389,874 weather records were set or tied in 2003, including 192,833 temperature record highs and 87,492 record lows, and 222,296 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
389,874 weather records were set or tied in 2003, including 192,833 record highs and 87,492 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
222,296 of the 389,874 records set in 2003 still stand (57.0%).
August 2003 had the most records: 39,425.
United States had the most records in 2003: 167,645, with 77,934 highs and 37,456 lows.
10,490 stations had a full year of temperature data in 2003, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 2003: 83 named storms worldwide, of which 49 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 22 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 656.8 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 2003
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 2003
Record highs
192,833
Record lows
87,492
Still Standing
57.0% of the year's records
Records set in 2003 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
222,296 (57.0%)
Since beaten or tied
167,578 (43.0%)
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 2003 by type
Record high maximum temperature
97,361
Record high minimum temperature
95,472
Record daily precipitation
89,793
Record low maximum temperature
46,481
Record low minimum temperature
41,011
Record daily snowfall
11,109
Record snow depth
8,647
Records set or tied in 2003 by timescale
Daily
371,010
Monthly
16,747
All-time
2,117
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 2003, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 2003
Month
Records
Jan
29,826
Feb
29,306
Mar
31,249
Apr
33,915
May
35,201
Jun
29,349
Jul
34,726
Aug
39,425
Sep
28,101
Oct
39,006
Nov
32,729
Dec
27,041
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 2003
Storms in 2003: 83 named storms worldwide, of which 49 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 22 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 656.8 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.