Weather Records on 21 December 2002

579 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 December 2002. Highest significance: Mtwara, TZ.

Key Facts for 21 December 2002

On 21 December 2002, 579 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
180 were record highs and 157 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 4 were all-time records, 11 monthly and 564 daily.
Mtwara set an all-time record daily precipitation of 482.1 mm (19.0 in) on 21 December 2002.
Across 158 earlier years (1793 to 2025) the same calendar date averaged 489 records.

Record Map

579 stations

579 station records on 21 December 2002 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 December 2002: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Mtwara	Tanzania	Record daily precipitation	482.1 mm (19.0 in)	71 of 100 (Major)
Millinocket	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.8 mm (2.0 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Glenbrook	United States	Record snow depth	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Eastbourne	United Kingdom	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Kyoto	Japan	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Jersey: Airport	United Kingdom	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Guernsey: Airport	United Kingdom	Record daily precipitation	36.7 mm (1.4 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Kofu	Japan	Record daily precipitation	37.1 mm (1.5 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Ueno	Japan	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Takamatsu	Japan	Record daily precipitation	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Himeji	Japan	Record daily precipitation	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Jomo Kenyatta Intl	Kenya	Record daily precipitation	79.0 mm (3.1 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Okayama	Japan	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Woodland	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Tsuyama	Japan	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Nara	Japan	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Coahuayutla	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Hetch Hetchy	United States	Record snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Brest-Guipavas	France	Record daily precipitation	61.2 mm (2.4 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Shimonoseki	Japan	Record daily precipitation	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Hikone	Japan	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Presque Isle	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Gifu	Japan	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Nagoya	Japan	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Taung	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	56.9 mm (2.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Mount Kingsley	Australia	Record daily precipitation	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Kobe	Japan	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Fukuyama	Japan	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
San Diego Curupatzeo	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Tokushima	Japan	Record daily precipitation	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Asuncion Nochixtlan	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	-4.4 C (24.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Grizzly	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Maizuru Reg Met HQ	Japan	Record daily precipitation	37.1 mm (1.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Kawaguchiko	Japan	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Sumoto	Japan	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Jonesboro	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Riito	Mexico	Record high maximum temperature	31.7 C (89.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Mornington Island	Australia	Record daily precipitation	67.0 mm (2.6 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Iida	Japan	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Hachijojima	Japan	Record daily precipitation	74.2 mm (2.9 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Swanage	United Kingdom	Record daily precipitation	33.9 mm (1.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
W Thompson Lake	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.4 mm (1.7 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Hastings	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Pahrump 4 NW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Beulah 1 W	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Bridgewater	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Tsu	Japan	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Grizzly	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Brassua Dam	United States	Record high minimum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Northbridge 2	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Rouen - Boos	France	Record daily precipitation	25.8 mm (1.0 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Oita	Japan	Record daily precipitation	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Finca Ocotlan	Mexico	Record high maximum temperature	40.0 C (104.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
East London	South Africa	Record low minimum temperature	11.9 C (53.4 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Khlong Yai	Thailand	Record daily precipitation	40.4 mm (1.6 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Machias	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Franklin	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Irako	Japan	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Kagoshima	Japan	Record high minimum temperature	13.4 C (56.1 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Norwich Public Utility Plt	United States	Record daily precipitation	61.2 mm (2.4 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

579 records

Records set or tied on 21 December 2002 by type: Highest daily maximum 88, Lowest daily maximum 51, Highest daily minimum 92, Lowest daily minimum 106, Heaviest daily rainfall 216, Heaviest daily snowfall 17, Deepest snow cover 9.

Records on 21 December 2002 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	88
Lowest daily maximum	51
Highest daily minimum	92
Lowest daily minimum	106
Heaviest daily rainfall	216
Heaviest daily snowfall	17
Deepest snow cover	9

Records on 21 December 2002 by timescale: all-time 4, monthly 11, daily 564.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

480 broken records

Margins by which the 480 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 330.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 December 2002

Top 20 records on 21 December 2002 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 December 2002	Mtwara, TZ	all-time rain	482.1 mm (19.0 in)	249.4 mm (9.8 in)	24 years	71 of 100 (Major)
21 December 2002	Millinocket, US	daily rain	49.8 mm (2.0 in)	18.0 mm (0.7 in)	99 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Glenbrook, US	daily snow depth	63.5 cm (25.0 in)	33.0 cm (13.0 in)	88 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Eastbourne, GB	daily rain	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	13.0 mm (0.5 in)	75 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Kyoto, JP	daily rain	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	23 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Jersey: Airport, GB	daily rain	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	23.1 mm (0.9 in)	32 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Guernsey: Airport, GB	daily rain	36.7 mm (1.4 in)	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	24 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Kofu, JP	daily rain	37.1 mm (1.5 in)	32.6 mm (1.3 in)	23 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Ueno, JP	daily rain	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	23 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Takamatsu, JP	daily rain	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	19.4 mm (0.8 in)	23 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Himeji, JP	daily rain	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	23 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Jomo Kenyatta Intl, KE	daily rain	79.0 mm (3.1 in)	51.5 mm (2.0 in)	11 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Okayama, JP	daily rain	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	22.0 mm (0.9 in)	23 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Woodland, US	daily rain	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	56 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Tsuyama, JP	daily rain	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	20.0 mm (0.8 in)	23 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Nara, JP	daily rain	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	22.5 mm (0.9 in)	23 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Coahuayutla, MX	daily low min	8.9 C (48.0 F)	6.1 C (11.0 F)	37 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Hetch Hetchy, US	daily snow depth	38.1 cm (15.0 in)	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	88 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Brest-Guipavas, FR	all-time rain	61.2 mm (2.4 in)	4.5 mm (0.18 in)	43 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
21 December 2002	Shimonoseki, JP	daily rain	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	15.8 mm (0.6 in)	43 years	42 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 579 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 2002-12-21: 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 50	468
50 to 100	6
100 to 150	4
150 to 200	0
200 to 250	1
250 to 300	0
300 to 350	1