428,049 weather records were set or tied in 1997, including 160,096 temperature record highs and 118,205 record lows, and 242,116 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
428,049 weather records were set or tied in 1997, including 160,096 record highs and 118,205 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
242,116 of the 428,049 records set in 1997 still stand (56.6%).
April 1997 had the most records: 46,711.
United States had the most records in 1997: 185,677, with 58,058 highs and 57,220 lows.
10,567 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1997, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 1997: 86 named storms worldwide, of which 55 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 28 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 779.6 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 1997
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1997
Record highs
160,096
Record lows
118,205
Still Standing
56.6% of the year's records
Records set in 1997 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
242,116 (56.6%)
Since beaten or tied
185,933 (43.4%)
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 1997 by type
Record daily precipitation
116,401
Record high minimum temperature
85,009
Record high maximum temperature
75,087
Record low maximum temperature
61,049
Record low minimum temperature
57,156
Record snow depth
19,238
Record daily snowfall
14,109
Records set or tied in 1997 by timescale
Daily
406,141
Monthly
19,782
All-time
2,126
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1997, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1997
Month
Records
Jan
45,372
Feb
30,238
Mar
36,476
Apr
46,711
May
34,249
Jun
30,295
Jul
28,477
Aug
37,497
Sep
30,519
Oct
45,259
Nov
30,939
Dec
32,017
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 1997
Storms in 1997: 86 named storms worldwide, of which 55 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 28 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 779.6 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.