Largest Tropical Cyclone Eye – 56 mi. – Tropical Cyclone Kerry – Feb. 21, 1979

The eye of Tropical Cyclone Kerry grew 56 miles wide as it passed through the Coral Sea off Australia's northeastern coast. This was the first storm observed by advanced hurricane hunter aircraft in the southern hemisphere. The storm followed an erratic path and survived in the region for 27 days.

Longest-Lived Tropical Cyclone – 36 Days – Tropical Cyclone Freddy – Feb.4 - Mar. 10, 2023

Tropical Cyclone Freddy began life in the southeastern Indian Ocean off the western coast of Australia on Feb. 4. The cyclone would travel nearly 8,000 miles across the Indian Ocean, making it the longest-lived tropical cyclone on record and the second-longest cyclone track ever observed.

Heaviest Hailstone – 2.25 lbs. – Gopalganj district, Bangladesh – Apr. 14, 1986

The heaviest hailstone ever reliably observed fell during a powerful springtime supercell thunderstorm southwest of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The hailstone's diameter was not measured. The largest hailstone ever observed, though not recognized by the WMO, measured 8 inches in diameter and 18.625 inches in circumference when it was collected in Vivian, South Dakota, on July 23, 2010.

Deadliest Tornado – ~1,300 deaths – Manikganj district, Bangladesh – April 26, 1989

Bangladesh is prone to supercell thunderstorms similar to those witnessed on the U.S. Great Plains. The country's high population density and widespread poor construction can make tornadoes here a devastating disaster. This tornado reportedly caused F3 damage, grew up to a mile wide, and left 80,000 people homeless. The precise number of fatalities is unknown.

Northern Hemisphere Maximum Temperature – 134°F – Death Valley, California – July 10, 1913

Death Valley owes its searing temperatures to the area's desert landscape and an altitude well below sea level. While this temperature is considered official, ongoing controversy remains over its authenticity.

Northern Hemisphere Minimum Temperature – -93.3°F – Klinck AWS, Greenland – Dec. 22, 1991

This automatic weather station (AWS) resides at an altitude of more than 10,500 feet above sea level in the heart of Greenland.

Southern Hemisphere Maximum Temperature – 123°F – Oodnadatta, Australia – Jan. 2, 1960

Rural locations in Australia are routinely some of the hottest places in the southern hemisphere. A temperature of 123.3°F recorded in Onslow in January 2022 has likely broken this record from 1960, though officials haven't yet made it official.

Southern Hemisphere Minimum Temperature – -128.6°F – Vostok, Antarctica – July 21, 1983

The weather station at Vostok sits at an altitude of 11,200 feet above sea level. This all-time minimum temperature occurred in the heart of winter darkness with calm winds.

Highest 1-Hour Rainfall Total – 12.0 in. – Holt, Missouri – Jun. 22, 1947

High humidity allowed a vigorous, slow-moving thunderstorm to produce an astounding 12 inches of rain over the small town of Holt, Missouri. The WMO notes that an analysis of nearby observations showed similarly extreme totals.

Highest 24-Hour Rainfall Total – 71.8 in. – Foc-Foc, La Réunion – Jan. 7-8, 1966

La Réunion is a small, mountainous island in the southern Indian Ocean. Tropical Cyclone Denise passed over the island in early January 1966. The system's deep tropical rains combined with orographic lift to produce this astonishing rainfall total over the course of 24 hours.

Highest 1-Year Rainfall Total – 1,042 in. – Cherrapunji, India – Aug. 1860-Jul. 1861

Cherrapunji, located in northeastern India, is in an ideal location to receive prolific rains during monsoon season. Humid winds blowing from the Bay of Bengal run up the nearby terrain, wringing out the excess moisture in the form of persistent and torrential downpours.

Longest Dry Period – 172 months – Arica, Chile – Oct. 1903-Jan. 1918

Arica is a port city in northern Chile's Atacama Desert. The city averages less than one-tenth of an inch of rain per year and often goes entire calendar years with no measurable precipitation. The region owes its intense aridity to the stabilizing influence of the cold Pacific Ocean and dry air blowing down the western slopes of the Andes Mountains.