Weather Records on 20 December 1985

1,035 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 December 1985. Highest significance: Eskdalemuir, GB.

Key Facts for 20 December 1985

On 20 December 1985, 1,035 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
164 were record highs and 195 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 5 were all-time records, 60 monthly and 970 daily.
Eskdalemuir set a daily record precipitation of 73.6 mm (2.9 in) on 20 December 1985.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 464 records.

Record Map

1,035 stations

1,035 station records on 20 December 1985 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 December 1985: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Eskdalemuir	United Kingdom	Record daily precipitation	73.6 mm (2.9 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Camp Crook	United States	Record snow depth	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Milan	Italy	Record high maximum temperature	15.4 C (59.7 F)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Newton Rigg	United Kingdom	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Caldwell	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Waaipoort	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	41.5 mm (1.6 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
De Smet	United States	Record snow depth	78.7 cm (31.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
University	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Ida Grove 5NW	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Fredericktown	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Booneville	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Manchester 4 W	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Dalton	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Sterling	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Hickory Flat	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Lead	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Mc Minnville	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.8 cm (2.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Leroy 5 WSW	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Sanborn	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Gaylord	United States	Record snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
High Pt	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Boone	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Tuckerton 2 NE	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.7 cm (4.2 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Watertown	United States	Record daily snowfall	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Ardmore 1 NW	United States	Record snow depth	53.3 cm (21.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Archer	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Sydney (Observatory Hill)	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	23.2 C (73.8 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Herold (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Jefferson	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Hankinson	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Onida 4 NW	United States	Record snow depth	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
White Lake	United States	Record snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Lewes	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Jamestown Muni AP	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Agtertang	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
San Rafael-Civic Ctr	United States	Record low maximum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Oelwein 2 S	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Toledo 3N	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Lustre 4 NNW	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Hay Springs	United States	Record snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Raymond 3 NE	United States	Record snow depth	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Avoca	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Savannah 6 SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Tashkent	Uzbekistan	Record high minimum temperature	10.1 C (50.2 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Laersdrift (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	111.0 mm (4.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Polo	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Collins	United States	Record snow depth	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Ankeny	United States	Record snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Mitchell 5E	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Waupaca	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Basin	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Seward AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	59.2 mm (2.3 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Caledonia	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Campbell	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Fredonia	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Eureka	United States	Record snow depth	109.2 cm (43.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Onaka	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Wasta	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Millville Muni AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Grand Forks Intl AP	United States	Record snow depth	53.3 cm (21.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,035 records

Records set or tied on 20 December 1985 by type: Highest daily maximum 67, Lowest daily maximum 113, Highest daily minimum 97, Lowest daily minimum 82, Heaviest daily rainfall 193, Heaviest daily snowfall 147, Deepest snow cover 336.

Records on 20 December 1985 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	67
Lowest daily maximum	113
Highest daily minimum	97
Lowest daily minimum	82
Heaviest daily rainfall	193
Heaviest daily snowfall	147
Deepest snow cover	336

Records on 20 December 1985 by timescale: all-time 5, monthly 60, daily 970.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

785 broken records

Margins by which the 785 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 381.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 December 1985

Top 20 records on 20 December 1985 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 December 1985	Eskdalemuir, GB	daily rain	73.6 mm (2.9 in)	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	48 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Camp Crook, US	daily snow depth	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	20 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Milan, IT	daily high max	15.4 C (59.7 F)	4.4 C (7.9 F)	156 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Newton Rigg, GB	daily rain	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	15.0 mm (0.6 in)	64 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Caldwell, US	daily snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	78 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Waaipoort, ZA	daily rain	41.5 mm (1.6 in)	30.6 mm (1.2 in)	52 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 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)
20 December 1985	University, US	daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	91 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Ida Grove 5NW, US	daily snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	34 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Fredericktown, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	62 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Booneville, US	daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	84 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Manchester 4 W, US	daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	84 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Dalton, US	daily snow depth	40.6 cm (16.0 in)	22.8 cm (9.0 in)	12 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Sterling, US	daily snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	72 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Hickory Flat, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	76 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Lead, US	daily snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	76 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Mc Minnville, US	daily snowfall	5.8 cm (2.3 in)	5.3 cm (2.1 in)	75 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Leroy 5 WSW, US	daily snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	74 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Sanborn, US	daily snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	15.3 cm (6.0 in)	71 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1985	Gaylord, US	daily snow depth	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	75 years	43 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 1,035 records.

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

Records on 12-20 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1795	1
1804	1
1805	2
1808	1
1815	1
1828	1
1837	1
1846	1
1855	8
1858	1
1860	1
1866	1
1867	1
1868	1
1869	1
1871	2
1874	3
1875	1
1877	2
1878	1
1879	1
1880	1
1881	1
1882	1
1884	4
1885	1
1886	4
1889	4
1890	2
1891	2
1892	1
1894	2
1895	8
1896	1
1897	4
1898	2
1899	1
1900	7
1901	8
1902	14
1903	17
1904	9
1905	5
1906	5
1907	11
1908	5
1909	22
1910	17
1911	24
1912	27
1913	7
1914	43
1915	18
1916	45
1917	33
1918	18
1919	25
1920	22
1921	101
1922	88
1923	215
1924	332
1925	96
1926	163
1927	200
1928	93
1929	256
1930	67
1931	536
1932	170
1933	492
1934	265
1935	152
1936	416
1937	181
1938	240
1939	308
1940	965
1941	633
1942	817
1943	193
1944	340
1945	430
1946	327
1947	385
1948	345
1949	1,141
1950	758
1951	926
1952	394
1953	385
1954	416
1955	726
1956	471
1957	1,354
1958	382
1959	142
1960	354
1961	369
1962	475
1963	875
1964	499
1965	353
1966	555
1967	1,370
1968	482
1969	514
1970	518
1971	441
1972	448
1973	1,184
1974	328
1975	610
1976	382
1977	484
1978	910
1979	600
1980	667
1981	1,681
1982	712
1983	2,995
1984	1,411
1985	1,035
1986	321
1987	1,179
1988	760
1989	1,812
1990	1,885
1991	1,172
1992	1,134
1993	1,266
1994	813
1995	1,128
1996	1,448
1997	651
1998	1,110
1999	938
2000	1,150
2001	523
2002	943
2003	1,315
2004	836
2005	515
2006	1,387
2007	986
2008	1,356
2009	1,502
2010	2,055
2011	846
2012	1,131
2013	584
2014	524
2015	1,238
2016	603
2017	688
2018	592
2019	731
2020	554
2021	442
2022	567
2023	1,242
2024	897
2025	1,166

Download the Data

Data for records on 1985-12-20: 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).

Margin	Records
0 to 50	595
50 to 100	102
100 to 150	53
150 to 200	17
200 to 250	10
250 to 300	6
300 to 350	0
350 to 400	2