Weather Records on 15 March 1997

1,500 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 15 March 1997. Highest significance: Watersmeet, US.

Key Facts for 15 March 1997

On 15 March 1997, 1,500 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
378 were record highs and 702 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 4 were all-time records, 28 monthly and 1,468 daily.
Watersmeet set a daily record snowfall of 30.2 cm (11.9 in) on 15 March 1997.
Across 161 earlier years (1810 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 480 records.

Record Map

1,500 stations

1,500 station records on 15 March 1997 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 15 March 1997: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Watersmeet	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.2 cm (11.9 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Hatteras	United States	Record daily precipitation	137.2 mm (5.4 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Watersmeet	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Everglades	United States	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
San Felipe Usila	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	94.0 mm (3.7 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Mc Intosh 6 SE	United States	Record snow depth	96.5 cm (38.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Tamiami Trail 40 Mi Bend	United States	Record daily precipitation	52.6 mm (2.1 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Columbia 8 N	United States	Record snow depth	109.2 cm (43.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Columbus	United States	Record daily precipitation	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Hood Rvr Exp STN	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Alpena Wwtp	United States	Record snow depth	137.2 cm (54.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Santa Rosa	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	72.9 mm (2.9 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Rothsay	United States	Record snow depth	101.6 cm (40.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Potomac	United States	Record snow depth	86.4 cm (34.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Hood Rvr Exp STN	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Blaine	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Kalkaska	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Glenoma	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Langdon Exp Farm	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-16.7 C (1.9 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Fullerton 1 ESE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-27.2 C (-17.0 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Emmetsburg	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Watertown	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Marathon	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.2 C (54.0 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Krakmo	Norway	Record snow depth	138.0 cm (54.3 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Clarks Siding	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	42.6 mm (1.7 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Coldwater St School	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Pipestone	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-11.7 C (10.9 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Fargo Hector Intl AP	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Fargo Hector Intl AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-27.8 C (-18.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Fargo Hector Intl AP	United States	Record snow depth	71.1 cm (28.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Priest Rvr Exp STN	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Colgate	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Ellendale	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-23.3 C (-9.9 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Colville	United States	Record low maximum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
West Bend	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-5.6 C (21.9 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Burarama (Dnos)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	89.8 mm (3.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Porthill	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-1.7 C (28.9 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Priest Rvr Exp STN	United States	Record daily snowfall	11.2 cm (4.4 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Libby 1 NE Rs	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Missoula 2 NE	United States	Record snow depth	35.6 cm (14.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Webster	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Oak City	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Centralia	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Ellensburg	United States	Record low maximum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Waterville	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Old Faithful	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-26.7 C (-16.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Pembina	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-14.4 C (6.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Bayview Model Basin	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-16.1 C (3.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Bonners Ferry	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Saint Maries	United States	Record snow depth	55.9 cm (22.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Heron 2 NW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Wahpeton 3 N	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-13.3 C (8.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Castlewood	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-15.0 C (5.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Pollock	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-28.3 C (-18.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Blaine	United States	Record low maximum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Kewaunee	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Saint Maries	United States	Record low maximum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Seeley Lake Rs	United States	Record snow depth	127.0 cm (50.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Lisbon	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-24.4 C (-11.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Litchville 2NW	United States	Record snow depth	76.2 cm (30.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,500 records

Records set or tied on 15 March 1997 by type: Highest daily maximum 152, Lowest daily maximum 458, Highest daily minimum 226, Lowest daily minimum 244, Heaviest daily rainfall 198, Heaviest daily snowfall 100, Deepest snow cover 122.

Records on 15 March 1997 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	152
Lowest daily maximum	458
Highest daily minimum	226
Lowest daily minimum	244
Heaviest daily rainfall	198
Heaviest daily snowfall	100
Deepest snow cover	122

Records on 15 March 1997 by timescale: all-time 4, monthly 28, daily 1,468.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,204 broken records

Margins by which the 1,204 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 940.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

15 March 1997

Top 20 records on 15 March 1997 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
15 March 1997	Watersmeet, US	daily snowfall	30.2 cm (11.9 in)	18.8 cm (7.4 in)	84 years	67 of 100 (Major)
15 March 1997	Hatteras, US	monthly rain	137.2 mm (5.4 in)	64.8 mm (2.6 in)	24 years	67 of 100 (Major)
15 March 1997	Watersmeet, US	daily rain	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	18.1 mm (0.7 in)	84 years	63 of 100 (Major)
15 March 1997	Everglades, US	daily rain	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	57.4 mm (2.3 in)	44 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	San Felipe Usila, MX	daily rain	94.0 mm (3.7 in)	87.6 mm (3.4 in)	43 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Mc Intosh 6 SE, US	daily snow depth	96.5 cm (38.0 in)	35.5 cm (14.0 in)	80 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Tamiami Trail 40 Mi Bend, US	daily rain	52.6 mm (2.1 in)	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	55 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Columbia 8 N, US	daily snow depth	109.2 cm (43.0 in)	66.0 cm (26.0 in)	28 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Columbus, US	daily rain	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	22.8 mm (0.9 in)	92 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Hood Rvr Exp STN, US	daily snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	99 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Alpena Wwtp, US	daily snow depth	137.2 cm (54.0 in)	94.0 cm (37.0 in)	19 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Santa Rosa, MX	daily rain	72.9 mm (2.9 in)	68.3 mm (2.7 in)	23 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Rothsay, US	daily snow depth	101.6 cm (40.0 in)	50.8 cm (20.0 in)	28 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Potomac, US	daily snow depth	86.4 cm (34.0 in)	58.5 cm (23.0 in)	18 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Hood Rvr Exp STN, US	daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	3.8 cm (1.5 in)	102 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Blaine, US	daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	101 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Kalkaska, US	daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	11.2 cm (4.4 in)	58 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Glenoma, US	daily rain	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	23 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Langdon Exp Farm, US	daily low max	-16.7 C (1.9 F)	5.6 C (10.1 F)	91 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
15 March 1997	Fullerton 1 ESE, US	daily low min	-27.2 C (-17.0 F)	3.9 C (7.0 F)	96 years	44 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

1810 to 1997

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1810 to 1997. 1997 had 1,500 records.

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

Records on 03-15 in each year
Year	Records
1810	1
1813	1
1825	1
1826	1
1828	1
1835	1
1836	2
1839	1
1840	1
1845	3
1846	1
1850	1
1852	2
1854	1
1859	3
1863	1
1867	1
1869	1
1878	1
1882	3
1883	1
1884	3
1886	1
1887	1
1888	3
1889	3
1890	3
1891	5
1892	6
1893	5
1894	1
1895	4
1896	5
1898	3
1899	5
1900	12
1901	11
1902	14
1903	9
1904	6
1905	14
1906	36
1907	16
1908	43
1909	13
1910	23
1911	27
1912	51
1913	79
1914	32
1915	11
1916	34
1917	36
1918	81
1919	40
1920	43
1921	140
1922	39
1923	134
1924	145
1925	72
1926	169
1927	332
1928	193
1929	267
1930	240
1931	122
1932	610
1933	167
1934	298
1935	617
1936	298
1937	711
1938	505
1939	336
1940	340
1941	259
1942	399
1943	639
1944	622
1945	895
1946	915
1947	374
1948	198
1949	409
1950	249
1951	334
1952	358
1953	298
1954	340
1955	419
1956	534
1957	485
1958	431
1959	348
1960	972
1961	430
1962	585
1963	297
1964	411
1965	174
1966	893
1967	831
1968	545
1969	933
1970	541
1971	772
1972	814
1973	1,074
1974	439
1975	713
1976	220
1977	787
1978	566
1979	997
1980	503
1981	799
1982	997
1983	844
1984	638
1985	519
1986	771
1987	687
1988	1,599
1989	1,221
1990	2,255
1991	852
1992	1,131
1993	3,353
1994	1,405
1995	1,372
1996	706
1997	1,500
1998	847
1999	1,269
2000	458
2001	930
2002	1,317
2003	1,157
2004	1,046
2005	1,099
2006	688
2007	1,420
2008	903
2009	744
2010	675
2011	730
2012	2,297
2013	1,486
2014	397
2015	1,573
2016	948
2017	1,497
2018	538
2019	861
2020	1,128
2021	916
2022	491
2023	768
2024	1,401
2025	1,162
2026	877

Download the Data

Data for records on 1997-03-15: 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 200	1,186
200 to 400	12
400 to 600	4
600 to 800	1
800 to 1000	1