Weather Records on 21 March 1986

1,170 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 March 1986. Highest significance: Sirte, LY.

Key Facts for 21 March 1986

On 21 March 1986, 1,170 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
213 were record highs and 849 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 3 were all-time records, 16 monthly and 1,151 daily.
Sirte set a daily record precipitation of 40.9 mm (1.6 in) on 21 March 1986.
Across 157 earlier years (1797 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 478 records.

Record Map

1,170 stations

1,170 station records on 21 March 1986 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 March 1986: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Sirte	Libya	Record daily precipitation	40.9 mm (1.6 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Kukuihaele Mill 206	United States	Record daily precipitation	97.3 mm (3.8 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Muniz Freire (Dnos)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	144.2 mm (5.7 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Honohina 137	United States	Record daily precipitation	183.6 mm (7.2 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Haina 214	United States	Record daily precipitation	141.0 mm (5.6 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Kukaiau 222	United States	Record daily precipitation	252.7 mm (9.9 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Paauhau 217	United States	Record daily precipitation	137.2 mm (5.4 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Waiahole 837	United States	Record daily precipitation	139.7 mm (5.5 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Paauilo 221	United States	Record daily precipitation	209.3 mm (8.2 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Ookala 223	United States	Record daily precipitation	242.6 mm (9.6 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Canton 4 SE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-11.7 C (10.9 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Kukuihaele Hic 199	United States	Record daily precipitation	109.2 mm (4.3 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Auburn	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-15.6 C (3.9 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Presa Madero	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Bethlehem	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-24.4 C (-11.9 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Haleakala Rs 338	United States	Record daily precipitation	139.7 mm (5.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Lexington Bluegrass AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Shelbyville 1 E	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Hagerstown	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Presa Centenario	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Placerville	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Ludington 4 SE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-15.0 C (5.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Bolivar	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Van Wert 1 S	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-4.4 C (24.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Muskegon Co AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Santa Julia	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	16.7 C (62.1 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Vevay	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Carrollton Lock 1	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Orono	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-3.9 C (25.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Ann Arbor U of Mich	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Frankfort 2NE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-15.0 C (5.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Little Falls City Rsch	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-16.7 C (1.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Cedar Butte	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Wailuku 386	United States	Record daily precipitation	58.2 mm (2.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
El Chico	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Pocahontas 1	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Olney 2S	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Bloomington Indiana UNIV	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Kokomo 3 WSW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-4.4 C (24.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Carrollton Lock 1	United States	Record low maximum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Adrian 2 NNE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-14.4 C (6.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Arcadia	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Franklinville	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Middletown 2 NW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-11.1 C (12.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Watertown	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-10.0 C (14.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Moorefield 1 SSE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.0 C (14.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Presa Jocoque	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	-2.2 C (28.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Tonala (Smn)	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	30.0 C (86.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Pericos	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	16.1 C (61.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
El Chico	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	6.7 C (44.1 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Tula (Dge)	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Huajintlan	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	26.7 C (80.1 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Nashville 1 E	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Greensburg	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-3.9 C (25.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Poplar Bluff	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Gloversville	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-17.2 C (1.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Circleville	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Haleakala Exp Farm 434	United States	Record daily precipitation	106.9 mm (4.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Waihee Vly 482	United States	Record daily precipitation	52.1 mm (2.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
San Jose Iturbide (Smn)	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	16.7 C (62.1 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,170 records

Records set or tied on 21 March 1986 by type: Highest daily maximum 130, Lowest daily maximum 452, Highest daily minimum 83, Lowest daily minimum 397, Heaviest daily rainfall 84, Heaviest daily snowfall 7, Deepest snow cover 17.

Records on 21 March 1986 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	130
Lowest daily maximum	452
Highest daily minimum	83
Lowest daily minimum	397
Heaviest daily rainfall	84
Heaviest daily snowfall	7
Deepest snow cover	17

Records on 21 March 1986 by timescale: all-time 3, monthly 16, daily 1,151.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

883 broken records

Margins by which the 883 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 199.4. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 March 1986

Top 20 records on 21 March 1986 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 March 1986	Sirte, LY	daily rain	40.9 mm (1.6 in)	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	28 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Kukuihaele Mill 206, US	daily rain	97.3 mm (3.8 in)	76.2 mm (3.0 in)	36 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Muniz Freire (Dnos), BR	all-time rain	144.2 mm (5.7 in)	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	30 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Honohina 137, US	daily rain	183.6 mm (7.2 in)	112.2 mm (4.4 in)	21 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Haina 214, US	daily rain	141.0 mm (5.6 in)	99.6 mm (3.9 in)	4 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Kukaiau 222, US	daily rain	252.7 mm (9.9 in)	195.8 mm (7.7 in)	8 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Paauhau 217, US	daily rain	137.2 mm (5.4 in)	86.9 mm (3.4 in)	4 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Waiahole 837, US	daily rain	139.7 mm (5.5 in)	99.8 mm (3.9 in)	44 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Paauilo 221, US	daily rain	209.3 mm (8.2 in)	126.7 mm (5.0 in)	4 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Ookala 223, US	daily rain	242.6 mm (9.6 in)	199.4 mm (7.9 in)	8 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Canton 4 SE, US	daily low max	-11.7 C (10.9 F)	6.7 C (12.1 F)	86 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Kukuihaele Hic 199, US	daily rain	109.2 mm (4.3 in)	57.1 mm (2.2 in)	36 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Auburn, US	daily low min	-15.6 C (3.9 F)	3.4 C (6.1 F)	86 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Presa Madero, MX	daily low max	11.7 C (53.1 F)	7.2 C (13.0 F)	44 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Bethlehem, US	daily low min	-24.4 C (-11.9 F)	6.6 C (11.9 F)	72 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Haleakala Rs 338, US	daily rain	139.7 mm (5.5 in)	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	36 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Lexington Bluegrass AP, US	daily low min	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	109 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Shelbyville 1 E, US	daily low min	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	2.3 C (4.1 F)	90 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Hagerstown, US	daily low min	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	2.3 C (4.1 F)	89 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
21 March 1986	Presa Centenario, MX	daily low max	15.6 C (60.1 F)	7.2 C (13.0 F)	35 years	38 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

1797 to 1986

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1797 to 1986. 1986 had 1,170 records.

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

Records on 03-21 in each year
Year	Records
1797	2
1805	1
1806	1
1822	1
1830	1
1836	1
1837	1
1845	1
1846	1
1850	1
1852	2
1857	1
1865	7
1874	1
1877	1
1880	1
1881	1
1883	2
1884	1
1885	5
1886	2
1888	1
1890	3
1892	1
1893	1
1894	1
1895	1
1896	2
1897	2
1898	3
1899	4
1900	4
1901	9
1902	18
1903	23
1904	17
1905	6
1906	3
1907	14
1908	3
1909	11
1910	10
1911	10
1912	36
1913	97
1914	71
1915	27
1916	44
1917	43
1918	43
1919	29
1920	90
1921	96
1922	50
1923	72
1924	96
1925	141
1926	282
1927	179
1928	293
1929	104
1930	99
1931	638
1932	305
1933	235
1934	114
1935	675
1936	225
1937	172
1938	783
1939	280
1940	366
1941	311
1942	330
1943	217
1944	556
1945	294
1946	570
1947	192
1948	948
1949	330
1950	398
1951	779
1952	689
1953	342
1954	211
1955	1,124
1956	686
1957	373
1958	619
1959	230
1960	892
1961	268
1962	548
1963	298
1964	333
1965	1,961
1966	464
1967	487
1968	798
1969	219
1970	612
1971	358
1972	519
1973	385
1974	1,097
1975	751
1976	710
1977	376
1978	838
1979	656
1980	775
1981	676
1982	850
1983	1,673
1984	835
1985	503
1986	1,170
1987	948
1988	1,155
1989	1,396
1990	1,380
1991	1,446
1992	877
1993	687
1994	684
1995	1,141
1996	1,119
1997	1,670
1998	935
1999	1,044
2000	802
2001	1,342
2002	1,593
2003	1,073
2004	1,511
2005	649
2006	1,417
2007	1,220
2008	734
2009	558
2010	1,134
2011	1,451
2012	2,854
2013	727
2014	639
2015	568
2016	553
2017	1,117
2018	809
2019	649
2020	445
2021	489
2022	615
2023	815
2024	432
2025	845
2026	2,614

Download the Data

Data for records on 1986-03-21: 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 2026-10-14 (14 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 25	844
25 to 50	13
50 to 75	8
75 to 100	11
100 to 125	1
125 to 150	3
150 to 175	1
175 to 200	2