Weather Records on 3 December 1986

801 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 3 December 1986. Highest significance: Stevenson Dam, US.

Key Facts for 3 December 1986

On 3 December 1986, 801 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
169 were record highs and 92 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 2 were all-time records, 29 monthly and 770 daily.
Stevenson Dam set a daily record precipitation of 89.4 mm (3.5 in) on 3 December 1986.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 465 records.

Record Map

801 stations

801 station records on 3 December 1986 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 3 December 1986: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Stevenson Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	89.4 mm (3.5 in)	76 of 100 (Major)
Kingston	United States	Record daily precipitation	108.7 mm (4.3 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Hafslo	Norway	Record daily precipitation	64.0 mm (2.5 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Avon	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.2 mm (1.2 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Penola Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.8 mm (1.2 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Belfast	United States	Record daily precipitation	69.9 mm (2.8 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Cavendish	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Carrieton	Australia	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Olean	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Lajes Ab	Portugal	Record daily precipitation	87.1 mm (3.4 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Chesterfield	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Baldwinsville	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Myklebust I Breim	Norway	Record daily precipitation	64.5 mm (2.5 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Newark	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Little Falls City Rsch	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Maristova	Norway	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Storrs	United States	Record daily precipitation	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Peake	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
West Hartford Nepp	United States	Record daily precipitation	69.1 mm (2.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Portageville 1N	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Boonton 1 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.6 mm (1.6 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Toms River	United States	Record daily precipitation	51.8 mm (2.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Pentland Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Byfield Childs Road	Australia	Record daily precipitation	130.0 mm (5.1 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Franklin	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Hardwick	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Pelham	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Woodstock	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Shuttle Meadow Rsvr	United States	Record daily precipitation	59.7 mm (2.4 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Sanford 2 NNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Amherst	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Dansville	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Gouverneur 3 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.7 mm (1.7 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Manchester	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Tahara	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Kwajalein	Marshall Islands	Record daily precipitation	119.6 mm (4.7 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Middletown 4 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Chaska	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Charlotteburg Rsvr	United States	Record daily precipitation	56.1 mm (2.2 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Arcade	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Elizabethtown	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
N Creek 5 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.6 mm (1.6 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Kittanning Lock 7	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Botnen I Forde	Norway	Record daily precipitation	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Westfield	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.8 mm (1.9 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Little Falls	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Cincinnatus	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Cortland	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Hawker (Holowilena)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Milford	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Durham	United States	Record daily precipitation	59.7 mm (2.4 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Grafton	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.1 mm (1.5 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Armagh	United Kingdom	Record high minimum temperature	10.9 C (51.6 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Round Pond	United States	Record daily precipitation	60.5 mm (2.4 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Setauket Strong	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Warsaw 6 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Olinda #1 332	United States	Record daily precipitation	248.9 mm (9.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Haverhill	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Clyde Lock 26	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Watertown	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.6 mm (1.4 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

801 records

Records set or tied on 3 December 1986 by type: Highest daily maximum 78, Lowest daily maximum 53, Highest daily minimum 91, Lowest daily minimum 39, Heaviest daily rainfall 509, Heaviest daily snowfall 24, Deepest snow cover 7.

Records on 3 December 1986 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	78
Lowest daily maximum	53
Highest daily minimum	91
Lowest daily minimum	39
Heaviest daily rainfall	509
Heaviest daily snowfall	24
Deepest snow cover	7

Records on 3 December 1986 by timescale: all-time 2, monthly 29, daily 770.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

701 broken records

Margins by which the 701 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 134.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

3 December 1986

Top 20 records on 3 December 1986 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
3 December 1986	Stevenson Dam, US	daily rain	89.4 mm (3.5 in)	72.1 mm (2.8 in)	92 years	76 of 100 (Major)
3 December 1986	Kingston, US	monthly rain	108.7 mm (4.3 in)	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	60 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Hafslo, NO	daily rain	64.0 mm (2.5 in)	35.2 mm (1.4 in)	32 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Avon, US	daily rain	31.2 mm (1.2 in)	14.9 mm (0.6 in)	80 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Penola Post Office, AU	daily rain	29.8 mm (1.2 in)	16.6 mm (0.7 in)	73 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Belfast, US	daily rain	69.9 mm (2.8 in)	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	92 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Cavendish, US	daily rain	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	23.1 mm (0.9 in)	80 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Carrieton, AU	daily rain	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	33.6 mm (1.3 in)	32 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Olean, US	daily rain	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	19.5 mm (0.8 in)	47 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Lajes Ab, PT	daily rain	87.1 mm (3.4 in)	58.7 mm (2.3 in)	36 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Chesterfield, US	daily rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	60 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Baldwinsville, US	daily rain	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	21.4 mm (0.8 in)	49 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Myklebust I Breim, NO	daily rain	64.5 mm (2.5 in)	37.4 mm (1.5 in)	32 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Newark, US	daily rain	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	18.5 mm (0.7 in)	49 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Little Falls City Rsch, US	daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	80 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Maristova, NO	daily rain	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	19.4 mm (0.8 in)	7 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Storrs, US	daily rain	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	18.3 mm (0.7 in)	84 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Peake, AU	daily rain	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	21.8 mm (0.9 in)	31 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	West Hartford Nepp, US	daily rain	69.1 mm (2.7 in)	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	36 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
3 December 1986	Portageville 1N, US	daily rain	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	9.7 mm (0.38 in)	80 years	48 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 1986

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1986. 1986 had 801 records.

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

Records on 12-03 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1796	1
1797	1
1801	1
1807	1
1810	1
1816	1
1828	1
1829	2
1831	1
1832	1
1846	1
1853	1
1855	3
1856	4
1866	2
1867	1
1869	4
1870	2
1872	3
1873	1
1875	4
1876	3
1879	8
1882	3
1886	1
1887	2
1888	3
1890	2
1891	3
1892	4
1893	1
1894	1
1895	4
1896	2
1897	4
1898	2
1899	4
1900	4
1901	9
1902	13
1903	9
1904	5
1905	33
1906	23
1907	2
1908	4
1909	45
1910	8
1911	12
1912	23
1913	66
1914	74
1915	19
1916	153
1917	34
1918	29
1919	88
1920	44
1921	128
1922	68
1923	58
1924	89
1925	152
1926	189
1927	247
1928	79
1929	651
1930	131
1931	352
1932	528
1933	486
1934	270
1935	267
1936	379
1937	284
1938	347
1939	443
1940	1,023
1941	1,141
1942	595
1943	290
1944	284
1945	194
1946	443
1947	814
1948	419
1949	177
1950	689
1951	881
1952	242
1953	804
1954	493
1955	763
1956	679
1957	211
1958	583
1959	372
1960	577
1961	342
1962	923
1963	331
1964	824
1965	308
1966	1,076
1967	859
1968	646
1969	395
1970	1,247
1971	999
1972	890
1973	778
1974	661
1975	638
1976	1,315
1977	681
1978	1,406
1979	959
1980	1,128
1981	644
1982	3,010
1983	1,255
1984	645
1985	2,305
1986	801
1987	682
1988	672
1989	1,064
1990	1,178
1991	1,521
1992	776
1993	670
1994	664
1995	725
1996	694
1997	854
1998	1,969
1999	982
2000	759
2001	604
2002	977
2003	519
2004	739
2005	1,140
2006	1,167
2007	793
2008	804
2009	1,124
2010	1,879
2011	852
2012	1,355
2013	799
2014	510
2015	533
2016	347
2017	669
2018	1,043
2019	490
2020	409
2021	1,364
2022	448
2023	810
2024	709
2025	578

Download the Data

Data for records on 1986-12-03: 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 20	612
20 to 40	71
40 to 60	11
60 to 80	4
80 to 100	2
100 to 120	0
120 to 140	1