Built 2026-10-15 (15 October 2026)

Weather Records in 1973: Year in Review

265,155 weather records were set or tied in 1973, including 72,514 temperature record highs and 60,168 record lows, and 134,614 of them still stand.

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

Key Facts

  • 265,155 weather records were set or tied in 1973, including 72,514 record highs and 60,168 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
  • 134,614 of the 265,155 records set in 1973 still stand (50.8%).
  • November 1973 had the most records: 27,604.
  • United States had the most records in 1973: 134,517, with 44,655 highs and 36,015 lows.
  • 10,907 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1973, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
  • Storms in 1973: 62 named storms worldwide, of which 34 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 8 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 352.0 ACE.

Highs and Lows

Temperature records set or tied in 1973
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1973
Record highs72,514
Record lows60,168

Still Standing

50.8% of the year's records
Records set in 1973 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand134,614 (50.8%)
Since beaten or tied130,541 (49.2%)

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 1973 by type
Record daily precipitation115,651
Record high minimum temperature42,410
Record low maximum temperature30,991
Record high maximum temperature30,104
Record low minimum temperature29,177
Record daily snowfall11,668
Record snow depth5,154
Records set or tied in 1973 by timescale
Daily255,717
Monthly8,612
All-time826

By Month

Records set or tied in each month of 1973 Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1973, all types together. 0 7,500 15,000 22,500 30,000 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1973, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1973
MonthRecords
Jan23,866
Feb18,820
Mar24,194
Apr24,660
May18,532
Jun18,674
Jul22,323
Aug20,597
Sep21,379
Oct20,080
Nov27,604
Dec24,426

Countries With the Most Records

Countries with the most records set or tied in 1973
CountryRecordsHighsLows
United States134,51744,65536,015
Australia38,3781,708612
Canada19,6568,5955,032
Russia17,8466,2934,852
Mexico13,1014,7246,001
Brazil10,47600
South Africa7,01300
Germany5,6611,2151,768
Sweden3,2581,2331,514
Norway1,988287458
Kazakhstan1,841345333
Spain1,131318581
Ukraine1,092152233
Estonia781247297
France645198222

The Top 10 Records of 1973

By significance score
The 10 highest significance records of 1973
DateStationCountryRecordValueSignificance
1973-02-06Scotsburn (Mount Boninyong)AustraliaAll-time precipitation149.9 mm (5.9 in)97 of 100 (Exceptional)
1973-02-10Highland HomeUnited StatesAll-time snowfall40.1 cm (15.8 in)89 of 100 (Exceptional)
1973-02-10Summerville 4WUnited StatesAll-time snowfall38.1 cm (15.0 in)89 of 100 (Exceptional)
1973-10-11Jefferson 3SEUnited StatesAll-time precipitation254.0 mm (10.0 in)87 of 100 (Exceptional)
1973-11-05Moruya Heads Pilot StationAustraliaMonthly precipitation143.0 mm (5.6 in)86 of 100 (Exceptional)
1973-11-25Bond Springs HomesteadAustraliaAll-time precipitation134.6 mm (5.3 in)86 of 100 (Exceptional)
1973-02-06ShelfordAustraliaAll-time precipitation117.9 mm (4.6 in)85 of 100 (Exceptional)
1973-06-12AlvinUnited StatesAll-time precipitation320.0 mm (12.6 in)85 of 100 (Exceptional)
1973-02-10HawkinsvilleUnited StatesAll-time snowfall35.6 cm (14.0 in)84 of 100 (Exceptional)
1973-02-10Yemassee 1 NUnited StatesAll-time snowfall30.5 cm (12.0 in)84 of 100 (Exceptional)

Storms

Storms in 1973: 62 named storms worldwide, of which 34 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 8 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 352.0 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.