Reading direct access binary file format in Python

Background:

A binary file is read on a Linux machine using the following Fortran code:

        parameter(nx=720, ny=360, nday=365)
c 
        dimension tmax(nx,ny,nday),nmax(nx,ny,nday)
        dimension tmin(nx,ny,nday),nmin(nx,ny,nday)
c 
        open(10,
     &file='FILE',
     &access='direct',recl=nx*ny*4)
c
        do k=1,nday
        read(10,rec=(k-1)*4+1)((tmax(i,j,k),i=1,nx),j=1,ny) 
        read(10,rec=(k-1)*4+2)((nmax(i,j,k),i=1,nx),j=1,ny) 
        read(10,rec=(k-1)*4+3)((tmin(i,j,k),i=1,nx),j=1,ny) 
        read(10,rec=(k-1)*4+4)((nmin(i,j,k),i=1,nx),j=1,ny) 
        end do

File Details:

options  little_endian
title global daily analysis (grid box mean, the grid shown is the center of the grid box)
undef -999.0
xdef 720 linear    0.25 0.50
ydef 360  linear -89.75 0.50
zdef 1 linear 1 1
tdef 365 linear 01jan2015 1dy
vars 4
tmax     1  00 daily maximum temperature (C)
nmax     1  00 number of reports for maximum temperature (C)
tmin     1  00 daily minimum temperature (C)
nmin     1  00 number of reports for minimum temperature (C)
ENDVARS

Attempts at a solution:

I am trying to parse this into an array in python using the following code (purposely leaving out two attributes):

with gzip.open("/FILE.gz", "rb") as infile:
     data = numpy.frombuffer(infile.read(), dtype=numpy.dtype('<f4'), count = -1)

while x <= len(data) / 4:
    tmax.append(data[(x-1)*4])
    tmin.append(data[(x-1)*4 + 2])
    x += 1

data_full = zip(tmax, tmin)

When testing some records, the data does not seem to line up with some sample records from the file when using Fortran. I have also tried dtype=numpy.float32 as well with no success. It seems as though I am reading the file in correctly in terms of number of observations though. I was also using struct before I learned the file was created with Fortran. That was not working

There are similar questions out here, some of which have answers that I have tried adapting with no luck.

UPDATE

I am a little bit closer after trying out this code:

#Define numpy variables and empty arrays
nx = 720 #number of lon
ny = 360 #number of lat
nday = 0 #iterate up to 364 (or 365 for leap year)   
tmax = numpy.empty([0], dtype='<f', order='F')
tmin = numpy.empty([0], dtype='<f', order='F')

#Parse the data into numpy arrays, shifting records as the date increments
while nday < 365:
    tmax = numpy.append(tmax, data[(nx*ny)*nday:(nx*ny)*(nday + 1)].reshape((nx,ny), order='F'))
    tmin = numpy.append(tmin, data[(nx*ny)*(nday + 2):(nx*ny)*(nday + 3)].reshape((nx,ny), order='F'))
    nday += 1  

I get the correct data for the first day, but for the second day I get all zeros, the third day the max is lower than the min, and so on.

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