275,698 weather records were set or tied in 1974, including 72,501 temperature record highs and 77,729 record lows, and 144,617 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
275,698 weather records were set or tied in 1974, including 72,501 record highs and 77,729 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
144,617 of the 275,698 records set in 1974 still stand (52.5%).
January 1974 had the most records: 35,423.
United States had the most records in 1974: 142,497, with 47,471 highs and 51,309 lows.
11,105 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1974, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 1974: 78 named storms worldwide, of which 40 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 9 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 381.6 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 1974
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1974
Record highs
72,501
Record lows
77,729
Still Standing
52.5% of the year's records
Records set in 1974 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
144,617 (52.5%)
Since beaten or tied
131,081 (47.5%)
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 1974 by type
Record daily precipitation
111,592
Record low minimum temperature
39,275
Record high minimum temperature
39,017
Record low maximum temperature
38,454
Record high maximum temperature
33,484
Record daily snowfall
10,322
Record snow depth
3,554
Records set or tied in 1974 by timescale
Daily
266,410
Monthly
8,539
All-time
749
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1974, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1974
Month
Records
Jan
35,423
Feb
15,584
Mar
31,127
Apr
21,420
May
23,227
Jun
21,667
Jul
19,094
Aug
20,408
Sep
26,544
Oct
26,452
Nov
17,041
Dec
17,711
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 1974
Storms in 1974: 78 named storms worldwide, of which 40 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 9 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 381.6 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.