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Built 2026-10-19 (19 October 2026)

Weather Records in 1974: Year in Review

275,698 weather records were set or tied in 1974, including 72,501 temperature record highs and 77,729 record lows, and 144,617 of them still stand.

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

Key Facts

  • 275,698 weather records were set or tied in 1974, including 72,501 record highs and 77,729 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
  • 144,617 of the 275,698 records set in 1974 still stand (52.5%).
  • January 1974 had the most records: 35,423.
  • United States had the most records in 1974: 142,497, with 47,471 highs and 51,309 lows.
  • 11,105 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1974, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
  • Storms in 1974: 78 named storms worldwide, of which 40 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 9 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 381.6 ACE.

Highs and Lows

Temperature records set or tied in 1974
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1974
Record highs72,501
Record lows77,729

Still Standing

52.5% of the year's records
Records set in 1974 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand144,617 (52.5%)
Since beaten or tied131,081 (47.5%)

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 1974 by type
Record daily precipitation111,592
Record low minimum temperature39,275
Record high minimum temperature39,017
Record low maximum temperature38,454
Record high maximum temperature33,484
Record daily snowfall10,322
Record snow depth3,554
Records set or tied in 1974 by timescale
Daily266,410
Monthly8,539
All-time749

By Month

Records set or tied in each month of 1974 Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1974, all types together. 0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1974, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1974
MonthRecords
Jan35,423
Feb15,584
Mar31,127
Apr21,420
May23,227
Jun21,667
Jul19,094
Aug20,408
Sep26,544
Oct26,452
Nov17,041
Dec17,711

Countries With the Most Records

Countries with the most records set or tied in 1974
CountryRecordsHighsLows
United States142,49747,47151,309
Australia37,1147841,007
Canada20,5555,4247,984
Russia17,7886,2415,061
Mexico12,6503,9846,242
Brazil11,32300
South Africa9,59900
Germany7,0412,9261,410
Sweden2,4041,285443
Kazakhstan1,594502285
Spain1,378393683
Norway1,214414112
Ukraine883246110
Puerto Rico [United States]858175516
France852277341

The Top 10 Records of 1974

By significance score
The 10 highest significance records of 1974
DateStationCountryRecordValueSignificance
1974-01-08Boggabri (Ghoolendaadi)AustraliaAll-time precipitation245.0 mm (9.6 in)100 of 100 (Exceptional)
1974-01-27IpswichAustraliaAll-time precipitation340.0 mm (13.4 in)96 of 100 (Exceptional)
1974-01-08Mungindi Post OfficeAustraliaAll-time precipitation208.0 mm (8.2 in)93 of 100 (Exceptional)
1974-12-29Donors Hill StationAustraliaAll-time precipitation322.0 mm (12.7 in)91 of 100 (Exceptional)
1974-11-26Wentworth Post OfficeAustraliaMonthly precipitation98.0 mm (3.9 in)89 of 100 (Exceptional)
1974-12-02Pontiac WwtpUnited StatesAll-time snowfall45.7 cm (18.0 in)88 of 100 (Exceptional)
1974-01-10Tibooburra Post OfficeAustraliaAll-time precipitation178.2 mm (7.0 in)87 of 100 (Exceptional)
1974-01-26Cape Moreton LighthouseAustraliaAll-time precipitation339.9 mm (13.4 in)87 of 100 (Exceptional)
1974-03-11Lower BuccaAustraliaAll-time precipitation388.2 mm (15.3 in)87 of 100 (Exceptional)
1974-03-11South Solitary IslandAustraliaAll-time precipitation345.7 mm (13.6 in)87 of 100 (Exceptional)

Storms

Storms in 1974: 78 named storms worldwide, of which 40 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 9 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 381.6 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.