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Data as of 2026-10-12
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Built 2026-10-14 (14 October 2026)

Weather Records in 2020: Year in Review

302,861 weather records were set or tied in 2020, including 161,117 temperature record highs and 60,167 record lows, and 219,332 of them still stand.

Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).

Key Facts

  • 302,861 weather records were set or tied in 2020, including 161,117 record highs and 60,167 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
  • 219,332 of the 302,861 records set in 2020 still stand (72.4%).
  • October 2020 had the most records: 36,846.
  • United States had the most records in 2020: 178,016, with 89,873 highs and 46,021 lows.
  • 7,085 stations had a full year of temperature data in 2020, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
  • 176 extreme weather events were detected in 2020.
  • Storms in 2020: 98 named storms worldwide, of which 47 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 23 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 511.5 ACE.

Highs and Lows

Temperature records set or tied in 2020
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 2020
Record highs161,117
Record lows60,167

Still Standing

72.4% of the year's records
Records set in 2020 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand219,332 (72.4%)
Since beaten or tied83,529 (27.6%)

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 2020 by type
Record high minimum temperature82,159
Record high maximum temperature78,958
Record daily precipitation66,246
Record low maximum temperature31,385
Record low minimum temperature28,782
Record daily snowfall7,832
Record snow depth7,499
Records set or tied in 2020 by timescale
Daily287,123
Monthly14,738
All-time1,000

By Month

Records set or tied in each month of 2020 Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 2020, all types together. 0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 2020, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 2020
MonthRecords
Jan22,109
Feb28,416
Mar22,686
Apr24,574
May23,727
Jun22,721
Jul17,996
Aug28,452
Sep27,927
Oct36,846
Nov30,264
Dec17,143

Countries With the Most Records

Countries with the most records set or tied in 2020
CountryRecordsHighsLows
United States178,01689,87346,021
Australia25,9206,3542,911
Russia14,1229,5341,223
Germany9,9236,6221,076
Sweden8,0744,836444
China6,0033,772907
Finland4,7243,373122
Norway4,6381,995384
Japan3,9572,842320
Spain3,4542,497387
Netherlands2,939740105
France2,4441,804200
United Kingdom2,4401,543247
India2,2361,222481
Thailand1,8861,537132

The Top 10 Records of 2020

By significance score
The 10 highest significance records of 2020
DateStationCountryRecordValueSignificance
2020-02-13Canton 4NUnited StatesAll-time precipitation269.0 mm (10.6 in)100 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-12-17RenovoUnited StatesAll-time snowfall71.1 cm (28.0 in)100 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-07-28Novy-PortRussiaAll-time precipitation99.6 mm (3.9 in)91 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-11-07SaragtTurkmenistanAll-time precipitation101.1 mm (4.0 in)91 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-02-09JonkopingSwedenMonthly precipitation32.4 mm (1.3 in)90 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-02-25KhorogTajikistanMonthly precipitation99.3 mm (3.9 in)90 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-03-08New Delhi/SafdarjunIndiaMonthly precipitation99.1 mm (3.9 in)90 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-10-14Begumpet ObsyIndiaMonthly precipitation192.0 mm (7.6 in)90 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-01-10CarnegieAustraliaAll-time precipitation270.0 mm (10.6 in)89 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-09-19Brighton DownsAustraliaMonthly precipitation57.4 mm (2.3 in)88 of 100 (Exceptional)

Events

176 detected

Storms

Storms in 2020: 98 named storms worldwide, of which 47 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 23 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 511.5 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.