Weather Records on 17 August 1979

1,464 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 August 1979. Highest significance: Bendigo Prison, AU.

Key Facts for 17 August 1979

On 17 August 1979, 1,464 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
95 were record highs and 972 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 21 monthly and 1,443 daily.
Bendigo Prison set a daily record precipitation of 31.8 mm (1.3 in) on 17 August 1979.
Across 162 earlier years (1797 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 468 records.

Record Map

1,464 stations

1,464 station records on 17 August 1979 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 August 1979: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Bendigo Prison	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Campbells Forest (Yarraberb)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.6 mm (1.0 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Vik I Sogn III	Norway	Record daily precipitation	45.3 mm (1.8 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Jonkersdam	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Kwa-Mbonambi (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	198.0 mm (7.8 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Palermo	Italy	Record daily precipitation	29.3 mm (1.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
White Sands Natl Mon	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Chicago Midway AP 3SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Ladybrand (Skl)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
W Chester 2 NW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Old Cunyu	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Salisbury	United States	Record low minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Heathcote	Australia	Record daily precipitation	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Marilia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Jersey City	United States	Record low minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Chatham	United States	Record low minimum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Canton 4 SE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	1.1 C (34.0 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Breakell	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Santuck	United States	Record low minimum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Bernalillo	United States	Record low maximum temperature	25.0 C (77.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Hillsboro	United States	Record low maximum temperature	24.4 C (75.9 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Conway	United States	Record low minimum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Lebanon	United States	Record low minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Burkes Garden	United States	Record low minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Vlamingh Head	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Capel	Australia	Record daily precipitation	42.0 mm (1.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Rocco	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Hillsboro	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Summerville 4W	United States	Record low maximum temperature	23.3 C (73.9 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Dickson	United States	Record low minimum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Bathurst Gaol	Australia	Record low minimum temperature	-4.5 C (23.9 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Rock Rapids	United States	Record daily precipitation	51.8 mm (2.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Charlotte Court House	United States	Record low minimum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Biskra	Algeria	Record low maximum temperature	34.0 C (93.2 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Oriente	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Manchester 4 W	United States	Record low minimum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Denton 2 E	United States	Record low minimum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Long Branch-Oakhurst	United States	Record low minimum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Middletown 2 NW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	7.8 C (46.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Lexington	United States	Record low minimum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Fredericksburg Np	United States	Record low minimum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Lexington Bluegrass AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Abbotsford A	Canada	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Millington 1 SE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Raywood	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Cambridge Galt Moe	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	6.0 C (42.8 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Richmond	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Jhb-Joubert Park	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Middlesboro Fire Dept	United States	Record low minimum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Somerville 4 NW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Albemarle	United States	Record low minimum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Banner Elk	United States	Record low minimum temperature	4.4 C (39.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Franklin	United States	Record low minimum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Monroe 2 SE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Rogersville 1 NE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Stockton	United States	Record daily precipitation	28.7 mm (1.1 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Dale Enterprise	United States	Record low minimum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Knowsley Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Warren 2 ENE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	27.2 C (81.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Maysville Wwtp	United States	Record low minimum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,464 records

Records set or tied on 17 August 1979 by type: Highest daily maximum 46, Lowest daily maximum 368, Highest daily minimum 49, Lowest daily minimum 604, Heaviest daily rainfall 396, Heaviest daily snowfall 1.

Records on 17 August 1979 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	46
Lowest daily maximum	368
Highest daily minimum	49
Lowest daily minimum	604
Heaviest daily rainfall	396
Heaviest daily snowfall	1
Deepest snow cover	0

Records on 17 August 1979 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 21, daily 1,443.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,191 broken records

Margins by which the 1,191 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 63.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 August 1979

Top 20 records on 17 August 1979 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 August 1979	Bendigo Prison, AU	daily rain	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	14.0 mm (0.6 in)	97 years	64 of 100 (Major)
17 August 1979	Campbells Forest (Yarraberb), AU	daily rain	26.6 mm (1.0 in)	18.5 mm (0.7 in)	88 years	63 of 100 (Major)
17 August 1979	Vik I Sogn III, NO	daily rain	45.3 mm (1.8 in)	21.8 mm (0.9 in)	61 years	63 of 100 (Major)
17 August 1979	Jonkersdam, ZA	monthly rain	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	23.7 mm (0.9 in)	56 years	60 of 100 (Major)
17 August 1979	Kwa-Mbonambi (Bos), ZA	monthly rain	198.0 mm (7.8 in)	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	13 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Palermo, IT	daily rain	29.3 mm (1.2 in)	16.8 mm (0.7 in)	116 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	White Sands Natl Mon, US	daily rain	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	24.1 mm (0.9 in)	28 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Chicago Midway AP 3SW, US	daily rain	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	32 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Ladybrand (Skl), ZA	daily rain	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	24.7 mm (1.0 in)	44 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	W Chester 2 NW, US	daily low min	6.1 C (43.0 F)	5.0 C (9.0 F)	76 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Old Cunyu, AU	daily rain	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	0 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Salisbury, US	daily low min	10.0 C (50.0 F)	5.6 C (10.1 F)	53 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Heathcote, AU	daily rain	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	15.2 mm (0.6 in)	41 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Marilia, BR	daily rain	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	27.6 mm (1.1 in)	37 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Jersey City, US	daily low min	10.0 C (50.0 F)	5.0 C (9.0 F)	69 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Chatham, US	daily low min	6.1 C (43.0 F)	7.2 C (13.0 F)	53 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Canton 4 SE, US	daily low min	1.1 C (34.0 F)	5.0 C (9.0 F)	84 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Breakell, AU	daily rain	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	10.8 mm (0.4 in)	46 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Santuck, US	daily low min	11.7 C (53.1 F)	3.9 C (7.0 F)	65 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
17 August 1979	Bernalillo, US	daily low max	25.0 C (77.0 F)	3.3 C (5.9 F)	78 years	42 of 100 (Notable)

Significance is a score from 0 to 100 combining margin, the age of the old record and the length of the station's record. How it is computed.

The Same Date in Other Years

1797 to 1979

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1797 to 1979. 1979 had 1,464 records.

Counts for years before the ledger starts come from the same station rules.

Records on 08-17 in each year
Year	Records
1797	2
1802	2
1820	2
1837	1
1838	2
1841	2
1842	1
1845	2
1853	1
1854	1
1856	1
1857	1
1861	3
1862	1
1867	1
1868	3
1869	1
1872	1
1875	2
1876	5
1879	1
1881	1
1882	1
1883	2
1885	3
1886	1
1888	5
1891	1
1892	3
1893	2
1894	3
1895	2
1896	3
1897	1
1898	5
1899	8
1900	3
1901	14
1902	7
1903	6
1904	2
1905	11
1906	28
1907	9
1908	26
1909	24
1910	17
1911	18
1912	31
1913	79
1914	41
1915	28
1916	33
1917	35
1918	112
1919	37
1920	110
1921	37
1922	169
1923	161
1924	171
1925	130
1926	182
1927	228
1928	131
1929	243
1930	138
1931	302
1932	360
1933	260
1934	377
1935	437
1936	670
1937	726
1938	466
1939	364
1940	341
1941	378
1942	461
1943	743
1944	531
1945	387
1946	433
1947	682
1948	475
1949	371
1950	522
1951	413
1952	470
1953	345
1954	685
1955	465
1956	407
1957	504
1958	519
1959	543
1960	533
1961	998
1962	445
1963	650
1964	410
1965	641
1966	496
1967	679
1968	953
1969	593
1970	467
1971	447
1972	1,044
1973	750
1974	582
1975	612
1976	797
1977	1,216
1978	814
1979	1,464
1980	895
1981	1,112
1982	554
1983	1,574
1984	726
1985	948
1986	916
1987	1,150
1988	1,608
1989	687
1990	949
1991	560
1992	1,813
1993	803
1994	1,038
1995	1,724
1996	752
1997	1,544
1998	1,003
1999	697
2000	994
2001	1,101
2002	1,266
2003	948
2004	1,046
2005	722
2006	814
2007	1,646
2008	1,301
2009	922
2010	1,105
2011	956
2012	1,215
2013	802
2014	997
2015	890
2016	748
2017	544
2018	518
2019	467
2020	1,529
2021	800
2022	1,428
2023	1,032
2024	740
2025	538
2026	535

Download the Data

Data for records on 1979-08-17: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.

Sources: 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)) Made with Natural Earth. Public domain map data. Borders are Natural Earth's de facto depiction. Data as of 2026-10-17 (17 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2026-10-16. Last revised 16 October 2026 (2026-10-16).

Margin	Records
0 to 10	1,089
10 to 20	78
20 to 30	20
30 to 40	2
40 to 50	1
50 to 60	0
60 to 70	1