Weather Records on 23 December 1988

878 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 23 December 1988. Highest significance: Bowning (Wanganui), AU.

Key Facts for 23 December 1988

On 23 December 1988, 878 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
323 were record highs and 60 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 8 monthly and 869 daily.
Bowning (Wanganui) set a daily record precipitation of 36.0 mm (1.4 in) on 23 December 1988.
Across 150 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 543 records.

Record Map

878 stations

878 station records on 23 December 1988 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 23 December 1988: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Bowning (Wanganui)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Blackburn	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Clarksdale	United States	Record daily precipitation	75.2 mm (3.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Rantoul	United States	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Bogan Gate Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Flitwick Grange	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Cornubia	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	79.5 mm (3.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Decatur Wtp	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.9 mm (2.2 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Jacksonville 2E	United States	Record daily precipitation	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
White Hall 1 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Rockley Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Elong Elong (Bendeela St)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Gibson City	United States	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Amersfoort (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
W Lafayette 6 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Nicosia	Cyprus	Record daily precipitation	45.8 mm (1.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Kentland	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Idaho Falls 16 SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Mtn Dell Dam	United States	Record daily snowfall	53.3 cm (21.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Gunnedah Pool	Australia	Record daily precipitation	58.0 mm (2.3 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Leipzig-Holzhausen	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	6.0 C (42.8 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Sugartown	United States	Record daily precipitation	93.7 mm (3.7 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
St Charles Elm Pt	United States	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Carroll (the Ranch)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Foresthill Rs	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Hermann	United States	Record daily precipitation	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Batesville	United States	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Schwerin	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	6.8 C (44.2 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Halle	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	7.0 C (44.6 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Oneonta	United States	Record high maximum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Bloomington Wtr Wks	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Hoopeston	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Lincoln	United States	Record daily precipitation	57.4 mm (2.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Lebanon	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Coolabah Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.6 mm (1.6 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Berlin-Dahlem	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	6.9 C (44.4 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Lindenberg	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	6.4 C (43.5 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Stolhoek	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	28.5 mm (1.1 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Chanthaburi	Thailand	Record low minimum temperature	10.3 C (50.5 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Watseka Public Works	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Carville 2 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	73.9 mm (2.9 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Houston	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Vandalia	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.6 mm (1.4 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Kanalohuluhulu 1075	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Potsdam	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	6.2 C (43.2 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Bamberg	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Gorlitz	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	4.8 C (40.6 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Schierke	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	3.3 C (37.9 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Pana	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Carthage	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Dickson	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.8 mm (1.9 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Louisiana	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Gann Valley 4NW	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Atlatlahuacan	Mexico	Record high minimum temperature	16.7 C (62.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Queenstown	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Arrowrock Dam	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Mtn Home	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Casey	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Dunmor	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Elizabeth	United States	Record daily precipitation	80.5 mm (3.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

878 records

Records set or tied on 23 December 1988 by type: Highest daily maximum 83, Lowest daily maximum 39, Highest daily minimum 240, Lowest daily minimum 21, Heaviest daily rainfall 409, Heaviest daily snowfall 60, Deepest snow cover 26.

Records on 23 December 1988 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	83
Lowest daily maximum	39
Highest daily minimum	240
Lowest daily minimum	21
Heaviest daily rainfall	409
Heaviest daily snowfall	60
Deepest snow cover	26

Records on 23 December 1988 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 8, daily 869.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

747 broken records

Margins by which the 747 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 304.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

23 December 1988

Top 20 records on 23 December 1988 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
23 December 1988	Bowning (Wanganui), AU	daily rain	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	67 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Blackburn, ZA	daily rain	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	42.1 mm (1.7 in)	42 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Clarksdale, US	daily rain	75.2 mm (3.0 in)	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	76 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Rantoul, US	daily rain	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	18.0 mm (0.7 in)	81 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Bogan Gate Post Office, AU	daily rain	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	17.8 mm (0.7 in)	89 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Flitwick Grange, ZA	daily rain	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	32.3 mm (1.3 in)	42 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Cornubia, ZA	daily rain	79.5 mm (3.1 in)	41.1 mm (1.6 in)	42 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Decatur Wtp, US	daily rain	54.9 mm (2.2 in)	16.3 mm (0.6 in)	81 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Jacksonville 2E, US	daily rain	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	56 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	White Hall 1 E, US	daily rain	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	56 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Rockley Post Office, AU	daily rain	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	19.3 mm (0.8 in)	79 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Elong Elong (Bendeela St), AU	daily rain	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	29 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Gibson City, US	daily rain	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	27 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Amersfoort (Pol), ZA	daily rain	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	73 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	W Lafayette 6 NW, US	daily rain	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	11.4 mm (0.4 in)	81 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Nicosia, CY	daily rain	45.8 mm (1.8 in)	5.2 mm (0.20 in)	98 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Kentland, US	daily rain	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	23.1 mm (0.9 in)	47 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Idaho Falls 16 SE, US	daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	15.8 cm (6.2 in)	19 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Mtn Dell Dam, US	daily snowfall	53.3 cm (21.0 in)	30.4 cm (12.0 in)	6 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
23 December 1988	Gunnedah Pool, AU	daily rain	58.0 mm (2.3 in)	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	10 years	42 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 878 records.

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

Records on 12-23 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1825	1
1829	1
1840	1
1852	1
1855	1
1860	3
1864	1
1868	1
1870	6
1871	2
1875	2
1877	1
1878	1
1880	1
1881	1
1883	2
1887	2
1888	2
1889	2
1891	3
1893	2
1894	5
1896	4
1897	1
1898	4
1899	6
1901	2
1903	5
1904	11
1905	3
1906	16
1907	35
1908	8
1909	59
1910	41
1911	29
1912	36
1913	87
1914	57
1915	59
1916	34
1917	26
1918	51
1919	39
1920	33
1921	219
1922	28
1923	146
1924	257
1925	205
1926	146
1927	100
1928	137
1929	393
1930	141
1931	987
1932	329
1933	734
1934	92
1935	360
1936	370
1937	232
1938	183
1939	264
1940	365
1941	750
1942	534
1943	745
1944	484
1945	752
1946	234
1947	517
1948	528
1949	618
1950	521
1951	405
1952	242
1953	605
1954	348
1955	1,162
1956	496
1957	485
1958	209
1959	352
1960	1,442
1961	320
1962	439
1963	1,391
1964	1,457
1965	653
1966	436
1967	885
1968	891
1969	852
1970	940
1971	695
1972	376
1973	479
1974	611
1975	628
1976	514
1977	663
1978	351
1979	813
1980	516
1981	1,127
1982	1,140
1983	4,533
1984	668
1985	629
1986	571
1987	804
1988	878
1989	3,791
1990	3,241
1991	1,196
1992	504
1993	991
1994	1,091
1995	1,212
1996	1,184
1997	1,016
1998	688
1999	936
2000	746
2001	663
2002	778
2003	766
2004	1,231
2005	903
2006	1,194
2007	873
2008	771
2009	1,073
2010	1,298
2011	735
2012	817
2013	1,235
2014	1,070
2015	1,972
2016	432
2017	621
2018	373
2019	699
2020	916
2021	702
2022	1,426
2023	856
2024	637
2025	1,678

Download the Data

Data for records on 1988-12-23: 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	718
50 to 100	16
100 to 150	7
150 to 200	3
200 to 250	2
250 to 300	0
300 to 350	1