280,445 weather records were set or tied in 2016, including 153,046 temperature record highs and 35,803 record lows, and 194,019 of them still stand.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-12).
Key Facts
280,445 weather records were set or tied in 2016, including 153,046 record highs and 35,803 record lows of maximum and minimum temperature.
194,019 of the 280,445 records set in 2016 still stand (69.2%).
February 2016 had the most records: 29,130.
United States had the most records in 2016: 142,740, with 80,352 highs and 17,674 lows.
7,854 stations had a full year of temperature data in 2016, so counts differ between years partly because the number of reporting stations does.
Storms in 2016: 82 named storms worldwide, of which 47 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 25 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 685.3 ACE.
Highs and Lows
Temperature records set or tied in 2016
Record highs and record lows set or tied in 2016
Record highs
153,046
Record lows
35,803
Still Standing
69.2% of the year's records
Records set in 2016 that still stand or have since been beaten
Still stand
194,019 (69.2%)
Since beaten or tied
86,426 (30.8%)
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 2016 by type
Record high minimum temperature
83,599
Record daily precipitation
80,205
Record high maximum temperature
69,447
Record low maximum temperature
19,827
Record low minimum temperature
15,976
Record daily snowfall
6,263
Record snow depth
5,128
Records set or tied in 2016 by timescale
Daily
269,003
Monthly
10,514
All-time
928
By Month
Weather records set or tied in each calendar month of 2016, all types together.
Records set or tied in each month of 2016
Month
Records
Jan
21,970
Feb
29,130
Mar
24,042
Apr
22,028
May
19,440
Jun
23,615
Jul
21,543
Aug
23,893
Sep
24,790
Oct
22,815
Nov
23,898
Dec
23,281
Countries With the Most Records
Countries with the most records set or tied in 2016
Storms in 2016: 82 named storms worldwide, of which 47 reached hurricane strength (64 kt or more) and 25 were major (96 kt or more), with a combined 685.3 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.