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Built 2026-10-14 (14 October 2026)

Weather Records in 1940: Year in Review

165,591 weather records were set or tied in 1940, including 43,777 temperature record highs and 50,760 record lows, and 69,104 of them still stand.

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

Key Facts

  • 165,591 weather records were set or tied in 1940, including 43,777 record highs and 50,760 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
  • 69,104 of the 165,591 records set in 1940 still stand (41.7%).
  • January 1940 had the most records: 19,536.
  • United States had the most records in 1940: 105,261, with 35,889 highs and 41,874 lows.
  • 4,791 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1940, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.

Highs and Lows

Temperature records set or tied in 1940
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1940
Record highs43,777
Record lows50,760

Still Standing

41.7% of the year's records
Records set in 1940 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand69,104 (41.7%)
Since beaten or tied96,487 (58.3%)

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 1940 by type
Record daily precipitation63,046
Record low minimum temperature26,282
Record high minimum temperature24,538
Record low maximum temperature24,478
Record high maximum temperature19,239
Record daily snowfall4,585
Record snow depth3,423
Records set or tied in 1940 by timescale
Daily159,751
Monthly5,152
All-time688

By Month

Records set or tied in each month of 1940 Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1940, all types together. 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1940, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1940
MonthRecords
Jan19,536
Feb11,651
Mar15,740
Apr15,170
May10,851
Jun11,233
Jul14,057
Aug13,629
Sep13,048
Oct11,583
Nov14,606
Dec14,487

Countries With the Most Records

Countries with the most records set or tied in 1940
CountryRecordsHighsLows
United States105,26135,88941,874
Australia18,2191,326980
India17,15600
Canada7,9923,3792,023
Germany3,6562871,788
South Africa3,09700
Russia2,332866711
Sweden1,231240672
Norway7283048
Puerto Rico [United States]57939681
Netherlands50156282
United Kingdom495145249
Ukraine39295162
Hungary37557254
Kazakhstan37013382

The Top 10 Records of 1940

By significance score
The 10 highest significance records of 1940
DateStationCountryRecordValueSignificance
1940-02-16BredasdorpSouth AfricaAll-time precipitation171.2 mm (6.7 in)83 of 100 (Exceptional)
1940-05-31Munchen-NymphenburgGermanyAll-time precipitation155.2 mm (6.1 in)78 of 100 (Major)
1940-08-15ClarksvilleUnited StatesAll-time precipitation210.1 mm (8.3 in)78 of 100 (Major)
1940-08-13Louisville 1 EUnited StatesAll-time precipitation347.5 mm (13.7 in)77 of 100 (Major)
1940-06-04NorfolkUnited StatesAll-time precipitation197.6 mm (7.8 in)73 of 100 (Major)
1940-05-16PalermoItalyDaily precipitation59.1 mm (2.3 in)72 of 100 (Major)
1940-07-01BalasoreIndiaAll-time precipitation347.2 mm (13.7 in)72 of 100 (Major)
1940-08-30MarshallUnited StatesAll-time precipitation153.7 mm (6.1 in)72 of 100 (Major)
1940-11-04Jena SternwarteGermanyDaily precipitation36.9 mm (1.5 in)72 of 100 (Major)
1940-04-04St Joseph 3 NUnited StatesAll-time precipitation250.2 mm (9.9 in)71 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.