308,439 weather records were set or tied in 1978, including 70,338 temperature record highs and 85,897 record lows, and 156,782 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
308,439 weather records were set or tied in 1978, including 70,338 record highs and 85,897 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
156,782 of the 308,439 records set in 1978 still stand (50.8%).
February 1978 had the most records: 34,062.
United States had the most records in 1978: 166,242, with 40,231 highs and 48,349 lows.
11,125 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1978, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 1978: 88 named storms worldwide, of which 44 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 15 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 623.4 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 1978
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1978
Record highs
70,338
Record lows
85,897
Still Standing
50.8% of the year's records
Records set in 1978 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
156,782 (50.8%)
Since beaten or tied
151,657 (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 1978 by type
Record daily precipitation
110,502
Record low maximum temperature
45,783
Record low minimum temperature
40,114
Record high minimum temperature
39,198
Record high maximum temperature
31,140
Record snow depth
26,083
Record daily snowfall
15,619
Records set or tied in 1978 by timescale
Daily
293,090
Monthly
13,146
All-time
2,203
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1978, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1978
Month
Records
Jan
29,682
Feb
34,062
Mar
28,605
Apr
19,830
May
26,354
Jun
20,142
Jul
25,099
Aug
23,138
Sep
23,826
Oct
16,628
Nov
28,839
Dec
32,234
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 1978
Storms in 1978: 88 named storms worldwide, of which 44 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 15 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 623.4 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.