Weather Records on 16 December 1988

605 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 16 December 1988. Highest significance: Glen Elgin (Glenbrook), AU.

Key Facts for 16 December 1988

On 16 December 1988, 605 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
188 were record highs and 141 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 25 monthly and 580 daily.
Glen Elgin (Glenbrook) set a monthly record daily precipitation of 126.8 mm (5.0 in) on 16 December 1988.
Across 160 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 482 records.

Record Map

605 stations

605 station records on 16 December 1988 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 16 December 1988: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Glen Elgin (Glenbrook)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	126.8 mm (5.0 in)	75 of 100 (Major)
Beaudesert Cryna	Australia	Record daily precipitation	74.0 mm (2.9 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Tripoli Sidi El Mesri	Libya	Record daily precipitation	92.5 mm (3.6 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Tamborine Fern St	Australia	Record daily precipitation	75.4 mm (3.0 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Kahului AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	107.2 mm (4.2 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Berambing	Australia	Record daily precipitation	79.0 mm (3.1 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Uloa	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	104.0 mm (4.1 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Kookabookra	Australia	Record daily precipitation	70.2 mm (2.8 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Coramba (Glenfiddich)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	108.6 mm (4.3 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Bellbrook (East Street)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	103.0 mm (4.1 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Point Lookout Bowls Club	Australia	Record daily precipitation	111.0 mm (4.4 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Red Range (Victoria St)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Elands Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	102.8 mm (4.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Kwa-Mbonambi (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	134.0 mm (5.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Chillingham (Limpinwood)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	122.0 mm (4.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Rye	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
The Channon	Australia	Record daily precipitation	81.0 mm (3.2 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Glenreagh Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	98.0 mm (3.9 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Dorrigo (Myrtle St)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	141.6 mm (5.6 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Pacoima Dam Fc33A-E	United States	Record daily precipitation	69.6 mm (2.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Walcha Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	44.4 mm (1.7 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Tyalgum (Coodgee Street)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	118.0 mm (4.6 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Ayakagitma	Uzbekistan	Record daily precipitation	31.1 mm (1.2 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Thursday Island Mo	Australia	Record daily precipitation	140.6 mm (5.5 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Canungra Finch Road	Australia	Record daily precipitation	68.4 mm (2.7 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Bilpin (Fern Grove)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Numinbah	Australia	Record daily precipitation	107.0 mm (4.2 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Glen Innes Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.8 mm (1.6 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Juan Rodriguez Clara	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Glendora Fc 287B	United States	Record daily precipitation	69.3 mm (2.7 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Tsolo	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	90.0 mm (3.5 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Tia (Rambrah)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Walcha (Karori)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Towallum (Maxwelton)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Long Flat Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	132.2 mm (5.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Cuatotolapan	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	29.7 mm (1.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Salida	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-6.7 C (19.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Wallal Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Dorrigo Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	143.0 mm (5.6 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Ebor (the Racecourse)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	73.0 mm (2.9 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Thora Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	76.2 mm (3.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Leura Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	49.4 mm (1.9 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Prospect Reservoir	Australia	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Rush 1N	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Rye	United States	Record daily snowfall	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Limon	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Elderslie	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.4 mm (1.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Cromer Golf Club	Australia	Record daily precipitation	41.8 mm (1.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskij	Russia	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Nowendoc (Beaufort)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	75.8 mm (3.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Cape Otway Lighthouse	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Parafield Airport	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	28.7 C (83.7 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Doon Doon (McCabes Road)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	105.0 mm (4.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Nimbin Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Aniak AP	United States	Record snow depth	83.8 cm (33.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Upper Orara (Aurania)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	76.4 mm (3.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Jokkmokk	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	5.5 C (41.9 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Karesuando	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	3.7 C (38.7 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Port Washington	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-21.7 C (-7.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Coorparoo Bowls Club	Australia	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

605 records

Records set or tied on 16 December 1988 by type: Highest daily maximum 99, Lowest daily maximum 82, Highest daily minimum 89, Lowest daily minimum 59, Heaviest daily rainfall 232, Heaviest daily snowfall 23, Deepest snow cover 21.

Records on 16 December 1988 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	99
Lowest daily maximum	82
Highest daily minimum	89
Lowest daily minimum	59
Heaviest daily rainfall	232
Heaviest daily snowfall	23
Deepest snow cover	21

Records on 16 December 1988 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 25, daily 580.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

523 broken records

Margins by which the 523 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 254.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

16 December 1988

Top 20 records on 16 December 1988 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
16 December 1988	Glen Elgin (Glenbrook), AU	monthly rain	126.8 mm (5.0 in)	52.9 mm (2.1 in)	60 years	75 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1988	Beaudesert Cryna, AU	daily rain	74.0 mm (2.9 in)	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	91 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Tripoli Sidi El Mesri, LY	daily rain	92.5 mm (3.6 in)	57.0 mm (2.2 in)	41 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Mt Tamborine Fern St, AU	daily rain	75.4 mm (3.0 in)	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	99 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Kahului AP, US	daily rain	107.2 mm (4.2 in)	69.9 mm (2.8 in)	34 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Berambing, AU	daily rain	79.0 mm (3.1 in)	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	41 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Uloa, ZA	daily rain	104.0 mm (4.1 in)	65.4 mm (2.6 in)	54 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Kookabookra, AU	daily rain	70.2 mm (2.8 in)	32.6 mm (1.3 in)	67 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Coramba (Glenfiddich), AU	daily rain	108.6 mm (4.3 in)	87.0 mm (3.4 in)	17 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Bellbrook (East Street), AU	daily rain	103.0 mm (4.1 in)	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	17 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Point Lookout Bowls Club, AU	daily rain	111.0 mm (4.4 in)	80.8 mm (3.2 in)	27 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Red Range (Victoria St), AU	daily rain	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	21.5 mm (0.8 in)	83 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Elands Post Office, AU	daily rain	102.8 mm (4.0 in)	51.5 mm (2.0 in)	73 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Kwa-Mbonambi (Bos), ZA	daily rain	134.0 mm (5.3 in)	86.5 mm (3.4 in)	25 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Chillingham (Limpinwood), AU	daily rain	122.0 mm (4.8 in)	77.5 mm (3.1 in)	33 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Rye, US	daily rain	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	21 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	The Channon, AU	daily rain	81.0 mm (3.2 in)	56.1 mm (2.2 in)	45 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Glenreagh Post Office, AU	daily rain	98.0 mm (3.9 in)	76.9 mm (3.0 in)	23 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Dorrigo (Myrtle St), AU	daily rain	141.6 mm (5.6 in)	103.8 mm (4.1 in)	17 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1988	Pacoima Dam Fc33A-E, US	daily rain	69.6 mm (2.7 in)	54.1 mm (2.1 in)	31 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 1988

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1988. 1988 had 605 records.

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

Records on 12-16 in each year
Year	Records
1793	2
1798	2
1808	1
1810	1
1814	2
1815	2
1835	1
1839	1
1840	1
1846	3
1852	1
1853	1
1859	3
1864	1
1869	1
1870	1
1872	1
1876	1
1877	1
1878	2
1879	1
1885	2
1886	2
1888	2
1889	1
1890	4
1891	2
1892	3
1893	1
1894	1
1895	1
1896	7
1897	4
1898	1
1899	2
1900	2
1901	4
1902	17
1903	6
1904	8
1905	4
1906	5
1907	30
1908	11
1909	5
1910	38
1911	26
1912	31
1913	12
1914	26
1915	55
1916	31
1917	60
1918	33
1919	52
1920	61
1921	35
1922	62
1923	205
1924	347
1925	93
1926	130
1927	218
1928	338
1929	383
1930	398
1931	168
1932	880
1933	716
1934	163
1935	71
1936	429
1937	351
1938	142
1939	1,014
1940	633
1941	348
1942	550
1943	491
1944	189
1945	478
1946	357
1947	506
1948	775
1949	132
1950	272
1951	987
1952	349
1953	265
1954	305
1955	325
1956	650
1957	478
1958	497
1959	605
1960	393
1961	858
1962	859
1963	484
1964	639
1965	576
1966	417
1967	886
1968	557
1969	205
1970	726
1971	1,540
1972	1,020
1973	823
1974	546
1975	493
1976	526
1977	950
1978	532
1979	528
1980	1,322
1981	1,498
1982	1,208
1983	1,156
1984	1,944
1985	983
1986	485
1987	1,377
1988	605
1989	3,181
1990	753
1991	659
1992	1,408
1993	676
1994	698
1995	714
1996	797
1997	1,260
1998	698
1999	821
2000	1,160
2001	1,197
2002	990
2003	679
2004	510
2005	1,073
2006	1,020
2007	1,301
2008	2,049
2009	1,032
2010	1,585
2011	777
2012	912
2013	762
2014	465
2015	925
2016	1,588
2017	349
2018	624
2019	786
2020	415
2021	1,485
2022	836
2023	841
2024	755
2025	1,820

Download the Data

Data for records on 1988-12-16: 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	486
50 to 100	32
100 to 150	4
150 to 200	0
200 to 250	0
250 to 300	1