Weather Records on 21 January 1997

950 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 January 1997. Highest significance: Sulitjelma, NO.

Key Facts for 21 January 1997

On 21 January 1997, 950 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
465 were record highs and 90 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 13 were all-time records, 28 monthly and 909 daily.
Sulitjelma set a daily record precipitation of 59.7 mm (2.4 in) on 21 January 1997.
Across 163 earlier years (1793 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 464 records.

Record Map

950 stations

950 station records on 21 January 1997 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 January 1997: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Sulitjelma	Norway	Record daily precipitation	59.7 mm (2.4 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
Mobridge 2NNW	United States	Record snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Melbourne Regional Office	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	28.8 C (83.8 F)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Mount Wedge	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Kalispell Glacier AP	United States	Record snow depth	111.8 cm (44.0 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Mellette 4 W	United States	Record snow depth	76.2 cm (30.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Drevja	Norway	Record daily precipitation	84.5 mm (3.3 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Ariri	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	175.1 mm (6.9 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Coloso	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record low maximum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Grootkuil	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Kremlin	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Eldorado	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	130.0 mm (5.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Selby	United States	Record snow depth	111.8 cm (44.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Glomfjord	Norway	Record daily precipitation	88.2 mm (3.5 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Mc Intosh 6 SE	United States	Record snow depth	78.7 cm (31.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Huron Rgnl AP	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Fergus Falls	United States	Record snow depth	132.1 cm (52.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Eureka	United States	Record snow depth	127.0 cm (50.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	22.4 C (72.3 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Tustervatnet II	Norway	Record daily precipitation	63.6 mm (2.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Havre AP ASOS	United States	Record daily snowfall	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Mo I Rana III	Norway	Record daily precipitation	99.0 mm (3.9 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Hemavan	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	40.7 mm (1.6 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Lockhart River Airport	Australia	Record daily precipitation	171.8 mm (6.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Sete Barras	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	100.0 mm (3.9 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Manistique Wwtp	United States	Record snow depth	116.8 cm (46.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Dupree 15 SSE	United States	Record snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Pollock	United States	Record snow depth	53.3 cm (21.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Cape Otway Lighthouse	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	25.0 C (77.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Belltower	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Columbus 3 NE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Mc Leod 3 E	United States	Record snow depth	114.3 cm (45.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Laverton Raaf	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	28.9 C (84.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Warnow	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	62.3 mm (2.5 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Doutor Pedrinho	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	86.2 mm (3.4 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Coloso	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record daily precipitation	93.5 mm (3.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Mayaguez City	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record low maximum temperature	25.6 C (78.1 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
David City 4E	United States	Record high minimum temperature	2.8 C (37.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Tecumseh 1S	United States	Record high maximum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Anna Creek	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Sidney 1SSE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Holton	United States	Record high minimum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Redwood Falls Muni AP	United States	Record snow depth	58.4 cm (23.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	38.0 C (100.4 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Itoupava Central	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	83.2 mm (3.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Quadra	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	70.1 mm (2.8 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Capela Do Porto	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	84.9 mm (3.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Pamplona (Observatorio)	Spain	Record daily precipitation	45.4 mm (1.8 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Leroy 5 WSW	United States	Record high maximum temperature	16.7 C (62.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Canby	United States	Record snow depth	73.7 cm (29.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Ainsworth	United States	Record high minimum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Schulenburg	United States	Record daily precipitation	64.5 mm (2.5 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Arrozeira	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	86.5 mm (3.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Bodoe VI	Norway	Record daily precipitation	31.3 mm (1.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Leirfjord	Norway	Record daily precipitation	69.8 mm (2.7 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Joesjo	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Auburn 5 ESE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Couderay 7 W	United States	Record snow depth	99.1 cm (39.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Atkinson 3SW	United States	Record high minimum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
New Salem 5NW	United States	Record snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

950 records

Records set or tied on 21 January 1997 by type: Highest daily maximum 176, Lowest daily maximum 39, Highest daily minimum 289, Lowest daily minimum 51, Heaviest daily rainfall 271, Heaviest daily snowfall 23, Deepest snow cover 101.

Records on 21 January 1997 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	176
Lowest daily maximum	39
Highest daily minimum	289
Lowest daily minimum	51
Heaviest daily rainfall	271
Heaviest daily snowfall	23
Deepest snow cover	101

Records on 21 January 1997 by timescale: all-time 13, monthly 28, daily 909.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

819 broken records

Margins by which the 819 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 661.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 January 1997

Top 20 records on 21 January 1997 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 January 1997	Sulitjelma, NO	daily rain	59.7 mm (2.4 in)	28.3 mm (1.1 in)	86 years	68 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1997	Mobridge 2NNW, US	daily snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	35.5 cm (14.0 in)	45 years	61 of 100 (Major)
21 January 1997	Melbourne Regional Office, AU	monthly high min	28.8 C (83.8 F)	2.5 C (4.5 F)	121 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Mount Wedge, AU	daily rain	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	14.8 mm (0.6 in)	94 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Kalispell Glacier AP, US	daily snow depth	111.8 cm (44.0 in)	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	28 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Mellette 4 W, US	daily snow depth	76.2 cm (30.0 in)	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	60 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Drevja, NO	monthly rain	84.5 mm (3.3 in)	10.1 mm (0.4 in)	89 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Ariri, BR	daily rain	175.1 mm (6.9 in)	119.1 mm (4.7 in)	24 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Coloso, PR	daily low max	22.2 C (72.0 F)	3.4 C (6.1 F)	74 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Grootkuil, ZA	daily rain	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	32.2 mm (1.3 in)	68 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Kremlin, US	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	44 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Eldorado, BR	daily rain	130.0 mm (5.1 in)	64.0 mm (2.5 in)	24 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Selby, US	daily snow depth	111.8 cm (44.0 in)	66.1 cm (26.0 in)	3 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Glomfjord, NO	daily rain	88.2 mm (3.5 in)	29.8 mm (1.2 in)	65 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Mc Intosh 6 SE, US	daily snow depth	78.7 cm (31.0 in)	43.1 cm (17.0 in)	3 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Huron Rgnl AP, US	daily snow depth	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	99 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Fergus Falls, US	daily snow depth	132.1 cm (52.0 in)	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	3 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Eureka, US	daily snow depth	127.0 cm (50.0 in)	58.4 cm (23.0 in)	11 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Hobart (Ellerslie Road), AU	daily high min	22.4 C (72.3 F)	1.8 C (3.2 F)	106 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
21 January 1997	Tustervatnet II, NO	daily rain	63.6 mm (2.5 in)	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	40 years	46 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 1997

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1997. 1997 had 950 records.

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

Records on 01-21 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1795	2
1796	1
1798	1
1800	2
1803	1
1804	2
1829	1
1838	3
1840	2
1845	2
1846	1
1850	2
1864	2
1866	4
1867	1
1869	1
1871	1
1873	2
1876	1
1878	4
1880	3
1881	4
1884	1
1885	1
1886	1
1888	3
1890	2
1891	3
1892	2
1893	1
1894	3
1895	2
1896	2
1897	3
1898	3
1899	15
1900	5
1901	4
1902	8
1903	18
1904	30
1905	3
1906	53
1907	10
1908	11
1909	25
1910	11
1911	8
1912	7
1913	23
1914	37
1915	47
1916	38
1917	83
1918	49
1919	14
1920	75
1921	54
1922	35
1923	62
1924	535
1925	103
1926	157
1927	447
1928	206
1929	132
1930	616
1931	112
1932	167
1933	572
1934	255
1935	771
1936	314
1937	852
1938	250
1939	305
1940	562
1941	205
1942	522
1943	1,168
1944	324
1945	290
1946	339
1947	205
1948	387
1949	452
1950	643
1951	367
1952	436
1953	325
1954	1,094
1955	399
1956	653
1957	527
1958	506
1959	936
1960	319
1961	746
1962	741
1963	761
1964	771
1965	251
1966	636
1967	511
1968	1,179
1969	927
1970	1,770
1971	672
1972	598
1973	573
1974	992
1975	496
1976	860
1977	549
1978	1,301
1979	1,675
1980	425
1981	972
1982	1,339
1983	1,179
1984	2,132
1985	2,457
1986	883
1987	934
1988	771
1989	511
1990	927
1991	559
1992	447
1993	1,763
1994	1,195
1995	1,276
1996	528
1997	950
1998	606
1999	1,387
2000	686
2001	736
2002	796
2003	690
2004	535
2005	1,111
2006	1,116
2007	1,955
2008	1,061
2009	788
2010	1,166
2011	836
2012	1,148
2013	455
2014	522
2015	426
2016	580
2017	1,248
2018	664
2019	526
2020	894
2021	626
2022	430
2023	517
2024	1,015
2025	1,386
2026	201

Download the Data

Data for records on 1997-01-21: 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	765
100 to 200	32
200 to 300	7
300 to 400	8
400 to 500	2
500 to 600	3
600 to 700	2