338,010 weather records were set or tied in 1979, including 85,166 temperature record highs and 96,739 record lows, and 180,750 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
338,010 weather records were set or tied in 1979, including 85,166 record highs and 96,739 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
180,750 of the 338,010 records set in 1979 still stand (53.5%).
January 1979 had the most records: 49,687.
United States had the most records in 1979: 188,972, with 44,558 highs and 58,628 lows.
11,058 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1979, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 1979: 64 named storms worldwide, of which 35 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 17 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 508.8 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 1979
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1979
Record highs
85,166
Record lows
96,739
Still Standing
53.5% of the year's records
Records set in 1979 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
180,750 (53.5%)
Since beaten or tied
157,260 (46.5%)
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 1979 by type
Record daily precipitation
109,177
Record low maximum temperature
49,631
Record high minimum temperature
47,205
Record low minimum temperature
47,108
Record high maximum temperature
37,961
Record snow depth
31,350
Record daily snowfall
15,578
Records set or tied in 1979 by timescale
Daily
321,351
Monthly
13,966
All-time
2,693
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1979, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1979
Month
Records
Jan
49,687
Feb
43,516
Mar
24,136
Apr
21,999
May
28,624
Jun
22,909
Jul
23,003
Aug
26,105
Sep
21,499
Oct
28,312
Nov
23,986
Dec
24,234
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 1979
Storms in 1979: 64 named storms worldwide, of which 35 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 17 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 508.8 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.