269,597 weather records were set or tied in 1972, including 69,669 temperature record highs and 91,465 record lows, and 135,759 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
269,597 weather records were set or tied in 1972, including 69,669 record highs and 91,465 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
135,759 of the 269,597 records set in 1972 still stand (50.4%).
December 1972 had the most records: 32,403.
United States had the most records in 1972: 159,316, with 46,390 highs and 63,202 lows.
11,053 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1972, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 1972: 71 named storms worldwide, of which 45 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 19 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 625.8 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 1972
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1972
Record highs
69,669
Record lows
91,465
Still Standing
50.4% of the year's records
Records set in 1972 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
135,759 (50.4%)
Since beaten or tied
133,838 (49.6%)
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 1972 by type
Record daily precipitation
90,569
Record low maximum temperature
48,396
Record low minimum temperature
43,069
Record high minimum temperature
36,444
Record high maximum temperature
33,225
Record daily snowfall
13,288
Record snow depth
4,606
Records set or tied in 1972 by timescale
Daily
258,891
Monthly
9,629
All-time
1,077
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1972, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1972
Month
Records
Jan
24,838
Feb
20,114
Mar
26,206
Apr
22,587
May
16,639
Jun
21,731
Jul
24,150
Aug
21,651
Sep
17,341
Oct
23,173
Nov
18,764
Dec
32,403
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 1972
Storms in 1972: 71 named storms worldwide, of which 45 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 19 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 625.8 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.