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Built 2026-10-19 (19 October 2026)

Weather Records in 1953: Year in Review

188,618 weather records were set or tied in 1953, including 74,095 temperature record highs and 36,139 record lows, and 86,489 of them still stand.

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

Key Facts

  • 188,618 weather records were set or tied in 1953, including 74,095 record highs and 36,139 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
  • 86,489 of the 188,618 records set in 1953 still stand (45.9%).
  • May 1953 had the most records: 20,193.
  • United States had the most records in 1953: 112,714, with 57,507 highs and 28,156 lows.
  • 7,585 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1953, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
  • Storms in 1953: 25 named storms worldwide, of which 24 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 17 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 437.6 ACE.

Highs and Lows

Temperature records set or tied in 1953
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1953
Record highs74,095
Record lows36,139

Still Standing

45.9% of the year's records
Records set in 1953 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand86,489 (45.9%)
Since beaten or tied102,129 (54.1%)

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 1953 by type
Record daily precipitation70,737
Record high maximum temperature39,218
Record high minimum temperature34,877
Record low minimum temperature20,019
Record low maximum temperature16,120
Record daily snowfall6,115
Record snow depth1,532
Records set or tied in 1953 by timescale
Daily181,481
Monthly6,697
All-time440

By Month

Records set or tied in each month of 1953 Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1953, all types together. 0 6,250 12,500 18,750 25,000 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1953, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1953
MonthRecords
Jan18,012
Feb13,205
Mar12,381
Apr16,548
May20,193
Jun16,066
Jul14,577
Aug16,967
Sep16,346
Oct15,726
Nov16,694
Dec11,903

Countries With the Most Records

Countries with the most records set or tied in 1953
CountryRecordsHighsLows
United States112,71457,50728,156
Australia25,504720913
Canada17,3708,7823,303
India10,78000
South Africa5,30800
Russia3,6691,551972
Germany2,3241,214332
Sweden1,375795161
Brazil1,27100
Norway1,15926059
Mexico1,086438520
Kazakhstan640252215
United Kingdom59943383
Spain445162175
Puerto Rico [United States]33218983

The Top 10 Records of 1953

By significance score
The 10 highest significance records of 1953
DateStationCountryRecordValueSignificance
1953-04-02Ladybrand (Bos)South AfricaAll-time precipitation219.7 mm (8.6 in)80 of 100 (Exceptional)
1953-01-23KotarhIndiaAll-time precipitation177.8 mm (7.0 in)78 of 100 (Major)
1953-03-22YanreyAustraliaAll-time precipitation254.0 mm (10.0 in)78 of 100 (Major)
1953-04-09FarmingtonUnited StatesAll-time snowfall66.0 cm (26.0 in)77 of 100 (Major)
1953-02-15Cordova APUnited StatesAll-time snowfall101.6 cm (40.0 in)76 of 100 (Major)
1953-05-02Richmond - Uws HawkesburyAustraliaMonthly precipitation179.6 mm (7.1 in)76 of 100 (Major)
1953-08-20Allahabad ChailkIndiaAll-time precipitation326.9 mm (12.9 in)75 of 100 (Major)
1953-10-21Morwell (Mail Centre)AustraliaMonthly precipitation85.3 mm (3.4 in)75 of 100 (Major)
1953-10-21Poowong (Post Office)AustraliaMonthly precipitation88.9 mm (3.5 in)75 of 100 (Major)
1953-11-07Lock HavenUnited StatesAll-time snowfall63.5 cm (25.0 in)75 of 100 (Major)

Storms

Storms in 1953: 25 named storms worldwide, of which 24 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 17 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 437.6 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.