336,306 weather records were set or tied in 1986, including 120,248 temperature record highs and 90,761 record lows, and 174,779 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
336,306 weather records were set or tied in 1986, including 120,248 record highs and 90,761 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
174,779 of the 336,306 records set in 1986 still stand (52.0%).
February 1986 had the most records: 35,989.
United States had the most records in 1986: 181,873, with 76,448 highs and 46,896 lows.
9,715 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1986, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 1986: 79 named storms worldwide, of which 48 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 16 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 590.7 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 1986
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1986
Record highs
120,248
Record lows
90,761
Still Standing
52.0% of the year's records
Records set in 1986 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
174,779 (52.0%)
Since beaten or tied
161,527 (48.0%)
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 1986 by type
Record daily precipitation
106,721
Record high minimum temperature
62,213
Record high maximum temperature
58,035
Record low maximum temperature
47,394
Record low minimum temperature
43,367
Record daily snowfall
9,498
Record snow depth
9,078
Records set or tied in 1986 by timescale
Daily
320,430
Monthly
14,901
All-time
975
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1986, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1986
Month
Records
Jan
24,514
Feb
35,989
Mar
30,148
Apr
28,719
May
26,442
Jun
23,707
Jul
29,118
Aug
28,669
Sep
31,184
Oct
25,044
Nov
33,003
Dec
19,769
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 1986
Storms in 1986: 79 named storms worldwide, of which 48 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 16 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 590.7 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.