2 E	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Galway	Ireland	Record high minimum temperature	10.5 C (50.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Morgan 1 W	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-11.7 C (10.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Hampton	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Caledonia	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
South Forest (Plummers Road)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Conde	United States	Record snow depth	48.3 cm (19.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Gettysburg	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Yoder 5 W	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Elim (Hosp)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Walnut	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Lemmon	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Goodrich 1 E	United States	Record snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Rice Reservoir-Tomahawk	United States	Record snow depth	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Elliott Research Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Mount Wellington (the Springs)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Gagnoa	Cote D'Ivoire	Record low minimum temperature	13.7 C (56.7 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Witklip (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	76.0 mm (3.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Kimball 2NE	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Eureka	United States	Record snow depth	99.1 cm (39.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
De Funiak Springs 1 E	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Bridgeport	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Brookings 2 NE	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Onaka	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Portage Wwtp	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Archer	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Huron Rgnl AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Bredette	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

983 records

Records set or tied on 16 December 1985 by type: Highest daily maximum 41, Lowest daily maximum 112, Highest daily minimum 149, Lowest daily minimum 155, Heaviest daily rainfall 164, Heaviest daily snowfall 81, Deepest snow cover 281.

Records on 16 December 1985 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	41
Lowest daily maximum	112
Highest daily minimum	149
Lowest daily minimum	155
Heaviest daily rainfall	164
Heaviest daily snowfall	81
Deepest snow cover	281

Records on 16 December 1985 by timescale: all-time 5, monthly 43, daily 935.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

782 broken records

Margins by which the 782 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 457.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

16 December 1985

Top 20 records on 16 December 1985 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
16 December 1985	Tsumeb - Pol, NA	daily rain	69.0 mm (2.7 in)	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	48 years	61 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1985	De Smet, US	daily snow depth	81.3 cm (32.0 in)	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	30 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Currie Post Office, AU	daily rain	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	20.8 mm (0.8 in)	55 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Mobridge 2NNW, US	daily snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	14 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Harwell, AU	daily rain	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	21.6 mm (0.9 in)	31 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Mineiros Do Tiete (Cpef), BR	daily rain	95.0 mm (3.7 in)	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	44 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Sterling, US	daily snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	70 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Hankinson, US	daily snow depth	48.3 cm (19.0 in)	28.0 cm (11.0 in)	14 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Choma, ZM	daily rain	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	51.1 mm (2.0 in)	34 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Holland Wtp, US	monthly rain	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	15.2 mm (0.6 in)	22 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Milesville 5 NE, US	daily snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	34 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Beulah, US	daily snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	83 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Ardmore 1 NW, US	daily snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	7 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Salzburg, AT	daily high min	7.2 C (45.0 F)	4.0 C (7.2 F)	98 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Glad Valley 2 W, US	daily snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	34 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Witsieshoek, ZA	daily rain	71.0 mm (2.8 in)	26.5 mm (1.0 in)	56 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Caldwell, US	daily snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	66 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Ft Hall 1 NNE, US	daily snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	56 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Lockport 2SE, US	daily snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	17.7 cm (7.0 in)	68 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1985	Timber Lake, US	daily snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	34 years	44 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 1985

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1985. 1985 had 983 records.

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

Records on 12-16 in each year
Year	Records
1793	2
1798	2
1808	1
1810	1
1814	2
1815	2
1835	1
1839	1
1840	1
1846	3
1852	1
1853	1
1859	3
1864	1
1869	1
1870	1
1872	1
1876	1
1877	1
1878	2
1879	1
1885	2
1886	2
1888	2
1889	1
1890	4
1891	2
1892	3
1893	1
1894	1
1895	1
1896	7
1897	4
1898	1
1899	2
1900	2
1901	4
1902	17
1903	6
1904	8
1905	4
1906	5
1907	30
1908	11
1909	5
1910	38
1911	26
1912	31
1913	12
1914	26
1915	55
1916	31
1917	60
1918	33
1919	52
1920	61
1921	35
1922	62
1923	205
1924	347
1925	93
1926	130
1927	218
1928	338
1929	383
1930	398
1931	168
1932	880
1933	716
1934	163
1935	71
1936	429
1937	351
1938	142
1939	1,014
1940	633
1941	348
1942	550
1943	491
1944	189
1945	478
1946	357
1947	506
1948	775
1949	132
1950	272
1951	987
1952	349
1953	265
1954	305
1955	325
1956	650
1957	478
1958	497
1959	605
1960	393
1961	858
1962	859
1963	484
1964	639
1965	576
1966	417
1967	886
1968	557
1969	205
1970	726
1971	1,540
1972	1,020
1973	823
1974	546
1975	493
1976	526
1977	950
1978	532
1979	528
1980	1,322
1981	1,498
1982	1,208
1983	1,156
1984	1,944
1985	983
1986	485
1987	1,377
1988	605
1989	3,181
1990	753
1991	659
1992	1,408
1993	676
1994	698
1995	714
1996	797
1997	1,260
1998	698
1999	821
2000	1,160
2001	1,197
2002	990
2003	679
2004	510
2005	1,073
2006	1,020
2007	1,301
2008	2,049
2009	1,032
2010	1,585
2011	777
2012	912
2013	762
2014	465
2015	925
2016	1,588
2017	349
2018	624
2019	786
2020	415
2021	1,485
2022	836
2023	841
2024	755
2025	1,820

Download the Data

Data for records on 1985-12-16: 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.

Data as of 2026-10-16. Last revised 16 October 2026 (2026-10-16).

Histogram of margins by which records were beaten on 16 December 1985
Margin	Records
0 to 100	707
100 to 200	52
200 to 300	18
300 to 400	4
400 to 500	1