Weather Records on 21 October 1996

1,581 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 October 1996. Highest significance: Durham, US.

Key Facts for 21 October 1996

On 21 October 1996, 1,581 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
252 were record highs and 695 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 9 were all-time records, 85 monthly and 1,487 daily.
Durham set a monthly record daily precipitation of 160.0 mm (6.3 in) on 21 October 1996.
Across 167 earlier years (1795 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 413 records.

Record Map

1,581 stations

1,581 station records on 21 October 1996 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 October 1996: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Durham	United States	Record daily precipitation	160.0 mm (6.3 in)	88 of 100 (Exceptional)
Lawrence	United States	Record daily precipitation	170.7 mm (6.7 in)	83 of 100 (Exceptional)
Newburyport	United States	Record daily precipitation	269.7 mm (10.6 in)	80 of 100 (Exceptional)
Lowell	United States	Record daily precipitation	129.8 mm (5.1 in)	79 of 100 (Major)
Harkerville (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	80.6 mm (3.2 in)	78 of 100 (Major)
Golden	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Portland Jetport	United States	Record daily precipitation	298.2 mm (11.7 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Udialla	Australia	Record daily precipitation	61.2 mm (2.4 in)	65 of 100 (Major)
Middleboro	United States	Record daily precipitation	115.6 mm (4.6 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Durban Roodepoort Deep Gm	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	79.0 mm (3.1 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Massabesic Lake	United States	Record daily precipitation	144.8 mm (5.7 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Welbedagt	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Van Staadens (Rsv)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	150.0 mm (5.9 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Myroodah	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Newport	United States	Record daily precipitation	128.0 mm (5.0 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Espanola	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Lewiston	United States	Record daily precipitation	95.3 mm (3.8 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Liveringa Upper	Australia	Record daily precipitation	43.4 mm (1.7 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
South Lyndeboro	United States	Record daily precipitation	195.6 mm (7.7 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Grafton	United States	Record daily precipitation	123.2 mm (4.9 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Matjiesrivier (Skl)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	57.0 mm (2.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Richfield	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Blue Hill Coop	United States	Record daily precipitation	156.0 mm (6.1 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Ipswich	United States	Record daily precipitation	132.1 mm (5.2 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Middleton	United States	Record daily precipitation	121.9 mm (4.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Pasamonte	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Dannemora	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Pago Pago WSO AP	American Samoa [United States]	Record daily precipitation	142.0 mm (5.6 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Stuttgart 9 ESE	United States	Record daily precipitation	99.8 mm (3.9 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Sanford 2 NNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	208.0 mm (8.2 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
West Buxton 2 NNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	186.7 mm (7.4 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Sandia Park	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Kenton	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Pinhalzinho	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	92.0 mm (3.6 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Taunton	United States	Record daily precipitation	100.6 mm (4.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Espanola	United States	Record snow depth	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Boise City 2 E	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Kasilof 3 NW	United States	Record snow depth	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Kremsmuenster	Austria	Record daily precipitation	36.9 mm (1.5 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Beowawe	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-17.2 C (1.0 F)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Minnie Creek	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Epping	United States	Record daily precipitation	147.3 mm (5.8 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Glorieta	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Los Alamos	United States	Record daily snowfall	31.8 cm (12.5 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Cape St. Francis	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	72.0 mm (2.8 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Haverhill	United States	Record daily precipitation	91.4 mm (3.6 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Lakeport 2	United States	Record daily precipitation	110.0 mm (4.3 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Marion	United States	Record low maximum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Alexander 4 NNW	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Bowbells	United States	Record daily snowfall	9.4 cm (3.7 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Powers Lake 1N	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Riverside 7 SSW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-16.7 C (1.9 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Lemmon	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Enosburg Falls	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Kekaha 944	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Jubilee Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Doolgunna	Australia	Record daily precipitation	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Tangadee	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Villa de Arriaga (Dge)	Mexico	Record high maximum temperature	38.9 C (102.0 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Alturas	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-13.3 C (8.1 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,581 records

Records set or tied on 21 October 1996 by type: Highest daily maximum 109, Lowest daily maximum 312, Highest daily minimum 143, Lowest daily minimum 383, Heaviest daily rainfall 397, Heaviest daily snowfall 127, Deepest snow cover 110.

Records on 21 October 1996 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	109
Lowest daily maximum	312
Highest daily minimum	143
Lowest daily minimum	383
Heaviest daily rainfall	397
Heaviest daily snowfall	127
Deepest snow cover	110

Records on 21 October 1996 by timescale: all-time 9, monthly 85, daily 1,487.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,298 broken records

Margins by which the 1,298 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 178.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 October 1996

Top 20 records on 21 October 1996 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 October 1996	Durham, US	monthly rain	160.0 mm (6.3 in)	54.8 mm (2.2 in)	101 years	88 of 100 (Exceptional)
21 October 1996	Lawrence, US	monthly rain	170.7 mm (6.7 in)	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	101 years	83 of 100 (Exceptional)
21 October 1996	Newburyport, US	all-time rain	269.7 mm (10.6 in)	114.8 mm (4.5 in)	34 years	80 of 100 (Exceptional)
21 October 1996	Lowell, US	daily rain	129.8 mm (5.1 in)	100.8 mm (4.0 in)	97 years	79 of 100 (Major)
21 October 1996	Harkerville (Bos), ZA	daily rain	80.6 mm (3.2 in)	61.5 mm (2.4 in)	94 years	78 of 100 (Major)
21 October 1996	Golden, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	93 years	66 of 100 (Major)
21 October 1996	Portland Jetport, US	all-time rain	298.2 mm (11.7 in)	101.3 mm (4.0 in)	5 years	66 of 100 (Major)
21 October 1996	Udialla, AU	monthly rain	61.2 mm (2.4 in)	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	31 years	65 of 100 (Major)
21 October 1996	Middleboro, US	monthly rain	115.6 mm (4.6 in)	20.1 mm (0.8 in)	101 years	64 of 100 (Major)
21 October 1996	Durban Roodepoort Deep Gm, ZA	daily rain	79.0 mm (3.1 in)	56.6 mm (2.2 in)	45 years	62 of 100 (Major)
21 October 1996	Massabesic Lake, US	monthly rain	144.8 mm (5.7 in)	48.8 mm (1.9 in)	34 years	62 of 100 (Major)
21 October 1996	Welbedagt, ZA	daily rain	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	33.1 mm (1.3 in)	50 years	61 of 100 (Major)
21 October 1996	Van Staadens (Rsv), ZA	monthly rain	150.0 mm (5.9 in)	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	4 years	61 of 100 (Major)
21 October 1996	Myroodah, AU	daily rain	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	88 years	60 of 100 (Major)
21 October 1996	Newport, US	all-time rain	128.0 mm (5.0 in)	22.8 mm (0.9 in)	41 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1996	Espanola, US	monthly snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	98 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1996	Lewiston, US	monthly rain	95.3 mm (3.8 in)	11.0 mm (0.4 in)	102 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1996	Liveringa Upper, AU	monthly rain	43.4 mm (1.7 in)	15.5 mm (0.6 in)	38 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1996	South Lyndeboro, US	all-time rain	195.6 mm (7.7 in)	58.7 mm (2.3 in)	5 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
21 October 1996	Grafton, US	daily rain	123.2 mm (4.9 in)	86.4 mm (3.4 in)	20 years	56 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

1795 to 1996

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1795 to 1996. 1996 had 1,581 records.

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

Records on 10-21 in each year
Year	Records
1795	1
1802	2
1805	1
1808	1
1810	1
1834	1
1835	1
1840	1
1845	1
1847	1
1850	1
1851	2
1854	1
1859	1
1863	1
1864	1
1866	3
1867	1
1868	3
1869	2
1871	1
1872	1
1873	1
1874	1
1876	4
1877	2
1878	1
1880	3
1881	1
1883	1
1886	1
1888	2
1889	2
1890	3
1891	6
1892	6
1893	1
1894	1
1895	2
1896	5
1898	6
1899	3
1900	2
1901	9
1902	2
1903	3
1904	30
1905	15
1906	11
1907	35
1908	35
1909	19
1910	21
1911	10
1912	18
1913	59
1914	35
1915	43
1916	70
1917	208
1918	18
1919	102
1920	149
1921	58
1922	78
1923	81
1924	389
1925	150
1926	77
1927	187
1928	78
1929	200
1930	492
1931	217
1932	165
1933	733
1934	407
1935	707
1936	407
1937	132
1938	121
1939	491
1940	537
1941	644
1942	258
1943	421
1944	367
1945	538
1946	297
1947	977
1948	266
1949	1,015
1950	438
1951	382
1952	848
1953	1,579
1954	279
1955	481
1956	276
1957	511
1958	322
1959	410
1960	408
1961	553
1962	359
1963	725
1964	457
1965	465
1966	425
1967	472
1968	174
1969	881
1970	548
1971	498
1972	813
1973	464
1974	866
1975	509
1976	1,467
1977	451
1978	616
1979	1,958
1980	378
1981	667
1982	870
1983	786
1984	1,872
1985	776
1986	814
1987	852
1988	696
1989	1,668
1990	807
1991	877
1992	1,095
1993	845
1994	670
1995	1,120
1996	1,581
1997	915
1998	711
1999	688
2000	771
2001	610
2002	1,241
2003	2,066
2004	1,674
2005	949
2006	1,057
2007	916
2008	610
2009	713
2010	710
2011	662
2012	703
2013	440
2014	716
2015	493
2016	734
2017	750
2018	440
2019	757
2020	1,135
2021	574
2022	629
2023	890
2024	1,138
2025	364

Download the Data

Data for records on 1996-10-21: 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 2026-10-16 (16 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 25	1,063
25 to 50	98
50 to 75	50
75 to 100	47
100 to 125	22
125 to 150	11
150 to 175	5
175 to 200	2