335,948 weather records were set or tied in 1981, including 122,573 temperature record highs and 77,070 record lows, and 176,551 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
335,948 weather records were set or tied in 1981, including 122,573 record highs and 77,070 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
176,551 of the 335,948 records set in 1981 still stand (52.6%).
February 1981 had the most records: 35,763.
United States had the most records in 1981: 154,563, with 67,125 highs and 37,582 lows.
11,304 stations had a full year of temperature data in 1981, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 1981: 82 named storms worldwide, of which 44 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 18 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 534.1 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 1981
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 1981
Record highs
122,573
Record lows
77,070
Still Standing
52.6% of the year's records
Records set in 1981 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
176,551 (52.6%)
Since beaten or tied
159,397 (47.4%)
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 1981 by type
Record daily precipitation
117,571
Record high minimum temperature
67,221
Record high maximum temperature
55,352
Record low maximum temperature
40,010
Record low minimum temperature
37,060
Record snow depth
9,513
Record daily snowfall
9,221
Records set or tied in 1981 by timescale
Daily
322,007
Monthly
12,692
All-time
1,249
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 1981, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 1981
Month
Records
Jan
29,277
Feb
35,763
Mar
26,726
Apr
27,252
May
28,312
Jun
30,607
Jul
28,736
Aug
25,065
Sep
21,552
Oct
27,379
Nov
24,670
Dec
30,609
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 1981
Storms in 1981: 82 named storms worldwide, of which 44 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 18 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 534.1 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.