206,912 weather records were set or tied in 1961, including 58,285 temperature record highs and 49,327 record lows, and 99,461 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
206,912 weather records were set or tied in 1961, including 58,285 record highs and 49,327 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
99,461 of the 206,912 records set in 1961 still stand (48.1%).
June 1961 had the most records: 19,540.
United States had the most records in 1961: 116,255, with 37,756 highs and 38,824 lows.
9,559 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1961, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 1961: 47 named storms worldwide, of which 31 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 14 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 572.9 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 1961
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1961
Record highs
58,285
Record lows
49,327
Still Standing
48.1% of the year's records
Records set in 1961 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
99,461 (48.1%)
Since beaten or tied
107,451 (51.9%)
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 1961 by type
Record daily precipitation
85,160
Record high minimum temperature
31,691
Record high maximum temperature
26,594
Record low maximum temperature
24,800
Record low minimum temperature
24,527
Record daily snowfall
10,194
Record snow depth
3,946
Records set or tied in 1961 by timescale
Daily
199,270
Monthly
6,860
All-time
782
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1961, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1961
Month
Records
Jan
16,386
Feb
18,817
Mar
15,927
Apr
19,018
May
16,631
Jun
19,540
Jul
14,753
Aug
16,975
Sep
17,583
Oct
17,008
Nov
17,001
Dec
17,273
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 1961
Storms in 1961: 47 named storms worldwide, of which 31 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 14 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 572.9 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.