Greatest temperature range in a day
Who
Loma, Montana: 14-15 Jan 1972
What
57.2 degree(s) Celsius
Where
United States (Loma)
When

The greatest temperature variation in a single location in a 24-hour period is 57.2°C (103°F), recorded in Loma, Montana, USA, on 14-15 January 1972. Over the course of a day, the town experienced a rise from -47.7°C (-54°F) at 9 a.m. on 14 Jan to 9.4°C (49°F) by 8 a.m. on 15 Jan.


The extreme plunge in temperature in Loma was caused by a downslope chinook wind event.

The previous one-day greatest temperature range (and still holding the record for greatest fall in temperature) also took place in Montana: the town of Browning experienced a drop of 56°C (100°F), from 7°C (44°F) to -49°C (-56°F) on 23-24 Jan 1916.

This new record was ratified by the National Climate Extremes Committee, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on 13 September 2002.