Weather Records on 16 December 1996

797 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 16 December 1996. Highest significance: Palestine, US.

Key Facts for 16 December 1996

On 16 December 1996, 797 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
187 were record highs and 107 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 4 were all-time records, 43 monthly and 750 daily.
Palestine set a daily record snowfall of 14.7 cm (5.8 in) on 16 December 1996.
Across 160 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 480 records.

Record Map

797 stations

797 station records on 16 December 1996 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 16 December 1996: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Palestine	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.7 cm (5.8 in)	73 of 100 (Major)
Conchas Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	73 of 100 (Major)
1 ENE Fairfield	United States	Record daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	70 of 100 (Major)
Marble Hill	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	70 of 100 (Major)
Carbondale Sewage Plt	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.2 cm (4.8 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Williston Sloulin Fld	United States	Record daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Du Quoin 4 SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
1 N McLeansboro	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Fishtail	United States	Record daily precipitation	77.5 mm (3.1 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Onaka	United States	Record snow depth	78.7 cm (31.0 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Erie Intl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Grand Forks UNIV (NWS)	United States	Record daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Jackson	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Coloso	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record low maximum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Anna 4 N	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Marble Bar Comparison	Australia	Record daily precipitation	45.6 mm (1.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Chester	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Coimbatore/Peelamed	India	Record daily precipitation	85.6 mm (3.4 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Marshall	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Hansboro 4 NNE	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Olney 2S	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Bulong	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Midland	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Kalispell Glacier AP	United States	Record snow depth	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Cheesman	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-27.2 C (-17.0 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Nashville Intl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Albion	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Weona	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Breckenridge	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.2 cm (4.8 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Olney 2S	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Batesville	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Belcourt Keya Radio	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Yazoo City 5 NNE	United States	Record daily precipitation	83.1 mm (3.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Monticello	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Anaconda	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Bryant	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Highmore	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Tupelo Rgnl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	74.7 mm (2.9 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Pyramid	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Gackle	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Rugby	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Burketown Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Kamennaja-Step	Russia	Record high maximum temperature	7.7 C (45.9 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Conway	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Priest Rvr Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	88.9 cm (35.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Williamsville	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.6 cm (3.4 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Libby 1 NE Rs	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Orion	Australia	Record daily precipitation	28.6 mm (1.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Corinth 5 WSW	United States	Record daily precipitation	65.5 mm (2.6 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Fredericktown	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Polebridge	United States	Record snow depth	83.8 cm (33.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Yates 4 SW	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Verona	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Alice	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Buntine East	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Pedra Bela	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
W Plains	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Mc Leod 3 E	United States	Record daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Highmore	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Allen's Rch	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

797 records

Records set or tied on 16 December 1996 by type: Highest daily maximum 108, Lowest daily maximum 38, Highest daily minimum 79, Lowest daily minimum 69, Heaviest daily rainfall 242, Heaviest daily snowfall 146, Deepest snow cover 115.

Records on 16 December 1996 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	108
Lowest daily maximum	38
Highest daily minimum	79
Lowest daily minimum	69
Heaviest daily rainfall	242
Heaviest daily snowfall	146
Deepest snow cover	115

Records on 16 December 1996 by timescale: all-time 4, monthly 43, daily 750.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

632 broken records

Margins by which the 632 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

16 December 1996

Top 20 records on 16 December 1996 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
16 December 1996	Palestine, US	daily snowfall	14.7 cm (5.8 in)	14.2 cm (5.6 in)	95 years	73 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1996	Conchas Dam, US	monthly rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	21.8 mm (0.9 in)	57 years	73 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1996	1 ENE Fairfield, US	daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	92 years	70 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1996	Marble Hill, US	daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	16.5 cm (6.5 in)	95 years	70 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1996	Carbondale Sewage Plt, US	daily snowfall	12.2 cm (4.8 in)	12.2 cm (4.8 in)	100 years	67 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1996	Williston Sloulin Fld, US	daily snowfall	19.1 cm (7.5 in)	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	67 years	64 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1996	Du Quoin 4 SE, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	92 years	63 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1996	1 N McLeansboro, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	98 years	62 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1996	Fishtail, US	monthly rain	77.5 mm (3.1 in)	52.6 mm (2.1 in)	28 years	62 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1996	Onaka, US	all-time snow depth	78.7 cm (31.0 in)	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	59 years	62 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1996	Erie Intl AP, US	daily rain	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	22.1 mm (0.9 in)	56 years	60 of 100 (Major)
16 December 1996	Grand Forks UNIV (NWS), US	daily snowfall	14.0 cm (5.5 in)	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	96 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1996	Jackson, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	92 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1996	Coloso, PR	daily low max	22.2 C (72.0 F)	5.0 C (9.0 F)	49 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1996	Anna 4 N, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	98 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1996	Marble Bar Comparison, AU	daily rain	45.6 mm (1.8 in)	30.1 mm (1.2 in)	74 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1996	Chester, US	daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	91 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1996	Coimbatore/Peelamed, IN	daily rain	85.6 mm (3.4 in)	76.9 mm (3.0 in)	27 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1996	Marshall, US	daily snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	41 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
16 December 1996	Hansboro 4 NNE, US	daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	50 years	50 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 1996

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1996. 1996 had 797 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 1996-12-16: 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	534
50 to 100	62
100 to 150	27
150 to 200	5
200 to 250	1
250 to 300	2
300 to 350	1