Weather Records on 21 December 1988

717 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 December 1988. Highest significance: Keflavik, IS.

Key Facts for 21 December 1988

On 21 December 1988, 717 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
212 were record highs and 40 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 20 monthly and 696 daily.
Keflavik set an all-time record daily snowfall of 88.9 cm (35.0 in) on 21 December 1988.
Across 158 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 488 records.

Record Map

717 stations

717 station records on 21 December 1988 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 December 1988: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Keflavik	Iceland	Record daily snowfall	88.9 cm (35.0 in)	72 of 100 (Major)
Roseworthy	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.6 mm (1.0 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
Engordador	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	179.7 mm (7.1 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Evangelista de Souza	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	105.3 mm (4.1 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Itanhaem	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	160.0 mm (6.3 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
New Harmony	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Coqueiros	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	99.6 mm (3.9 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Bairro Igrejinha	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	114.2 mm (4.5 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Fazenda Do Barreiro Rico	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	134.0 mm (5.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Alferes	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	85.5 mm (3.4 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Recalque Abc	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	114.0 mm (4.5 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Taquari-Vai	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	90.1 mm (3.5 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Sao Caetano Do Sul	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	120.4 mm (4.7 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Sao Paulo (Aeroport	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	103.6 mm (4.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Cabeca da Anta	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	121.2 mm (4.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Moorefield 1 SSE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Mairipora	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	95.2 mm (3.7 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Luz (Estacao)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	101.6 mm (4.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Mtn Dell Dam	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Samarkand	Uzbekistan	Record daily precipitation	36.2 mm (1.4 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Taboas	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	75.2 mm (3.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Utinga	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	83.3 mm (3.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Barrocada	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	131.5 mm (5.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Park City G.C.	United States	Record daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Coalville	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Ubatuba	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	117.0 mm (4.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Observatorio Do Iag	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	99.3 mm (3.9 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Mongagua	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	160.4 mm (6.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Pismo Beach	United States	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Sheaville 1 SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Hanna	United States	Record daily snowfall	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Pendzhikent	Tajikistan	Record daily precipitation	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Hawley 1 E	United States	Record high maximum temperature	16.7 C (62.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Park Valley	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Midwest	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Mineiros Do Tiete (Cpef)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	78.3 mm (3.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Ana Dias	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	119.6 mm (4.7 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Spanish Fk Pwr House	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Aniak AP	United States	Record snow depth	91.4 cm (36.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Gleneagle	Australia	Record daily precipitation	101.2 mm (4.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Tahoe City	United States	Record daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Long Creek	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Elgin Water	United States	Record high maximum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Eldorado	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	74.7 mm (2.9 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Tomatlan	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
McCall	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Ribeirao Das Almas	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	79.1 mm (3.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Caucaia Do Alto	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	69.1 mm (2.7 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Glenbrook	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Prospect 2 SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Snake Creek Powerhouse	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Pedro Do Rio	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	74.4 mm (2.9 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Roselandia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	68.4 mm (2.7 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Sete Barras	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	68.7 mm (2.7 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Bowman Dam	United States	Record daily snowfall	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Spavinaw	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Franklin	United States	Record high maximum temperature	14.4 C (57.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Kailua 446	United States	Record high minimum temperature	20.6 C (69.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Santa Isabel	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	81.8 mm (3.2 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
La Plata 1 W	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

717 records

Records set or tied on 21 December 1988 by type: Highest daily maximum 121, Lowest daily maximum 22, Highest daily minimum 91, Lowest daily minimum 18, Heaviest daily rainfall 369, Heaviest daily snowfall 83, Deepest snow cover 13.

Records on 21 December 1988 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	121
Lowest daily maximum	22
Highest daily minimum	91
Lowest daily minimum	18
Heaviest daily rainfall	369
Heaviest daily snowfall	83
Deepest snow cover	13

Records on 21 December 1988 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 20, daily 696.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

604 broken records

Margins by which the 604 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 305.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 December 1988

Top 20 records on 21 December 1988 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 December 1988	Keflavik, IS	all-time snowfall	88.9 cm (35.0 in)	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	29 years	72 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1988	Roseworthy, AU	daily rain	25.6 mm (1.0 in)	21.0 mm (0.8 in)	87 years	68 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1988	Engordador, BR	monthly rain	179.7 mm (7.1 in)	94.5 mm (3.7 in)	21 years	60 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1988	Evangelista de Souza, BR	daily rain	105.3 mm (4.1 in)	73.8 mm (2.9 in)	48 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Itanhaem, BR	daily rain	160.0 mm (6.3 in)	109.8 mm (4.3 in)	41 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	New Harmony, US	daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	48 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Coqueiros, BR	daily rain	99.6 mm (3.9 in)	66.2 mm (2.6 in)	37 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Bairro Igrejinha, BR	daily rain	114.2 mm (4.5 in)	71.8 mm (2.8 in)	29 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Fazenda Do Barreiro Rico, BR	daily rain	134.0 mm (5.3 in)	66.3 mm (2.6 in)	15 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Alferes, BR	daily rain	85.5 mm (3.4 in)	62.3 mm (2.5 in)	15 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Recalque Abc, BR	monthly rain	114.0 mm (4.5 in)	36.9 mm (1.5 in)	13 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Taquari-Vai, BR	daily rain	90.1 mm (3.5 in)	60.8 mm (2.4 in)	5 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Sao Caetano Do Sul, BR	monthly rain	120.4 mm (4.7 in)	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	41 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Sao Paulo (Aeroport, BR	daily rain	103.6 mm (4.1 in)	41.8 mm (1.6 in)	28 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Cabeca da Anta, BR	daily rain	121.2 mm (4.8 in)	60.7 mm (2.4 in)	30 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Moorefield 1 SSE, US	daily high min	10.0 C (50.0 F)	3.9 C (7.0 F)	92 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Mairipora, BR	daily rain	95.2 mm (3.7 in)	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	41 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Luz (Estacao), BR	daily rain	101.6 mm (4.0 in)	10.2 mm (0.4 in)	87 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Mtn Dell Dam, US	daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	64 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1988	Samarkand, UZ	monthly rain	36.2 mm (1.4 in)	8.9 mm (0.35 in)	23 years	40 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 717 records.

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

Records on 12-21 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1794	1
1799	1
1801	2
1808	3
1825	1
1828	1
1839	1
1846	1
1850	1
1855	7
1859	1
1860	1
1868	1
1870	1
1871	2
1874	2
1875	3
1876	1
1877	1
1878	1
1879	1
1880	1
1884	1
1886	3
1889	1
1890	4
1893	4
1894	1
1895	5
1896	3
1897	3
1898	1
1900	8
1901	15
1902	5
1903	25
1904	3
1905	15
1906	15
1907	17
1908	19
1909	20
1910	29
1911	36
1912	23
1913	11
1914	107
1915	43
1916	40
1917	18
1918	41
1919	57
1920	30
1921	104
1922	34
1923	323
1924	377
1925	120
1926	178
1927	147
1928	70
1929	156
1930	66
1931	556
1932	150
1933	581
1934	230
1935	398
1936	323
1937	189
1938	145
1939	140
1940	622
1941	651
1942	968
1943	148
1944	762
1945	396
1946	495
1947	700
1948	297
1949	1,281
1950	504
1951	1,061
1952	197
1953	256
1954	444
1955	888
1956	672
1957	846
1958	516
1959	272
1960	585
1961	254
1962	563
1963	1,137
1964	613
1965	247
1966	400
1967	1,923
1968	818
1969	828
1970	547
1971	680
1972	651
1973	1,292
1974	374
1975	548
1976	446
1977	470
1978	517
1979	558
1980	726
1981	1,476
1982	702
1983	3,324
1984	1,012
1985	979
1986	404
1987	775
1988	717
1989	3,203
1990	2,701
1991	1,125
1992	751
1993	967
1994	793
1995	878
1996	1,114
1997	810
1998	1,142
1999	851
2000	944
2001	650
2002	579
2003	1,103
2004	675
2005	606
2006	1,443
2007	946
2008	1,062
2009	1,097
2010	2,039
2011	653
2012	759
2013	1,029
2014	878
2015	1,173
2016	543
2017	459
2018	742
2019	755
2020	965
2021	323
2022	528
2023	1,170
2024	778
2025	1,100

Download the Data

Data for records on 1988-12-21: 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 2026-10-15 (15 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2026-10-15. Last revised 15 October 2026 (2026-10-15).

Margin	Records
0 to 50	558
50 to 100	28
100 to 150	11
150 to 200	3
200 to 250	1
250 to 300	2
300 to 350	1