Weather Records on 21 December 1998

1,142 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 December 1998. Highest significance: Black Rock, US.

Key Facts for 21 December 1998

On 21 December 1998, 1,142 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
513 were record highs and 252 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 4 were all-time records, 28 monthly and 1,110 daily.
Black Rock set a monthly record daily precipitation of 38.1 mm (1.5 in) on 21 December 1998.
Across 158 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 485 records.

Record Map

1,142 stations

1,142 station records on 21 December 1998 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 December 1998: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Black Rock	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
Delta	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Gibb River	Australia	Record daily precipitation	119.0 mm (4.7 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Urbana Wrf	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Sturt Creek	Australia	Record daily precipitation	66.4 mm (2.6 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Roseburg Rgnl AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Kanosh	United States	Record daily precipitation	28.7 mm (1.1 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Ruby Plains	Australia	Record daily precipitation	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Mounefontein	Australia	Record daily precipitation	110.2 mm (4.3 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Belah Park	Australia	Record daily precipitation	75.6 mm (3.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Boonville 1S	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.8 mm (2.1 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Gove 4W	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Slippery Rock 1 SSW	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Wondai Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	76.6 mm (3.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Woodlea	Australia	Record daily precipitation	104.0 mm (4.1 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Bedford 4 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
John Glenn Intl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
The Glen	Australia	Record daily precipitation	84.4 mm (3.3 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Darby	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-23.3 C (-9.9 F)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Paisley	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-26.7 C (-16.1 F)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Bailey	United States	Record daily snowfall	26.7 cm (10.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Akron Canton AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Riverton	Australia	Record daily precipitation	67.8 mm (2.7 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Tara Shire Council	Australia	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Westfields	Australia	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Dorchester	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Bluff Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	59.8 mm (2.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Meeker	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-14.4 C (6.1 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Margaret River Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Lovelock	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-25.6 C (-14.1 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Round Grove	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-34.4 C (-29.9 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Stevens Pt	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Jubilee Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	82.0 mm (3.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Joseph	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-20.0 C (-4.0 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Youngstown-Warren Rgnl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Fossil Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Canning Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	68.8 mm (2.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Talmoi	Australia	Record daily precipitation	85.0 mm (3.3 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Aneth Plt	United States	Record high maximum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Camel Creek Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	74.2 mm (2.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Warragai	Australia	Record daily precipitation	111.0 mm (4.4 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Enisejsk	Russia	Record high minimum temperature	-3.9 C (25.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Newark Liberty Intl AP	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Kuyura	Australia	Record daily precipitation	52.6 mm (2.1 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Tatarsk	Russia	Record high minimum temperature	-2.5 C (27.5 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Paradise Valley 1 NW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-8.9 C (16.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Deseret	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Delta	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-26.1 C (-15.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Leroy 5 WSW	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Norwood	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Silverton	United States	Record daily snowfall	26.9 cm (10.6 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Federal Pt	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.1 C (70.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Douglas 1 SE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-33.9 C (-29.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Roseburg Rgnl AP	United States	Record low maximum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Zanesville Muni AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Broadmere	Australia	Record daily precipitation	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Cimarron	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Kassler	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Longmont 2 ESE	United States	Record daily snowfall	11.4 cm (4.5 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Lake Alfred Exp STN	United States	Record high minimum temperature	22.8 C (73.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,142 records

Records set or tied on 21 December 1998 by type: Highest daily maximum 263, Lowest daily maximum 131, Highest daily minimum 250, Lowest daily minimum 121, Heaviest daily rainfall 241, Heaviest daily snowfall 86, Deepest snow cover 50.

Records on 21 December 1998 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	263
Lowest daily maximum	131
Highest daily minimum	250
Lowest daily minimum	121
Heaviest daily rainfall	241
Heaviest daily snowfall	86
Deepest snow cover	50

Records on 21 December 1998 by timescale: all-time 4, monthly 28, daily 1,110.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

870 broken records

Margins by which the 870 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 191.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 December 1998

Top 20 records on 21 December 1998 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 December 1998	Black Rock, US	monthly rain	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	16.0 mm (0.6 in)	32 years	68 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1998	Delta, US	daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	10.1 cm (4.0 in)	88 years	67 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1998	Gibb River, AU	daily rain	119.0 mm (4.7 in)	74.5 mm (2.9 in)	51 years	62 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1998	Urbana Wrf, US	daily rain	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	18.6 mm (0.7 in)	92 years	61 of 100 (Major)
21 December 1998	Sturt Creek, AU	daily rain	66.4 mm (2.6 in)	43.3 mm (1.7 in)	76 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Roseburg Rgnl AP, US	daily low min	-12.8 C (9.0 F)	11.1 C (20.0 F)	63 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Kanosh, US	daily rain	28.7 mm (1.1 in)	13.5 mm (0.5 in)	81 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Ruby Plains, AU	daily rain	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	50.1 mm (2.0 in)	61 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Mounefontein, AU	daily rain	110.2 mm (4.3 in)	82.0 mm (3.2 in)	23 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Belah Park, AU	daily rain	75.6 mm (3.0 in)	34.7 mm (1.4 in)	72 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Boonville 1S, US	daily rain	53.8 mm (2.1 in)	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	48 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Gove 4W, US	daily snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	80 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Slippery Rock 1 SSW, US	daily rain	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	26.5 mm (1.0 in)	24 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Wondai Post Office, AU	daily rain	76.6 mm (3.0 in)	33.4 mm (1.3 in)	71 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Woodlea, AU	daily rain	104.0 mm (4.1 in)	52.9 mm (2.1 in)	28 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Bedford 4 SW, US	daily rain	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	36 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	John Glenn Intl AP, US	monthly rain	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	20.8 mm (0.8 in)	20 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	The Glen, AU	daily rain	84.4 mm (3.3 in)	56.4 mm (2.2 in)	23 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Darby, US	daily low max	-23.3 C (-9.9 F)	13.9 C (25.0 F)	55 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 1998	Paisley, US	daily low min	-26.7 C (-16.1 F)	8.9 C (16.0 F)	84 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 1998

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1998. 1998 had 1,142 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 1998-12-21: 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 25	769
25 to 50	61
50 to 75	22
75 to 100	10
100 to 125	5
125 to 150	0
150 to 175	2
175 to 200	1