Weather Records on 18 December 1985

1,384 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 18 December 1985. Highest significance: Sorell (Whitlea), AU.

Key Facts for 18 December 1985

On 18 December 1985, 1,384 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
127 were record highs and 505 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 3 were all-time records, 63 monthly and 1,318 daily.
Sorell (Whitlea) set a daily record precipitation of 89.6 mm (3.5 in) on 18 December 1985.
Across 156 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 474 records.

Record Map

1,384 stations

1,384 station records on 18 December 1985 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 18 December 1985: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Sorell (Whitlea)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	89.6 mm (3.5 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Richmond (Lowlands)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Yates Ctr	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Mitchell 5E	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Springvalley	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	90.0 mm (3.5 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Prinshof	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Annex Creek	United States	Record daily precipitation	89.2 mm (3.5 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Sterling	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Glad Valley 2 W	United States	Record snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Wattle Hill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	63.2 mm (2.5 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Glenorchy (Glenorchy Reservoir	Australia	Record daily precipitation	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Wihareja	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Milesville 5 NE	United States	Record snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Ardmore 1 NW	United States	Record snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
De Smet	United States	Record snow depth	78.7 cm (31.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Miena Dam	Australia	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Grootfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Gorjacij Kljuc	Russia	Record daily precipitation	62.9 mm (2.5 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Cottonwood 2 E	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Lenah Valley (Augusta Road)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	50.2 mm (2.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Waaipoort	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Hobart Botanical Gardens	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Caldwell	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Chapman	United States	Record snow depth	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Raymond 3 NE	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Campania (the Pines)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Timber Lake	United States	Record snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Hobart (Waterworks Reserve)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Mangalore (Milford)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Alicia 2 NNE	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Agate 3 E	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Mitchell 2 N	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Houd Constant	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Basin	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Juneau AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Clermont Sirius St	Australia	Record daily precipitation	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Harnosand	Sweden	Record low minimum temperature	-24.1 C (-11.4 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Black Rock	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Dalton	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Hankinson	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Brookings 2 NE	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Redig 11 NE	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
White Lake	United States	Record snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Upton	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Angoon Pwr	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Uitsig	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Rooipoort	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	36.5 mm (1.4 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Irene	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	31.6 mm (1.2 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Boone	United States	Record snow depth	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Kimball 2NE	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Nququ (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Richmond C/K (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Evening Shade 1 NNE	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Galva	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-26.7 C (-16.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Walnut	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-26.1 C (-15.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Bridgeport	United States	Record snow depth	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Chugwater	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Gustavus	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Westgrove	Australia	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Avoca (Railway House)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,384 records

Records set or tied on 18 December 1985 by type: Highest daily maximum 63, Lowest daily maximum 191, Highest daily minimum 64, Lowest daily minimum 314, Heaviest daily rainfall 335, Heaviest daily snowfall 101, Deepest snow cover 316.

Records on 18 December 1985 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	63
Lowest daily maximum	191
Highest daily minimum	64
Lowest daily minimum	314
Heaviest daily rainfall	335
Heaviest daily snowfall	101
Deepest snow cover	316

Records on 18 December 1985 by timescale: all-time 3, monthly 63, daily 1,318.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,103 broken records

Margins by which the 1,103 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 406.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

18 December 1985

Top 20 records on 18 December 1985 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
18 December 1985	Sorell (Whitlea), AU	daily rain	89.6 mm (3.5 in)	63.7 mm (2.5 in)	52 years	64 of 100 (Major)
18 December 1985	Richmond (Lowlands), AU	daily rain	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	48 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Yates Ctr, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	91 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Mitchell 5E, US	daily snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	27 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Springvalley, ZA	monthly rain	90.0 mm (3.5 in)	21.4 mm (0.8 in)	54 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Prinshof, ZA	daily rain	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	48 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Annex Creek, US	daily rain	89.2 mm (3.5 in)	50.1 mm (2.0 in)	27 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Sterling, US	daily snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	70 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Glad Valley 2 W, US	daily snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	34 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Wattle Hill, AU	daily rain	63.2 mm (2.5 in)	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	26 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Glenorchy (Glenorchy Reservoir, AU	daily rain	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	30.1 mm (1.2 in)	26 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Wihareja, AU	daily rain	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	51 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Milesville 5 NE, US	daily snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	30 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Ardmore 1 NW, US	daily snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	7 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	De Smet, US	daily snow depth	78.7 cm (31.0 in)	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	30 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Miena Dam, AU	daily rain	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	12 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Grootfontein, ZA	daily rain	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	23.6 mm (0.9 in)	48 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Gorjacij Kljuc, RU	daily rain	62.9 mm (2.5 in)	36.7 mm (1.4 in)	22 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Cottonwood 2 E, US	daily snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	2 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
18 December 1985	Lenah Valley (Augusta Road), AU	daily rain	50.2 mm (2.0 in)	24.8 mm (1.0 in)	26 years	46 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 1,384 records.

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

Records on 12-18 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1796	1
1805	1
1814	1
1825	1
1846	1
1849	1
1852	2
1858	1
1859	4
1862	2
1864	1
1868	1
1873	1
1875	1
1876	2
1878	1
1881	2
1882	1
1884	2
1886	1
1887	1
1888	1
1889	4
1890	5
1892	4
1894	8
1895	1
1897	4
1898	9
1899	3
1900	2
1901	6
1902	33
1903	11
1904	25
1905	3
1906	21
1907	15
1908	16
1909	18
1910	19
1911	9
1912	33
1913	38
1914	20
1915	28
1916	57
1917	62
1918	21
1919	117
1920	77
1921	123
1922	108
1923	378
1924	480
1925	74
1926	173
1927	151
1928	165
1929	366
1930	230
1931	360
1932	353
1933	506
1934	209
1935	138
1936	466
1937	459
1938	185
1939	900
1940	242
1941	213
1942	281
1943	419
1944	191
1945	598
1946	199
1947	266
1948	354
1949	561
1950	289
1951	867
1952	450
1953	373
1954	507
1955	611
1956	333
1957	901
1958	524
1959	477
1960	477
1961	885
1962	759
1963	571
1964	840
1965	402
1966	644
1967	1,105
1968	488
1969	376
1970	502
1971	387
1972	375
1973	1,008
1974	229
1975	625
1976	459
1977	992
1978	946
1979	1,087
1980	772
1981	1,362
1982	537
1983	2,014
1984	1,439
1985	1,384
1986	875
1987	1,505
1988	1,061
1989	1,818
1990	1,367
1991	756
1992	1,045
1993	697
1994	643
1995	1,065
1996	1,833
1997	1,195
1998	863
1999	923
2000	1,572
2001	906
2002	1,437
2003	987
2004	506
2005	987
2006	1,167
2007	746
2008	1,014
2009	1,253
2010	1,322
2011	697
2012	729
2013	513
2014	556
2015	1,254
2016	1,821
2017	516
2018	464
2019	679
2020	326
2021	762
2022	536
2023	1,293
2024	780
2025	994

Download the Data

Data for records on 1985-12-18: 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 18 December 1985
Margin	Records
0 to 100	1,017
100 to 200	67
200 to 300	14
300 to 400	4
400 to 500	1