Weather Records on 17 December 1985

1,210 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 December 1985. Highest significance: Deal Island, AU.

Key Facts for 17 December 1985

On 17 December 1985, 1,210 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
215 were record highs and 278 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 6 were all-time records, 60 monthly and 1,144 daily.
Deal Island set a daily record precipitation of 36.0 mm (1.4 in) on 17 December 1985.
Across 160 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 458 records.

Record Map

1,210 stations

1,210 station records on 17 December 1985 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 December 1985: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Deal Island	Australia	Record daily precipitation	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
Camp Crook	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Bellerive (Fort Street)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	56.8 mm (2.2 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Elandspoort	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Milesville 5 NE	United States	Record snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
De Smet	United States	Record snow depth	81.3 cm (32.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Miller	United States	Record daily snowfall	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Mobridge 2NNW	United States	Record snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Wasta	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Hankinson	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
White Lake	United States	Record snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Ardmore 1 NW	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Yap Island WSO AP	Federated States of Micronesia	Record daily precipitation	127.8 mm (5.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Regensburg	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	5.2 C (41.4 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Sioux Ctr 2 SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Glad Valley 2 W	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Kremsmuenster	Austria	Record high minimum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Aue	Germany	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Caldwell	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Webster City	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Raymond 3 NE	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Redig 11 NE	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Sigourney	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Gettysburg	United States	Record snow depth	53.3 cm (21.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Timber Lake	United States	Record snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Beerburrum Forest Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	47.6 mm (1.9 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Windsor	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Mitchell 2 N	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Lymington (Fattys Lane)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Bryant	United States	Record snow depth	48.3 cm (19.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Centerville 6 SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Aberdeen Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Gladstone L/D 18	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Tripoli Sidi El Mesri	Libya	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Gloucester Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	43.6 mm (1.7 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Hobart (Waterworks Reserve)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	49.6 mm (2.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Perpignan	France	Record high minimum temperature	16.0 C (60.8 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Bouake	Cote D'Ivoire	Record low minimum temperature	11.9 C (53.4 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Bliss 4 NW	United States	Record snow depth	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Marshalltown	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Madrid	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Green Bay	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Avoca (Railway House)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Albia 3 NNE	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
West Bend	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-14.4 C (6.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Grand Forks Intl AP	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Dover	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Quaggasdrift	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Sigourney	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Plevna	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Hettinger	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Downieville	United States	Record high maximum temperature	18.3 C (64.9 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Chariton 1 E	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Perry	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Kent	United States	Record snow depth	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Rice Reservoir-Tomahawk	United States	Record snow depth	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Spooner Ag Rsch STN	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-19.4 C (-2.9 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Viroqua	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-17.8 C (0.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Hall 1 NNE	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Galesburg	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-21.1 C (-6.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,210 records

Records set or tied on 17 December 1985 by type: Highest daily maximum 54, Lowest daily maximum 149, Highest daily minimum 161, Lowest daily minimum 129, Heaviest daily rainfall 278, Heaviest daily snowfall 132, Deepest snow cover 307.

Records on 17 December 1985 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	54
Lowest daily maximum	149
Highest daily minimum	161
Lowest daily minimum	129
Heaviest daily rainfall	278
Heaviest daily snowfall	132
Deepest snow cover	307

Records on 17 December 1985 by timescale: all-time 6, monthly 60, daily 1,144.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

974 broken records

Margins by which the 974 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 432.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 December 1985

Top 20 records on 17 December 1985 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 December 1985	Deal Island, AU	daily rain	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	22.5 mm (0.9 in)	93 years	68 of 100 (Major)
17 December 1985	Camp Crook, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	84 years	63 of 100 (Major)
17 December 1985	Bellerive (Fort Street), AU	daily rain	56.8 mm (2.2 in)	30.1 mm (1.2 in)	27 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1985	Elandspoort, ZA	daily rain	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	47.5 mm (1.9 in)	30 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1985	Milesville 5 NE, US	daily snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	28.0 cm (11.0 in)	34 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1985	De Smet, US	daily snow depth	81.3 cm (32.0 in)	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	30 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1985	Miller, US	daily snowfall	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	7.3 cm (2.9 in)	76 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
17 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)
17 December 1985	Wasta, US	daily snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	30 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1985	Hankinson, US	daily snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	14 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1985	White Lake, US	daily snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	30 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
17 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)
17 December 1985	Yap Island WSO AP, FM	daily rain	127.8 mm (5.0 in)	94.5 mm (3.7 in)	10 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1985	Regensburg, DE	daily high min	5.2 C (41.4 F)	2.9 C (5.2 F)	104 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1985	Sioux Ctr 2 SE, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	6.3 cm (2.5 in)	76 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
17 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)
17 December 1985	Kremsmuenster, AT	daily high min	7.2 C (45.0 F)	2.4 C (4.3 F)	104 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 1985	Aue, DE	daily rain	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	16.7 mm (0.7 in)	20 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 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)
17 December 1985	Webster City, US	daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	3.8 cm (1.5 in)	88 years	45 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 1,210 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 1985-12-17: 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.

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

Histogram of margins by which records were beaten on 17 December 1985
Margin	Records
0 to 100	900
100 to 200	57
200 to 300	10
300 to 400	6
400 to 500	1