Weather Records on 17 December 2002

858 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 December 2002. Highest significance: Stockton Fire STN 4, US.

Key Facts for 17 December 2002

On 17 December 2002, 858 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
505 were record highs and 141 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 26 monthly and 831 daily.
Stockton Fire STN 4 set a daily record precipitation of 58.4 mm (2.3 in) on 17 December 2002.
Across 160 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 461 records.

Record Map

858 stations

858 station records on 17 December 2002 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 December 2002: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Stockton Fire STN 4	United States	Record daily precipitation	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Abu Hamed	Sudan	Record daily precipitation	70.1 mm (2.8 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Manti	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Bridgeport	United States	Record snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Wuhan	China	Record daily precipitation	34.7 mm (1.4 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Crested Butte	United States	Record daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Mutsu	Japan	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Nemours (Ghazaouet)	Algeria	Record high maximum temperature	26.4 C (79.5 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Elk	United States	Record high minimum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Hemet	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.8 mm (2.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Palomar Mtn Obsy	United States	Record daily precipitation	108.2 mm (4.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Coahuayutla	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	7.8 C (46.0 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Carrizozo 1SW	United States	Record high minimum temperature	6.7 C (44.1 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
New Meadows Rs	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Warrensburg 4NW	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Virginia City	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Tyler Pounds Fld	United States	Record high minimum temperature	16.1 C (61.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Changde	China	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
San Diego Curupatzeo	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	6.7 C (44.1 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Haiwee	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Conception	United States	Record high minimum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Tularosa	United States	Record high minimum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Nephi	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Lawn Hill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Trenton	United States	Record high minimum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Nhill	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	42.2 C (108.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Yosemite Park HQ	United States	Record daily precipitation	71.4 mm (2.8 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Dolores	United States	Record daily snowfall	11.9 cm (4.7 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Gunnison 3SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Mancos 1SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Eldorado Springs	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Salem	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Riito	Mexico	Record high maximum temperature	38.9 C (102.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Quartzsite	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Taylorville 2SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	51.6 mm (2.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Leavenworth	United States	Record high minimum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Wamego 4 W	United States	Record high minimum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Alder 17 S	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.2 cm (4.8 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Parafield Airport	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	44.2 C (111.6 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
San Luis Obispo Poly	United States	Record daily precipitation	74.9 mm (2.9 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Payette	United States	Record high maximum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Tremonton	United States	Record high minimum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Coimbra	Portugal	Record high maximum temperature	20.5 C (68.9 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Fenn Rs	United States	Record high maximum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Orogrande	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Falls City Brenner Fld	United States	Record high minimum temperature	3.3 C (37.9 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Gudermes	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-24.5 C (-12.1 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Redlands	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Weeping Water	United States	Record high minimum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Melrose	United States	Record high minimum temperature	6.7 C (44.1 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Alcove Dam	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Menard	United States	Record high maximum temperature	26.7 C (80.1 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Sonora	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
La Paz (Dge)	Mexico	Record high maximum temperature	32.8 C (91.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Manuel Avila Camacho	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Comanja de Corona	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Fuerteventura/Aeropuerto	Spain	Record daily precipitation	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Salinas Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	60.7 mm (2.4 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Santa Margarita Boost	United States	Record daily precipitation	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Paonia 1SW	United States	Record high minimum temperature	-1.7 C (28.9 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

858 records

Records set or tied on 17 December 2002 by type: Highest daily maximum 230, Lowest daily maximum 34, Highest daily minimum 275, Lowest daily minimum 107, Heaviest daily rainfall 156, Heaviest daily snowfall 48, Deepest snow cover 8.

Records on 17 December 2002 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	230
Lowest daily maximum	34
Highest daily minimum	275
Lowest daily minimum	107
Heaviest daily rainfall	156
Heaviest daily snowfall	48
Deepest snow cover	8

Records on 17 December 2002 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 26, daily 831.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

668 broken records

Margins by which the 668 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 381.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 December 2002

Top 20 records on 17 December 2002 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 December 2002	Stockton Fire STN 4, US	daily rain	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	37.3 mm (1.5 in)	44 years	62 of 100 (Major)
17 December 2002	Abu Hamed, SD	daily rain	70.1 mm (2.8 in)	70.1 mm (2.8 in)	44 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Manti, US	daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	6.3 cm (2.5 in)	93 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Bridgeport, US	daily snow depth	61.0 cm (24.0 in)	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	32 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Wuhan, CN	daily rain	34.7 mm (1.4 in)	20.7 mm (0.8 in)	16 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Crested Butte, US	daily snowfall	30.5 cm (12.0 in)	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	65 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Mutsu, JP	daily rain	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	23.1 mm (0.9 in)	8 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Nemours (Ghazaouet), DZ	daily high max	26.4 C (79.5 F)	1.6 C (2.9 F)	115 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Elk, US	daily high min	3.9 C (39.0 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	103 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Hemet, US	daily rain	49.8 mm (2.0 in)	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	24 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Palomar Mtn Obsy, US	daily rain	108.2 mm (4.3 in)	45.5 mm (1.8 in)	61 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Coahuayutla, MX	daily low min	7.8 C (46.0 F)	6.1 C (11.0 F)	37 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Carrizozo 1SW, US	daily high min	6.7 C (44.1 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	93 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	New Meadows Rs, US	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	9.7 mm (0.38 in)	71 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Warrensburg 4NW, US	daily high min	8.9 C (48.0 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	93 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Virginia City, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	6.3 cm (2.5 in)	56 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Tyler Pounds Fld, US	daily high min	16.1 C (61.0 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	106 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Changde, CN	daily rain	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	19.0 mm (0.7 in)	16 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	San Diego Curupatzeo, MX	daily low min	6.7 C (44.1 F)	3.9 C (7.0 F)	63 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
17 December 2002	Haiwee, US	daily rain	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	24 years	41 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 2002

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 2002. 2002 had 858 records.

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

Records on 12-17 in each year
Year	Records
1793	2
1796	1
1806	2
1808	2
1814	1
1815	1
1839	1
1845	1
1846	4
1847	1
1848	1
1859	3
1866	1
1867	1
1868	1
1869	2
1873	2
1876	3
1877	2
1878	1
1879	2
1881	2
1885	1
1886	1
1888	2
1889	2
1890	4
1892	4
1893	2
1894	4
1895	3
1896	4
1897	4
1898	2
1899	1
1900	6
1901	5
1902	47
1903	2
1904	14
1905	2
1906	17
1907	9
1908	13
1909	5
1910	37
1911	12
1912	15
1913	21
1914	17
1915	31
1916	21
1917	21
1918	21
1919	109
1920	97
1921	94
1922	120
1923	170
1924	505
1925	79
1926	172
1927	143
1928	359
1929	221
1930	362
1931	217
1932	684
1933	710
1934	200
1935	87
1936	504
1937	379
1938	118
1939	1,126
1940	248
1941	261
1942	507
1943	444
1944	189
1945	621
1946	207
1947	258
1948	316
1949	296
1950	294
1951	773
1952	277
1953	283
1954	409
1955	419
1956	448
1957	686
1958	540
1959	548
1960	492
1961	911
1962	676
1963	531
1964	1,239
1965	482
1966	516
1967	1,121
1968	338
1969	238
1970	820
1971	781
1972	601
1973	1,016
1974	390
1975	474
1976	507
1977	1,024
1978	710
1979	951
1980	1,116
1981	1,354
1982	569
1983	1,264
1984	1,618
1985	1,210
1986	743
1987	1,191
1988	481
1989	2,905
1990	866
1991	577
1992	1,461
1993	761
1994	685
1995	956
1996	1,212
1997	1,279
1998	695
1999	901
2000	1,566
2001	1,262
2002	858
2003	751
2004	554
2005	806
2006	1,307
2007	1,100
2008	1,354
2009	926
2010	1,405
2011	430
2012	942
2013	718
2014	370
2015	1,378
2016	1,521
2017	408
2018	498
2019	917
2020	768
2021	908
2022	595
2023	931
2024	560
2025	1,198

Download the Data

Data for records on 2002-12-17: 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 2026-10-16 (16 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	650
50 to 100	14
100 to 150	2
150 to 200	1
200 to 250	0
250 to 300	0
300 to 350	0
350 to 400	1