Weather Records on 21 December 1996

1,114 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 December 1996. Highest significance: Truckee Rs, US.

Key Facts for 21 December 1996

On 21 December 1996, 1,114 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
168 were record highs and 430 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 7 were all-time records, 45 monthly and 1,062 daily.
Truckee Rs set a daily record snowfall of 73.7 cm (29.0 in) on 21 December 1996.
Across 158 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 485 records.

Record Map

1,114 stations

1,114 station records on 21 December 1996 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 December 1996: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Truckee Rs	United States	Record daily snowfall	73.7 cm (29.0 in)	72 of 100 (Major)
Turlock #2	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Hillsboro 3 N	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.4 cm (8.8 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Baynesfield Estate	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	58.0 mm (2.3 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
So Entrance Yosemite Np	United States	Record daily snowfall	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Kanalohuluhulu 1075	United States	Record daily precipitation	171.5 mm (6.8 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Stillwater Rsvr	United States	Record daily snowfall	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Virginia City	United States	Record daily snowfall	47.0 cm (18.5 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Monterey	United States	Record daily precipitation	75.2 mm (3.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Carson City	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Hooker 12 NNW	United States	Record daily snowfall	62.2 cm (24.5 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Rushmore Nmem	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Mohall	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.2 cm (4.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Twin Lakes	United States	Record daily snowfall	119.4 cm (47.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Willow City	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Aurland	Norway	Record snow depth	28.0 cm (11.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Sagehen Creek	United States	Record daily snowfall	122.2 cm (48.1 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Virginia City	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Candelaria (Smn)	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	51.8 mm (2.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Castleford 2 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Tetonia Exp STN	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Tetonia Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	99.1 cm (39.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Villa de Arriaga (Dge)	Mexico	Record high maximum temperature	37.8 C (100.0 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Williston Sloulin Fld	United States	Record snow depth	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Boca	United States	Record daily snowfall	99.1 cm (39.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Bloomington Indiana UNIV	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Lakeview 2 NNW	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Adelaide (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Livermore	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Devils Garden	United States	Record low maximum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Hall 1 NNE	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Lovelock Derby Fld AP	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.4 cm (4.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Molteno (Mun)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	28.5 mm (1.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Hazelton	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Snake Rvr	United States	Record daily snowfall	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Tasiilaq	Greenland [Denmark]	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Max	United States	Record snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Mount Clere	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Donner Mem Sp	United States	Record daily snowfall	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Avon Park 2 W	United States	Record low maximum temperature	7.8 C (46.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Porthill	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Highlands	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Bonners Ferry	United States	Record snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Monticello	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Mohall	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Lovell	United States	Record snow depth	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Evergreen	United States	Record low maximum temperature	3.3 C (37.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Bridgeport	United States	Record snow depth	45.7 cm (18.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Moore Haven Lock 1	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Wauchula	United States	Record low maximum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Elberton 2 N	United States	Record low maximum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Aberdeen Exp STN	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Indlunkulu (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Boca	United States	Record snow depth	99.1 cm (39.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Winter Park	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Covington	United States	Record low maximum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Marshall	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Selagoncy	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-64.8 C (-84.6 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Lake Spaulding	United States	Record daily snowfall	88.9 cm (35.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
San Francisco Oceanside	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,114 records

Records set or tied on 21 December 1996 by type: Highest daily maximum 107, Lowest daily maximum 155, Highest daily minimum 61, Lowest daily minimum 275, Heaviest daily rainfall 253, Heaviest daily snowfall 118, Deepest snow cover 145.

Records on 21 December 1996 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	107
Lowest daily maximum	155
Highest daily minimum	61
Lowest daily minimum	275
Heaviest daily rainfall	253
Heaviest daily snowfall	118
Deepest snow cover	145

Records on 21 December 1996 by timescale: all-time 7, monthly 45, daily 1,062.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

875 broken records

Margins by which the 875 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 686.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 December 1996

Top 20 records on 21 December 1996 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 December 1996	Truckee Rs, US	daily snowfall	73.7 cm (29.0 in)	48.3 cm (19.0 in)	90 years	72 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1996	Turlock #2, US	daily rain	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	64 years	67 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1996	Hillsboro 3 N, US	daily snowfall	22.4 cm (8.8 in)	12.2 cm (4.8 in)	85 years	64 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1996	Baynesfield Estate, ZA	daily rain	58.0 mm (2.3 in)	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	56 years	63 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1996	So Entrance Yosemite Np, US	daily snowfall	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	49 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Kanalohuluhulu 1075, US	daily rain	171.5 mm (6.8 in)	128.6 mm (5.1 in)	41 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Stillwater Rsvr, US	daily snowfall	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	20.4 cm (8.0 in)	66 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Virginia City, US	daily snowfall	47.0 cm (18.5 in)	44.5 cm (17.5 in)	15 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Monterey, US	daily rain	75.2 mm (3.0 in)	47.3 mm (1.9 in)	14 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Carson City, US	daily snow depth	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	29 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Hooker 12 NNW, US	daily snowfall	62.2 cm (24.5 in)	37.8 cm (14.9 in)	19 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Mt Rushmore Nmem, US	daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	28 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Mohall, US	daily snowfall	12.2 cm (4.8 in)	5.8 cm (2.3 in)	79 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Twin Lakes, US	daily snowfall	119.4 cm (47.0 in)	68.6 cm (27.0 in)	14 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Willow City, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	82 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Aurland, NO	daily snow depth	28.0 cm (11.0 in)	18.0 cm (7.1 in)	15 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Sagehen Creek, US	all-time snowfall	122.2 cm (48.1 in)	23.1 cm (9.1 in)	29 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Virginia City, US	daily rain	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	27 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Candelaria (Smn), MX	daily rain	51.8 mm (2.0 in)	40.9 mm (1.6 in)	8 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1996	Castleford 2 N, US	daily rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	15 years	47 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 1,114 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	1,099

Download the Data

Data for records on 1996-12-21: 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 2026-10-14 (14 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2026-10-12. Last revised 12 October 2026 (2026-10-12).

Margin	Records
0 to 100	812
100 to 200	42
200 to 300	12
300 to 400	4
400 to 500	3
500 to 600	1
600 to 700	1