190,466 weather records were set or tied in 1959, including 53,386 temperature record highs and 47,051 record lows, and 93,080 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
190,466 weather records were set or tied in 1959, including 53,386 record highs and 47,051 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
93,080 of the 190,466 records set in 1959 still stand (48.9%).
November 1959 had the most records: 21,032.
United States had the most records in 1959: 108,339, with 38,591 highs and 35,453 lows.
8,745 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1959, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 1959: 35 named storms worldwide, of which 24 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 17 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 489.6 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 1959
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1959
Record highs
53,386
Record lows
47,051
Still Standing
48.9% of the year's records
Records set in 1959 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
93,080 (48.9%)
Since beaten or tied
97,386 (51.1%)
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 1959 by type
Record daily precipitation
78,622
Record high minimum temperature
30,338
Record low maximum temperature
24,537
Record high maximum temperature
23,048
Record low minimum temperature
22,514
Record daily snowfall
8,895
Record snow depth
2,512
Records set or tied in 1959 by timescale
Daily
184,518
Monthly
5,491
All-time
457
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1959, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1959
Month
Records
Jan
16,529
Feb
12,522
Mar
11,567
Apr
15,928
May
16,493
Jun
13,973
Jul
14,318
Aug
15,194
Sep
19,004
Oct
20,752
Nov
21,032
Dec
13,154
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 1959
Storms in 1959: 35 named storms worldwide, of which 24 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 17 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 489.6 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.