188,618 weather records were set or tied in 1953, including 74,095 temperature record highs and 36,139 record lows, and 86,489 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
188,618 weather records were set or tied in 1953, including 74,095 record highs and 36,139 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
86,489 of the 188,618 records set in 1953 still stand (45.9%).
May 1953 had the most records: 20,193.
United States had the most records in 1953: 112,714, with 57,507 highs and 28,156 lows.
7,585 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1953, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 1953: 25 named storms worldwide, of which 24 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 17 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 437.6 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 1953
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1953
Record highs
74,095
Record lows
36,139
Still Standing
45.9% of the year's records
Records set in 1953 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
86,489 (45.9%)
Since beaten or tied
102,129 (54.1%)
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 1953 by type
Record daily precipitation
70,737
Record high maximum temperature
39,218
Record high minimum temperature
34,877
Record low minimum temperature
20,019
Record low maximum temperature
16,120
Record daily snowfall
6,115
Record snow depth
1,532
Records set or tied in 1953 by timescale
Daily
181,481
Monthly
6,697
All-time
440
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1953, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1953
Month
Records
Jan
18,012
Feb
13,205
Mar
12,381
Apr
16,548
May
20,193
Jun
16,066
Jul
14,577
Aug
16,967
Sep
16,346
Oct
15,726
Nov
16,694
Dec
11,903
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 1953
Storms in 1953: 25 named storms worldwide, of which 24 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 17 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 437.6 ACE.
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)) Source: International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) v04r01, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, doi:10.25921/82ty-9e16. Some agency values come from third parties such as JMA, IMD and BoM. (NOAA NCEI terms (citation requested)) Data as of 2026-10-12. Records are computed by this site and are not official. Counts depend on how many stations reported.