Cold outbreak in United Kingdom and 11 other countries, 19 to 28 May 2021

Name: Cold outbreak in United Kingdom and 11 other countries, 19 to 28 May 2021
Start: 2021-05-19
End: 2021-05-28
Location: United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Slovenia, Netherlands, Austria, France, Ireland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Italy

Cold outbreak in United Kingdom and 11 other countries, 19 to 28 May 2021: 100 records at 84 stations, peak on 26 May 2021. Closed.

Data as of 2026-10-17. Last revised 17 October 2026 (2026-10-17).

Key Facts

Cold outbreak in United Kingdom and 11 other countries, 19 to 28 May 2021 set or tied 100 station records at 84 stations.
It ran from 19 May 2021 to 28 May 2021 (10 days) and its peak day was 26 May 2021.
Status: closed.
Wien set a daily record low minimum temperature of 4.7 C (40.5 F) on 26 May 2021.
The busiest day was 26 May 2021 with 21 records.
The oldest broken record in the ranked list had stood for 143 years.

Footprint

19 to 28 May 2021

The area covered by Cold outbreak in United Kingdom and 11 other countries, 19 to 28 May 2021 is outlined, with 19 of the stations that set records marked, coloured by record type. Made with Natural Earth.

Footprint of Cold outbreak in United Kingdom and 11 other countries, 19 to 28 May 2021: stations that set records in the event
Station	Type	Value	Date
Wien	Record low minimum temperature	4.7 C (40.5 F)	2021-05-26
Graz	Record low minimum temperature	2.4 C (36.3 F)	2021-05-26
Osijek	Record low minimum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	2021-05-26
Mittenwald-Buckelwiesen	Record low minimum temperature	-1.5 C (29.3 F)	2021-05-26
Ghedi	Record low maximum temperature	14.0 C (57.2 F)	2021-05-24
Turany	Record low minimum temperature	2.6 C (36.7 F)	2021-05-26
Kremsmuenster	Record low minimum temperature	4.5 C (40.1 F)	2021-05-26
Hayling Island	Record low minimum temperature	1.0 C (33.8 F)	2021-05-28
Waddington	Record low minimum temperature	2.9 C (37.2 F)	2021-05-26
Zaragoza	Record low maximum temperature	14.6 C (58.3 F)	2021-05-23
Varazdin	Record low minimum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	2021-05-26
Aberporth	Record low minimum temperature	4.2 C (39.6 F)	2021-05-27
Gogerddan	Record low maximum temperature	10.1 C (50.2 F)	2021-05-20
Plymouth: Mountbatten	Record low minimum temperature	4.7 C (40.5 F)	2021-05-23
Faskally	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	2021-05-23
Kinlochewe	Record low maximum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	2021-05-20
Hillsborough	Record low maximum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	2021-05-19
Bude	Record low maximum temperature	11.5 C (52.7 F)	2021-05-21
Helgoland	Record low maximum temperature	10.2 C (50.4 F)	2021-05-26

Records per Day

Peak day 21

Records set or tied each day from 19 May 2021 to 28 May 2021. The most in one day was 21 on 26 May 2021.

Records per day during Cold outbreak in United Kingdom and 11 other countries, 19 to 28 May 2021
Date	Records
2021-05-19	3
2021-05-20	8
2021-05-21	4
2021-05-22	6
2021-05-23	15
2021-05-24	13
2021-05-25	14
2021-05-26	21
2021-05-27	10
2021-05-28	6

Top Records by Margin

Margin over the record replaced

Top records of Cold outbreak in United Kingdom and 11 other countries, 19 to 28 May 2021 ranked by margin
Ghedi, 05-24	5.0 C (9.0 F)
Graz, 05-26	2.9 C (5.2 F)
Mittenwald-Buckelwiesen, 05-26	1.9 C (3.4 F)
Faskally, 05-23	1.7 C (3.1 F)
Gogerddan, 05-20	1.6 C (2.9 F)
Wien, 05-26	1.3 C (2.3 F)
Turany, 05-26	1.3 C (2.3 F)
Hayling Island, 05-28	1.2 C (2.2 F)
Zaragoza, 05-23	1.0 C (1.8 F)
Varazdin, 05-26	0.6 C (1.1 F)
Kinlochewe, 05-20	0.6 C (1.1 F)
Hillsborough, 05-19	0.6 C (1.1 F)
Kremsmuenster, 05-26	0.5 C (0.9 F)
Aberporth, 05-27	0.5 C (0.9 F)
Waddington, 05-26	0.4 C (0.7 F)

Margin is how far the new value is beyond the record it replaced. Ties are not shown.

Margin Against Age of the Broken Record

100 records plotted by how far they beat the old record (across) and how many years the old record had stood (up). Long standing records beaten by a wide margin sit in the top right.

Margin against age of the broken record in Cold outbreak in United Kingdom and 11 other countries, 19 to 28 May 2021
Margin (C)	Years the old record stood
1.3	143
2.9	83
0.2	110
1.9	59
1.3	60
5.0	46
0.5	59
1.2	60
0.4	64
0.6	60
1.0	62
0.5	60
1.6	52
0.4	60
1.7	50
0.6	59
0.3	50
0.1	58
0.2	58
0.6	52
0.1	59
1.4	46
0.6	52
1.1	42
0.1	47
0.2	52
0.2	52
1.0	48
0.9	24
1.4	38
0.8	38
2.1	36
0.9	40
0.9	43
0.8	36
0.2	47
0.1	47
0.4	42
0.9	42
1.2	38
0.6	30
0.5	20
1.1	38
1.3	30
1.1	36
0.6	34
0.9	27
0.5	34
0.6	24
0.3	27
1.3	24
0.2	43
0.4	34
0.1	40
0.8	36
0.4	38
0.9	34
0.1	38
0.3	30
1.9	11
0.8	34
0.2	36
0.3	27
0.7	30
0.9	30
1.9	24
0.6	30
0.1	30
1.1	27
0.2	24
0.4	27
0.2	30
0.1	30
0.5	27
0.3	30
0.9	24
1.1	20
1.1	24
0.1	30
0.3	23
0.8	8
0.4	24
0.6	8
0.3	27
0.8	16
0.3	27
1.5	8
0.4	6
0.3	16
1.0	15
0.1	15
0.1	15
1.4	15
0.1	16
0.5	8
1.6	6
1.1	8
0.1	8
0.7	4
0.4	8

Compared With Other Events

Station records per event

Station records in Cold outbreak in United Kingdom and 11 other countries, 19 to 28 May 2021 compared with similar events
Cold outbreak in United States and Mexico, 6 February to 5 March 2021	12,118 records
Cold outbreak in United States and Mexico, 13 October to 5 November 2020	9,841 records
Cold outbreak in United States and Mexico, 23 December 2017 to 8 January 2018	8,263 records
Cold outbreak in United States and Mexico, 3 to 23 January 2024	7,675 records
Cold outbreak in United States, 15 January to 10 February 2026	5,568 records
Cold outbreak in United Kingdom and 11 other countries, 19 to 28 May 2021 (this event)	100 records

Every Record Set

20 of 100

Every record set or tied during Cold outbreak in United Kingdom and 11 other countries, 19 to 28 May 2021, in date order
Date	Station	Record	Value	Margin	Years stood	Significance
2021-05-19	Hillsborough	Record low maximum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	0.6 C (1.1 F)	52	23 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-20	Gogerddan	Record low maximum temperature	10.1 C (50.2 F)	1.6 C (2.9 F)	52	25 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-20	Kinlochewe	Record low maximum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	0.6 C (1.1 F)	59	24 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-20	Plymouth: Mountbatten	Record low maximum temperature	11.9 C (53.4 F)	0.1 C (0.2 F)	58	23 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-21	Bude	Record low maximum temperature	11.5 C (52.7 F)	0.2 C (0.4 F)	58	23 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-23	Zaragoza	Record low maximum temperature	14.6 C (58.3 F)	1.0 C (1.8 F)	62	26 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-23	Plymouth: Mountbatten	Record low minimum temperature	4.7 C (40.5 F)	0.4 C (0.7 F)	60	25 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-23	Faskally	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	50	25 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-24	Ghedi	Record low maximum temperature	14.0 C (57.2 F)	5.0 C (9.0 F)	46	29 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-26	Wien	Record low minimum temperature	4.7 C (40.5 F)	1.3 C (2.3 F)	143	43 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-26	Graz	Record low minimum temperature	2.4 C (36.3 F)	2.9 C (5.2 F)	83	42 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-26	Osijek	Record low minimum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	0.2 C (0.4 F)	110	40 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-26	Mittenwald-Buckelwiesen	Record low minimum temperature	-1.5 C (29.3 F)	1.9 C (3.4 F)	59	30 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-26	Turany	Record low minimum temperature	2.6 C (36.7 F)	1.3 C (2.3 F)	60	29 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-26	Kremsmuenster	Record low minimum temperature	4.5 C (40.1 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	59	28 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-26	Waddington	Record low minimum temperature	2.9 C (37.2 F)	0.4 C (0.7 F)	64	27 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-26	Varazdin	Record low minimum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	0.6 C (1.1 F)	60	26 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-26	Helgoland	Record low maximum temperature	10.2 C (50.4 F)	0.3 C (0.5 F)	50	23 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-27	Aberporth	Record low minimum temperature	4.2 C (39.6 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	60	26 of 100 (Routine)
2021-05-28	Hayling Island	Record low minimum temperature	1.0 C (33.8 F)	1.2 C (2.2 F)	60	28 of 100 (Routine)

The daily ledgers keep a limited number of records per day, so this list has 20 of the 100 records the event counts. The counts above use the full total.

Related Headlines

Third party news, headline and link only

Download the Data

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-17. Events are found by this site from station records and are not official designations. Records are provisional until reprocessed.

Margin (C)	Years the old record stood
1.3	143
2.9	83
0.2	110
1.9	59
1.3	60
5.0	46
0.5	59
1.2	60
0.4	64
0.6	60
1.0	62
0.5	60
1.6	52
0.4	60
1.7	50
0.6	59
0.3	50
0.1	58
0.2	58
0.6	52
0.1	59
1.4	46
0.6	52
1.1	42
0.1	47
0.2	52
0.2	52
1.0	48
0.9	24
1.4	38
0.8	38
2.1	36
0.9	40
0.9	43
0.8	36
0.2	47
0.1	47
0.4	42
0.9	42
1.2	38
0.6	30
0.5	20
1.1	38
1.3	30
1.1	36
0.6	34
0.9	27
0.5	34
0.6	24
0.3	27
1.3	24
0.2	43
0.4	34
0.1	40
0.8	36
0.4	38
0.9	34
0.1	38
0.3	30
1.9	11
0.8	34
0.2	36
0.3	27
0.7	30
0.9	30
1.9	24
0.6	30
0.1	30
1.1	27
0.2	24
0.4	27
0.2	30
0.1	30
0.5	27
0.3	30
0.9	24
1.1	20
1.1	24
0.1	30
0.3	23
0.8	8
0.4	24
0.6	8
0.3	27
0.8	16
0.3	27
1.5	8
0.4	6
0.3	16
1.0	15
0.1	15
0.1	15
1.4	15
0.1	16
0.5	8
1.6	6
1.1	8
0.1	8
0.7	4
0.4	8

Margin (C)	Years the old record stood
1.3	143
2.9	83
0.2	110
1.9	59
1.3	60
5.0	46
0.5	59
1.2	60
0.4	64
0.6	60
1.0	62
0.5	60
1.6	52
0.4	60
1.7	50
0.6	59
0.3	50
0.1	58
0.2	58
0.6	52
0.1	59
1.4	46
0.6	52
1.1	42
0.1	47
0.2	52
0.2	52
1.0	48
0.9	24
1.4	38
0.8	38
2.1	36
0.9	40
0.9	43
0.8	36
0.2	47
0.1	47
0.4	42
0.9	42
1.2	38
0.6	30
0.5	20
1.1	38
1.3	30
1.1	36
0.6	34
0.9	27
0.5	34
0.6	24
0.3	27
1.3	24
0.2	43
0.4	34
0.1	40
0.8	36
0.4	38
0.9	34
0.1	38
0.3	30
1.9	11
0.8	34
0.2	36
0.3	27
0.7	30
0.9	30
1.9	24
0.6	30
0.1	30
1.1	27
0.2	24
0.4	27
0.2	30
0.1	30
0.5	27
0.3	30
0.9	24
1.1	20
1.1	24
0.1	30
0.3	23
0.8	8
0.4	24
0.6	8
0.3	27
0.8	16
0.3	27
1.5	8
0.4	6
0.3	16
1.0	15
0.1	15
0.1	15
1.4	15
0.1	16
0.5	8
1.6	6
1.1	8
0.1	8
0.7	4
0.4	8

Margin (C)	Years the old record stood
1.3	143
2.9	83
0.2	110
1.9	59
1.3	60
5.0	46
0.5	59
1.2	60
0.4	64
0.6	60
1.0	62
0.5	60
1.6	52
0.4	60
1.7	50
0.6	59
0.3	50
0.1	58
0.2	58
0.6	52
0.1	59
1.4	46
0.6	52
1.1	42
0.1	47
0.2	52
0.2	52
1.0	48
0.9	24
1.4	38
0.8	38
2.1	36
0.9	40
0.9	43
0.8	36
0.2	47
0.1	47
0.4	42
0.9	42
1.2	38
0.6	30
0.5	20
1.1	38
1.3	30
1.1	36
0.6	34
0.9	27
0.5	34
0.6	24
0.3	27
1.3	24
0.2	43
0.4	34
0.1	40
0.8	36
0.4	38
0.9	34
0.1	38
0.3	30
1.9	11
0.8	34
0.2	36
0.3	27
0.7	30
0.9	30
1.9	24
0.6	30
0.1	30
1.1	27
0.2	24
0.4	27
0.2	30
0.1	30
0.5	27
0.3	30
0.9	24
1.1	20
1.1	24
0.1	30
0.3	23
0.8	8
0.4	24
0.6	8
0.3	27
0.8	16
0.3	27
1.5	8
0.4	6
0.3	16
1.0	15
0.1	15
0.1	15
1.4	15
0.1	16
0.5	8
1.6	6
1.1	8
0.1	8
0.7	4
0.4	8