353,266 weather records were set or tied in 1988, including 141,762 temperature record highs and 81,033 record lows, and 184,039 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
353,266 weather records were set or tied in 1988, including 141,762 record highs and 81,033 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
184,039 of the 353,266 records set in 1988 still stand (52.1%).
June 1988 had the most records: 36,471.
United States had the most records in 1988: 178,390, with 78,904 highs and 46,673 lows.
9,809 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1988, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 1988: 69 named storms worldwide, of which 37 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 18 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 490.2 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 1988
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1988
Record highs
141,762
Record lows
81,033
Still Standing
52.1% of the year's records
Records set in 1988 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
184,039 (52.1%)
Since beaten or tied
169,227 (47.9%)
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 1988 by type
Record daily precipitation
107,365
Record high maximum temperature
71,657
Record high minimum temperature
70,105
Record low minimum temperature
41,950
Record low maximum temperature
39,083
Record daily snowfall
11,618
Record snow depth
11,488
Records set or tied in 1988 by timescale
Daily
336,618
Monthly
14,423
All-time
2,225
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1988, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1988
Month
Records
Jan
34,938
Feb
27,061
Mar
29,247
Apr
30,648
May
25,267
Jun
36,471
Jul
34,373
Aug
32,772
Sep
25,723
Oct
25,138
Nov
25,918
Dec
25,710
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 1988
Storms in 1988: 69 named storms worldwide, of which 37 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 18 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 490.2 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.