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Built 2026-10-14 (14 October 2026)

Weather Records in 1938: Year in Review

140,360 weather records were set or tied in 1938, including 56,441 temperature record highs and 23,162 record lows, and 54,909 of them still stand.

Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).

Key Facts

  • 140,360 weather records were set or tied in 1938, including 56,441 record highs and 23,162 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
  • 54,909 of the 140,360 records set in 1938 still stand (39.1%).
  • November 1938 had the most records: 16,368.
  • United States had the most records in 1938: 83,232, with 44,162 highs and 18,221 lows.
  • 4,485 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1938, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.

Highs and Lows

Temperature records set or tied in 1938
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1938
Record highs56,441
Record lows23,162

Still Standing

39.1% of the year's records
Records set in 1938 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand54,909 (39.1%)
Since beaten or tied85,451 (60.9%)

A record stands until a later observation beats or ties it, as of 2026-10-12.

By Type and Timescale

Records set or tied in 1938 by type
Record daily precipitation56,929
Record high minimum temperature29,692
Record high maximum temperature26,749
Record low maximum temperature11,590
Record low minimum temperature11,572
Record daily snowfall2,709
Record snow depth1,119
Records set or tied in 1938 by timescale
Daily134,328
Monthly5,693
All-time339

By Month

Records set or tied in each month of 1938 Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1938, all types together. 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1938, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1938
MonthRecords
Jan9,346
Feb14,091
Mar12,398
Apr12,412
May11,461
Jun10,783
Jul9,782
Aug13,618
Sep10,996
Oct12,146
Nov16,368
Dec6,959

Countries With the Most Records

Countries with the most records set or tied in 1938
CountryRecordsHighsLows
United States83,23244,16218,221
Australia18,0761,316808
India15,29500
Canada6,8253,7831,043
Germany2,8021,235805
South Africa2,69900
Russia2,3081,372284
Sweden1,9511,432100
Norway1,0721554
Netherlands688370190
United Kingdom53040762
Algeria508172276
Ukraine48330861
Kazakhstan29310476
Switzerland291126113

The Top 10 Records of 1938

By significance score
The 10 highest significance records of 1938
DateStationCountryRecordValueSignificance
1938-10-24MutoorooAustraliaAll-time precipitation117.9 mm (4.6 in)79 of 100 (Major)
1938-10-24MulculcaAustraliaAll-time precipitation100.1 mm (3.9 in)77 of 100 (Major)
1938-06-27Wilmington City HallUnited StatesAll-time precipitation183.4 mm (7.2 in)75 of 100 (Major)
1938-07-19MantovaItalyDaily precipitation62.8 mm (2.5 in)75 of 100 (Major)
1938-08-15JenningsUnited StatesAll-time precipitation352.6 mm (13.9 in)75 of 100 (Major)
1938-01-24Morven Post OfficeAustraliaAll-time precipitation221.0 mm (8.7 in)74 of 100 (Major)
1938-02-19William CreekAustraliaAll-time precipitation138.2 mm (5.4 in)74 of 100 (Major)
1938-02-23Low Head (Comparison)AustraliaAll-time precipitation94.0 mm (3.7 in)74 of 100 (Major)
1938-06-22HardoiIndiaAll-time precipitation369.6 mm (14.6 in)73 of 100 (Major)
1938-10-07KalvanIndiaAll-time precipitation254.0 mm (10.0 in)73 of 100 (Major)

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)) Data as of 2026-10-12. Records are computed by this site and are not official. Counts depend on how many stations reported.