List of weather records
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of record weather events on earth for various categories. Each of these is understood to be the record for recent history, as these records may have been exceeded before modern weather instrumentation was invented.
Contents |
[edit] Heat
[edit] Highest temperature ever recorded
- On earth: 57.8 °C (136 °F); El Azizia, Libya, September 13, 1922.[1]
- In North America: 56.7 °C (134 °F); Death Valley, California, July 10, 1913.[1][2]
- In Asia: 54 °C (129 °F); Tirat Tsvi, Israel, June 21, 1942.[1]
- In Australia: 53 °C (128 °F); Cloncurry, Queensland, January 16, 1889.[1]
- In Europe: 50 °C (122 °F); Seville, Spain, August 4, 1881.[1]
- In South America: 49 °C (120 °F); Rivadavia, Argentina, December 11, 1905.[1]
- In Canada: 45 °C (113 °F); Midale, Saskatchewan, July 5, 1937.[1]
- In Great Britain: 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) Brogdale, Kent, August 10, 2003.[3]
- At the South Pole: −14.0 °C (7.5 °F); December 27, 1978.[1]
[edit] Other warm records
- Fastest temperature rise: 27 °C (49 °F) in just 2 minutes; Rapid City, South Dakota, January 22, 1943.[2]
- Warmest temperature ever recorded during a snowfall: 8.3 °C (47 °F); LaGuardia Airport, New York.[2]
[edit] Cold
[edit] Coldest temperatures ever recorded
- On earth: −89.6 °C (−128.6 °F); Vostok Station, Antarctica, July 31, 1983.[2]
- In Asia: −68 °C (−90 °F); Oimekon, Russia, February 6, 1933.[4]
- In Greenland: −66 °C (−87 °F); Northice, January 9, 1954.[4]
- In North America (excluding Greenland): −63 °C (−81 °F); Snag, Yukon Territory, Canada, February 3, 1947.[2][4]
- In Europe, Ust 'Shchugor, Russia, –67°C
- In the United States: −62 °C (−80 °F); Prospect Creek, Alaska, January 23, 1971.[2]
- In the Continental United States: −56.5 °C (−70 °F); Rogers Pass, Montana, January 20, 1954.[4]
- In South America: −33 °C (−27 °F); Sarmiento, Chubut, Argentina, June 1, 1907.[4]
- In Great Britain: −27.2 °C (−17.0 °F); Braemar, Grampian February 11, 1895 and January 10, 1982.[3]
- In Africa: −24 °C (−11 °F); Ifrane, Morocco, February 11, 1935.[4]
- In Australia: −22 °C (−9 °F); Charlotte Pass, New South Wales, June 29, 1994.[4]
- In Oceania (excluding Australia): −11 °C (12 °F); Mauna Kea, Hawai'i, May 17, 1979.[4]
[edit] Other cold records
- Fastest temperature drop: 26 °C (47 °F) in just 15 minutes; Rapid City, South Dakota, January 10, 1911.[2]
[edit] Precipitation
- Least per year (locale): 0.00 mm (0.00 in/year), none in recorded history; Antofagasta Region, Atacama Desert, Chile.[5]
- Least per year (permanently inhabited continent): 450 mm (17.7 in); Australia.[6]
- Least per year (all continents): 166 mm mm (6.54 in); Antarctica.[7]
[edit] Rain
- Most in one minute: 3.8 cm (1.5 in); Barst, Guadeloupe, November 26, 1970.[2]
- Highest average annual total: 13.3 meters (523.6 in); Lloro, Colombia.[8]
[edit] Snow
- Most in one-year period: 31.1 meters (1224 in); Mount Rainier, United States, February 19, 1971 to February 18, 1972.[2]
- Most in one season (July 1 through June 30): 29.0 meters, (1140 in); Mount Baker, United States, 1998 through 1999. [9]
- Largest snowflake ever observed: 38 centimeters (15 in) in diameter; Fort Keough, Montana, January 28, 1887.[2]
[edit] Tornadoes
- Further information: Tornado records
[edit] Deadliest in history
- On Earth: Approximately 1300 deaths; Manikganj District, Bangladesh on April 26, 1989.[10]
- In North America: 695 deaths (Tri-State Tornado); Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, March 18, 1925.[2]
- In Europe: 600 or more (Grand Harbour Tornado); Valetta, Malta, September 23, 1551 or 1556 (sources conflict)[11]
[edit] Earliest known
[edit] Outbreaks
- Deadliest: 747 were killed by the Tri-State Tornado and associated outbreak on March 18, 1925. While more have been killed by individual tornadoes, there is no evidence that those were part of a larger outbreak.[2]
- Largest and most severe: 148 tornadoes occurred in 16 hours on April 3-4, 1974. They affected 13 US states and Ontario, Canada, and included 24 F4's and 6 F5's, more F5's than have been reported in any other year.[2]
[edit] Tropical cyclones
- Further information: List of notable tropical cyclones
[edit] Most intense (by minimum air pressure)
- Most intense ever recorded: 870 mb (25.63 inHg); eye of Typhoon Tip over the Pacific Ocean, October 12, 1979.[2]
- Most intense in the Western Hemisphere: 882 mb (26.05 inHg); eye of Hurricane Wilma, October 19, 2005.[12]
- Most intense ever recorded on land: 892 mb (26.35 inHg); Craig Key, Florida, eye of the Labor Day Hurricane, September 2, 1935. While other landfalling tropical cyclones have almost certainly had lower pressures, data is spotty from areas other than the Atlantic Basin, especially before the invention of weather satellites.[13]
[edit] Other severe weather
[edit] Hail
- Largest ever measured in the United States: 17.8 cm (7.0 in) diameter, 47.6 cm (18.75 in) circumference; Aurora, Nebraska, June 22, 2003.[14]
[edit] Lightning
- Most strikes per year: More than 70 per km² in parts of Central Africa, especially the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[15]
[edit] Wind speed
- Fastest ever recorded: 484±32 km/h (301±20 mph) 3-second gust; Observed by a DOW (Doppler On Wheels) radar unit in a tornado near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 3, 1999.[16]
- Fastest recorded with an anemometer: 372 km/h (231 mph) sustained 1-minute average; Mount Washington, New Hampshire, April 12, 1934.[8]
- Fastest daily average: 174 km/h (108 mph); Port Martin (Adélie Land), Antarctica.[2]
[edit] Other categories
- Worst airline disaster due to fog: 583 were killed in the Tenerife disaster; Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, March 27, 1977.[17]
- Highest air pressure ever recorded: 1085.6 mb (32.06 in); Tosontsengel, Mongolia, December 19, 2001.[18]
- Lowest average humidity: 0.03%; South Pole region, Antarctica.[19]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001375.html
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Lyons, Walter A (1997). The Handy Weather Answer Book, 2nd Edition, Detroit, Michigan: Visible Ink press. ISBN 0-7876-1034-8.
- ^ a b http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/extremes/index.html
- ^ a b c d e f g h http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001377.html
- ^ http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0308/feature3/
- ^ http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/intro.html
- ^ http://ams.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1175%2F1520-0442%281999%29012%3C0933%3ARONSMB%3E2.0.CO%3B2
- ^ a b http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/101_earth_facts_030722-1.html
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/1999/wsnorcrd.htm
- ^ http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/bangladesh.htm
- ^ a b http://www.torro.org.uk/TORRO/research/whirlextreme.php
- ^ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL252005_Wilma.pdf
- ^ http://extremeweatherguide.com/records.asp
- ^ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0804_030804_largesthailstone.html
- ^ http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/intense_storms.html
- ^ Center for Severe Weather Research (2006). Doppler On Wheels. Retrieved on February 18, 2007.
- ^ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/planecrash/human.html
- ^ http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/extremes/2001/december/extremes1201.html
- ^ http://www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/weather/index.shtml
