World Weather Records

Lowest Temperature

A record low temperature of -89.2°C (-128.6°F) was registered at Vostok, Antarctica, on July 21, 1983. That's over 100°C below normal room temperature!

Highest Temperature

The highest temperature recorded in the world is 58.0°C (136.4°F) at Al,Azizyah in Libya on 13 September 1922.

Biggest Temperature Difference In A Day

The biggest temperature variation recorded in one day is 56°C (100°F), in a fall from 7 to -49°C (44 to -56°F) at Browning, Montana, USA on January 23–24, 1916.

Greatest Temperature Range On Earth

The greatest temperature range recorded is around the Siberian “cold pole”, in eastern Russia. Temperatures in Verkhoyansk have spanned 105 deg C (221 deg F): from -68 deg C (-90.4 deg F) to 37 deg C (98 deg F)

Most Sunshine

The annual average at Yuma, Arizona, USA is 91 per cent of the possible hours of sunshine (a mean of 4055 hours out of 4456 possible hours in a year). St Petersburg, in Florida, USA recorded 768 consecutive sunny days from 9 Feb 1967 to 17 Mar 1969.

Country With The Most Tornadoes By Area

The record frequency of tornadoes by area is reported in the United Kingdom, where, in an average year, one tornado is reported per 7,397 km² (2,856 mile²). The equivalent figure for the USA is one tornado per 8,663 km² (3,345 mile²).

Fastest Surface Wind Speed

The fastest surface wind speed at a low altitude was registered on March 8, 1972 at the USAF base at Thule, Greenland, when a peak speed of 333 km/h (207 mph) was recorded.

Windiest Place

The windiest place in the world is Mount Washington, New Hampshire, USA, where a surface speed of 371.75 km/h (231 mph) was recorded on April 12, 1934. At 1,918 m (6,288 ft), Mount Washington is located in the White Mountains, and is the highest point in New Hampshire.

Wettest Place

Based on the average number of rainy days received each year is Mt Wai-'ale-'ale in Hawaii. The summit is 1,569m (5,148ft) above sea level and receives over 350 days of rain each year.Based on the yearly average total is Mawsynram, India, which receives an average of 11,870mm (474.8 inches) of rain each year.

Highest Monthly Rainfall

For a calendar month, the record is 9,300 mm (366 in) at Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India, in July 1861. The 12-month record was also set at Cherrapunji, with 26,461 mm (1,041 in) from August 1, 1860 to July 31, 1861.

Greatest Flood

The largest freshwater flood occurred 18,000 years ago in the Altay Mountains of Siberia, Russia. An ice-dam blocking a lake broke, allowing water to pour out. The lake was estimated to be 120 km (75 miles) long and 760 m (2,500ft) deep.

Most Thunder Days Per Year

In Tororo, Uganda, an average of 251 days of thunder per year was recorded for the 10-year period 1967–76.

Greatest Snowfall For A Snowstorm

The record for a single snowstorm is 480 cm (189 in), at Mount Shasta Ski Bowl, California, USA, between February 13 and 19, 1959.

Greatest Snowfall In 12 months

Over a 12-month period, 31,102 mm (1,224 in) of snow fell at Paradise, Mt Rainier, Washington, USA, from February 19, 1971 to February18, 1972.

Heaviest Hailstones

The heaviest hailstones on record, weighing up to 1 kg (2.2 lb.), are reported to have killed 92 people in the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, on April 14, 1986. The Eighties hailstorm wasn't the first time citizens of the Indian subcontinent have been struck by such freak weather conditions - hailstones thought to be the size of baseballs killed scores of people and 1,600 cattle in 1888, in the Moradabad and Beheri districts of India

Many thanks to Guinness World Records for supplying this data