Weather Records on 20 December 1988

760 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 December 1988. Highest significance: Eyre, AU.

Key Facts for 20 December 1988

On 20 December 1988, 760 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
371 were record highs and 78 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 8 monthly and 752 daily.
Eyre set a daily record precipitation of 53.0 mm (2.1 in) on 20 December 1988.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 465 records.

Record Map

760 stations

760 station records on 20 December 1988 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 December 1988: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Eyre	Australia	Record daily precipitation	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	72 of 100 (Major)
Coramba (Glenfiddich)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	109.0 mm (4.3 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Holter Dam	United States	Record snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Gidgee Gold Mine	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.3 mm (1.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Insizwa (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	52.4 mm (2.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Lakeview 2 NNW	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Eustis 2 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Genoa 2 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Austin Waste Wtp Facility	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Soldier Summit	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Biskra	Algeria	Record low maximum temperature	11.2 C (52.2 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Aniak AP	United States	Record snow depth	91.4 cm (36.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Nashville 1 E	United States	Record high minimum temperature	7.8 C (46.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Hutchinson 1 N	United States	Record high maximum temperature	7.8 C (46.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Spring Creek Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	70.8 mm (2.8 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Newark Ag Farm	United States	Record high maximum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Valparaiso Wtr Wks	United States	Record high maximum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Toledo 3N	United States	Record high maximum temperature	12.2 C (54.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Tower 2S	United States	Record high maximum temperature	2.8 C (37.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Alicia 2 NNE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Glenwood Spgs #2	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Beulah	United States	Record daily snowfall	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Keflavik	Iceland	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Grinnell 3 SW	United States	Record high maximum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Cherokee 4W	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Kokpekty	Kazakhstan	Record high maximum temperature	-3.2 C (26.2 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Tulelake	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Elgin Water	United States	Record high maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Delphi 2 N	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Plymouth Pwr Substn	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Jefferson City Wtp	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Garrison	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Sheboygan	United States	Record high maximum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Skjaekerfossen	Norway	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Carlinville	United States	Record high minimum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Valparaiso Wtr Wks	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Vevay	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Washington 1 W	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Towson	United States	Record high maximum temperature	16.7 C (62.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Harbor Beach 1 SSE	United States	Record high maximum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Batemans Bay Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Gritador	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	74.0 mm (2.9 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Urepetiro	Mexico	Record high maximum temperature	35.0 C (95.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Whitestown	United States	Record high minimum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Moorefield 1 SSE	United States	Record high maximum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Innisfail	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	36.3 C (97.3 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Springbrook Forestry	Australia	Record daily precipitation	67.0 mm (2.6 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Kranskop (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Dardanelle	United States	Record high minimum temperature	14.4 C (57.9 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Rush 1N	United States	Record snow depth	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Olney 2S	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Greencastle 1 W	United States	Record high minimum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Madison Sewage Plt	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Rockville	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Downey Fire Dept. Fc107C	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Salem	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Muskogee	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Calico Rock 2 WSW	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.2 C (54.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Hale Loud Dam	United States	Record high minimum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Clinton	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

760 records

Records set or tied on 20 December 1988 by type: Highest daily maximum 174, Lowest daily maximum 43, Highest daily minimum 197, Lowest daily minimum 35, Heaviest daily rainfall 270, Heaviest daily snowfall 30, Deepest snow cover 11.

Records on 20 December 1988 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	174
Lowest daily maximum	43
Highest daily minimum	197
Lowest daily minimum	35
Heaviest daily rainfall	270
Heaviest daily snowfall	30
Deepest snow cover	11

Records on 20 December 1988 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 8, daily 752.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

619 broken records

Margins by which the 619 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 330.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 December 1988

Top 20 records on 20 December 1988 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 December 1988	Eyre, AU	daily rain	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	74 years	72 of 100 (Major)
20 December 1988	Coramba (Glenfiddich), AU	daily rain	109.0 mm (4.3 in)	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	95 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Holter Dam, US	daily snow depth	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	43 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Gidgee Gold Mine, AU	daily rain	27.3 mm (1.1 in)	27.3 mm (1.1 in)	35 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Insizwa (Bos), ZA	daily rain	52.4 mm (2.1 in)	34.4 mm (1.4 in)	51 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Lakeview 2 NNW, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	93 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Eustis 2 NW, US	daily rain	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	14.5 mm (0.6 in)	26 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Genoa 2 W, US	daily rain	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	9.6 mm (0.38 in)	75 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Austin Waste Wtp Facility, US	daily rain	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	20.8 mm (0.8 in)	10 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Soldier Summit, US	daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	92 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Biskra, DZ	daily low max	11.2 C (52.2 F)	0.2 C (0.4 F)	98 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Aniak AP, US	daily snow depth	91.4 cm (36.0 in)	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	42 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Nashville 1 E, US	daily high min	7.8 C (46.0 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	86 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Hutchinson 1 N, US	daily high max	7.8 C (46.0 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	93 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Spring Creek Station, AU	daily rain	70.8 mm (2.8 in)	28.9 mm (1.1 in)	37 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Newark Ag Farm, US	daily high max	15.6 C (60.1 F)	0.6 C (1.1 F)	92 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Valparaiso Wtr Wks, US	daily high max	13.9 C (57.0 F)	0.6 C (1.1 F)	92 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Toledo 3N, US	daily high max	12.2 C (54.0 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	93 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Tower 2S, US	daily high max	2.8 C (37.0 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	88 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
20 December 1988	Alicia 2 NNE, US	daily high min	11.1 C (52.0 F)	3.9 C (7.0 F)	70 years	35 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 760 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 1988-12-20: 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	608
50 to 100	9
100 to 150	0
150 to 200	1
200 to 250	0
250 to 300	0
300 to 350	1