Weather Records in 2021: Year in Review
289,991 weather records were set or tied in 2021, including 148,855 temperature record highs and 59,607 record lows, and 217,389 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
- 289,991 weather records were set or tied in 2021, including 148,855 record highs and 59,607 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
- 217,389 of the 289,991 records set in 2021 still stand (75.0%).
- June 2021 had the most records: 37,049.
- United States had the most records in 2021: 174,859, with 91,580 highs and 41,614 lows.
- 6,943 stations had a full year of temperature data in 2021, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
- 193 extreme weather events were detected in 2021.
- Storms in 2021: 88 named storms worldwide, of which 39 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 17 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 586.1 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 2021| Record highs | |
|---|---|
| Record lows |
Still Standing
75.0% of the year's records| Still stand | |
|---|---|
| Since beaten or tied |
A record stands until a later observation beats or ties it, as of 2026-10-12.
By Type and Timescale
| Record high minimum temperature | |
|---|---|
| Record high maximum temperature | |
| Record daily precipitation | |
| Record low maximum temperature | |
| Record low minimum temperature | |
| Record snow depth | |
| Record daily snowfall |
| Daily | |
|---|---|
| Monthly | |
| All-time |
By Month
| Month | Records |
|---|---|
| Jan | 18,221 |
| Feb | 34,610 |
| Mar | 20,882 |
| Apr | 23,998 |
| May | 19,352 |
| Jun | 37,049 |
| Jul | 24,738 |
| Aug | 22,792 |
| Sep | 19,177 |
| Oct | 22,272 |
| Nov | 16,536 |
| Dec | 30,364 |
Countries With the Most Records
| Country | Records | Highs | Lows |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 174,859 | 91,580 | 41,614 |
| Australia | 25,292 | 4,502 | 3,623 |
| Russia | 13,255 | 6,891 | 2,847 |
| Germany | 9,368 | 5,335 | 1,296 |
| China | 6,858 | 4,611 | 908 |
| Sweden | 6,061 | 2,326 | 580 |
| Japan | 3,867 | 2,215 | 561 |
| Finland | 3,468 | 2,009 | 436 |
| Spain | 2,924 | 1,787 | 572 |
| Netherlands | 2,866 | 543 | 204 |
| Norway | 2,811 | 1,262 | 276 |
| United Kingdom | 2,251 | 1,377 | 371 |
| India | 2,064 | 1,071 | 428 |
| France | 1,821 | 1,138 | 300 |
| Kazakhstan | 1,517 | 1,134 | 379 |
The Top 10 Records of 2021
By significance score| Date | Station | Country | Record | Value | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-06-25 | Marshall | United States | All-time precipitation | 247.7 mm (9.8 in) | 100 of 100 (Exceptional) |
| 2021-10-24 | Saint Helena | United States | All-time precipitation | 252.2 mm (9.9 in) | 100 of 100 (Exceptional) |
| 2021-07-14 | Koln-Bonn | Germany | All-time precipitation | 106.9 mm (4.2 in) | 94 of 100 (Exceptional) |
| 2021-07-14 | Weilerswist-Lommersum | Germany | All-time precipitation | 113.9 mm (4.5 in) | 91 of 100 (Exceptional) |
| 2021-08-18 | Suhana | Russia | All-time precipitation | 99.1 mm (3.9 in) | 91 of 100 (Exceptional) |
| 2021-10-19 | Mukteshwar Kumaon | India | All-time precipitation | 341.1 mm (13.4 in) | 91 of 100 (Exceptional) |
| 2021-01-11 | Odessa | United States | Monthly precipitation | 50.8 mm (2.0 in) | 90 of 100 (Exceptional) |
| 2021-02-19 | Langtry | United States | All-time snowfall | 34.3 cm (13.5 in) | 90 of 100 (Exceptional) |
| 2021-05-28 | Purnea | India | Monthly precipitation | 213.1 mm (8.4 in) | 90 of 100 (Exceptional) |
| 2021-05-28 | Malda | India | All-time precipitation | 309.1 mm (12.2 in) | 90 of 100 (Exceptional) |
Events
193 detectedStorms
Storms in 2021: 88 named storms worldwide, of which 39 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 17 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 586.1 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.