Extreme rain in United States, 11 to 25 May 2020

Name: Extreme rain in United States, 11 to 25 May 2020
Start: 2020-05-11
End: 2020-05-25
Location: United States

Extreme rain in United States, 11 to 25 May 2020: 827 records at 677 stations, peak on 18 May 2020. Closed.

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

Key Facts

Extreme rain in United States, 11 to 25 May 2020 set or tied 827 station records at 677 stations.
It ran from 11 May 2020 to 25 May 2020 (15 days) and its peak day was 18 May 2020.
Status: closed.
E Tawas set a daily record precipitation of 63.5 mm (2.5 in) on 17 May 2020.
The busiest day was 18 May 2020 with 131 records.
The oldest broken record in the ranked list had stood for 147 years.

Footprint

11 to 25 May 2020

The area covered by Extreme rain in United States, 11 to 25 May 2020 is outlined, with 20 of the stations that set records marked, coloured by record type. Made with Natural Earth.

Footprint of Extreme rain in United States, 11 to 25 May 2020: stations that set records in the event
Station	Type	Value	Date
E Tawas	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	2020-05-17
Sturgeon Bay Exp Farm	Record daily precipitation	77.5 mm (3.1 in)	2020-05-18
Central Michigan UNIV	Record daily precipitation	67.3 mm (2.6 in)	2020-05-19
Kings Mills	Record daily precipitation	78.2 mm (3.1 in)	2020-05-19
Hale Loud Dam	Record daily precipitation	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	2020-05-19
Monroe 2 SE	Record daily precipitation	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	2020-05-19
Martinsville Fltr Plt	Record daily precipitation	78.7 mm (3.1 in)	2020-05-21
Benton	Record daily precipitation	110.2 mm (4.3 in)	2020-05-17
Cynthiana	Record daily precipitation	104.1 mm (4.1 in)	2020-05-19
Carville 2 SW	Record daily precipitation	139.7 mm (5.5 in)	2020-05-14
Brillion	Record daily precipitation	59.7 mm (2.4 in)	2020-05-18
Sparta 3.5 SSW	Record daily precipitation	92.2 mm (3.6 in)	2020-05-21
Houghton Lake 6 WSW	Record daily precipitation	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	2020-05-19
Standish 4NE	Record daily precipitation	113.8 mm (4.5 in)	2020-05-19
Cayuga Lock #1	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	2020-05-23
Centerburg 2 SE	Record daily precipitation	109.0 mm (4.3 in)	2020-05-19
Copper Hill	Record daily precipitation	85.9 mm (3.4 in)	2020-05-21
Peru	Record daily precipitation	60.5 mm (2.4 in)	2020-05-18
Cheraw	Record daily precipitation	80.3 mm (3.2 in)	2020-05-21
Charleston - Yeager AP	Record daily precipitation	54.4 mm (2.1 in)	2020-05-20

Records per Day

Peak day 131

Records set or tied each day from 11 May 2020 to 25 May 2020. The most in one day was 131 on 18 May 2020.

Records per day during Extreme rain in United States, 11 to 25 May 2020
Date	Records
2020-05-11	2
2020-05-12	24
2020-05-13	11
2020-05-14	24
2020-05-15	100
2020-05-16	74
2020-05-17	119
2020-05-18	131
2020-05-19	119
2020-05-20	88
2020-05-21	80
2020-05-22	24
2020-05-23	18
2020-05-24	8
2020-05-25	5

Top Records by Margin

Margin over the record replaced

Top records of Extreme rain in United States, 11 to 25 May 2020 ranked by margin
Carville 2 SW, 05-14	117.6 mm (4.6 in)
Benton, 05-17	59.4 mm (2.3 in)
Sparta 3.5 SSW, 05-21	55.6 mm (2.2 in)
Copper Hill, 05-21	45.3 mm (1.8 in)
E Tawas, 05-17	44.7 mm (1.8 in)
Sturgeon Bay Exp Farm, 05-18	44.0 mm (1.7 in)
Martinsville Fltr Plt, 05-21	43.9 mm (1.7 in)
Kings Mills, 05-19	42.1 mm (1.7 in)
Monroe 2 SE, 05-19	39.9 mm (1.6 in)
Hale Loud Dam, 05-19	38.3 mm (1.5 in)
Brillion, 05-18	38.1 mm (1.5 in)
Cynthiana, 05-19	37.8 mm (1.5 in)
Peru, 05-18	37.6 mm (1.5 in)
Cheraw, 05-21	37.4 mm (1.5 in)
Centerburg 2 SE, 05-19	36.9 mm (1.5 in)

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

Margin Against Age of the Broken Record

500 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 Extreme rain in United States, 11 to 25 May 2020
Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
45	101
37	121
44	102
42	93
38	82
40	112
44	87
59	110
38	59
118	74
56	78
38	80
25	98
18	67
34	71
37	51
45	76
38	73
37	89
35	68
30	78
64	68
131	45
25	93
52	92
26	118
27	91
31	48
28	92
69	37
55	46
22	109
54	48
21	116
17	118
76	37
24	119
34	55
39	30
19	120
51	25
6	107
41	37
30	75
30	75
31	63
58	51
30	59
30	49
58	20
54	20
49	20
47	50
44	34
61	29
19	147
39	20
40	20
31	67
17	120
21	92
18	125
33	115
58	29
31	67
18	119
13	102
58	20
19	90
20	77
23	60
19	74
13	60
16	78
94	19
24	77
14	102
76	17
34	61
20	123
20	74
16	111
47	16
11	102
17	54
36	35
37	23
9	119
17	91
88	6
25	55
10	121
25	40
14	91
28	40
59	17
39	68
18	77
37	23
22	74
24	34
16	76
41	4
20	63
46	3
11	127
8	105
35	74
7	104
34	16
14	51
24	51
31	73
40	50
29	51
18	78
97	12
24	34
9	95
20	45
20	59
66	4
28	40
48	37
24	14
16	37
31	68
5	123
21	55
5	127
28	55
24	69
31	16
46	17
20	81
14	77
20	68
5	101
82	16
15	77
37	29
27	38
23	51
36	39
36	3
8	125
28	16
12	67
18	60
43	19
29	61
4	123
4	121
7	100
30	33
3	123
24	57
4	104
21	34
3	118
7	92
8	87
13	37
8	99
10	82
27	20
23	68
17	58
37	2
10	77
16	67
30	39
12	77
33	6
11	28
20	59
6	91
27	30
3	95
10	75
10	75
8	82
8	77
18	50
0	120
1	107
12	77
12	63
35	24
16	61
27	16
33	23
32	18
2	122
5	85
3	92
8	77
7	78
3	90
21	39

Compared With Other Events

Station records per event

Station records in Extreme rain in United States, 11 to 25 May 2020 compared with similar events
Extreme rain in United States and Mexico, 23 February to 15 March 2019	2,223 records
Extreme rain in United States, 3 to 19 January 2024	2,133 records
Extreme rain in Australia, 7 to 26 March 2021	2,099 records
Extreme rain in United States and Mexico, 29 September to 19 October 2018	1,970 records
Extreme rain in United States, 19 December 2022 to 13 January 2023	1,941 records
Extreme rain in United States, 11 to 25 May 2020 (this event)	827 records

Every Record Set

20 of 827

Every record set or tied during Extreme rain in United States, 11 to 25 May 2020, in date order
Date	Station	Record	Value	Margin	Years stood	Significance
2020-05-14	Carville 2 SW	Record daily precipitation	139.7 mm (5.5 in)	117.6 mm (4.6 in)	74	70 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-17	E Tawas	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	101	80 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-05-17	Benton	Record daily precipitation	110.2 mm (4.3 in)	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	110	71 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-18	Sturgeon Bay Exp Farm	Record daily precipitation	77.5 mm (3.1 in)	44.0 mm (1.7 in)	102	80 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-05-18	Brillion	Record daily precipitation	59.7 mm (2.4 in)	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	80	70 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-18	Peru	Record daily precipitation	60.5 mm (2.4 in)	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	73	66 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-19	Central Michigan UNIV	Record daily precipitation	67.3 mm (2.6 in)	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	121	80 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-05-19	Kings Mills	Record daily precipitation	78.2 mm (3.1 in)	42.1 mm (1.7 in)	93	76 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-19	Hale Loud Dam	Record daily precipitation	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	38.3 mm (1.5 in)	82	74 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-19	Monroe 2 SE	Record daily precipitation	73.7 mm (2.9 in)	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	112	74 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-19	Cynthiana	Record daily precipitation	104.1 mm (4.1 in)	37.8 mm (1.5 in)	59	71 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-19	Houghton Lake 6 WSW	Record daily precipitation	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	98	69 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-19	Standish 4NE	Record daily precipitation	113.8 mm (4.5 in)	17.5 mm (0.7 in)	67	69 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-19	Centerburg 2 SE	Record daily precipitation	109.0 mm (4.3 in)	36.9 mm (1.5 in)	51	67 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-20	Charleston - Yeager AP	Record daily precipitation	54.4 mm (2.1 in)	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	68	65 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-21	Martinsville Fltr Plt	Record daily precipitation	78.7 mm (3.1 in)	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	87	72 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-21	Sparta 3.5 SSW	Record daily precipitation	92.2 mm (3.6 in)	55.6 mm (2.2 in)	78	70 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-21	Copper Hill	Record daily precipitation	85.9 mm (3.4 in)	45.3 mm (1.8 in)	76	67 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-21	Cheraw	Record daily precipitation	80.3 mm (3.2 in)	37.4 mm (1.5 in)	89	66 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-23	Cayuga Lock #1	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	71	69 of 100 (Major)

The daily ledgers keep a limited number of records per day, so this list has 20 of the 827 records the event counts. The counts above use the full total.

Related Headlines

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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 (mm)	Years the old record stood
45	101
37	121
44	102
42	93
38	82
40	112
44	87
59	110
38	59
118	74
56	78
38	80
25	98
18	67
34	71
37	51
45	76
38	73
37	89
35	68
30	78
64	68
131	45
25	93
52	92
26	118
27	91
31	48
28	92
69	37
55	46
22	109
54	48
21	116
17	118
76	37
24	119
34	55
39	30
19	120
51	25
6	107
41	37
30	75
30	75
31	63
58	51
30	59
30	49
58	20
54	20
49	20
47	50
44	34
61	29
19	147
39	20
40	20
31	67
17	120
21	92
18	125
33	115
58	29
31	67
18	119
13	102
58	20
19	90
20	77
23	60
19	74
13	60
16	78
94	19
24	77
14	102
76	17
34	61
20	123
20	74
16	111
47	16
11	102
17	54
36	35
37	23
9	119
17	91
88	6
25	55
10	121
25	40
14	91
28	40
59	17
39	68
18	77
37	23
22	74
24	34
16	76
41	4
20	63
46	3
11	127
8	105
35	74
7	104
34	16
14	51
24	51
31	73
40	50
29	51
18	78
97	12
24	34
9	95
20	45
20	59
66	4
28	40
48	37
24	14
16	37
31	68
5	123
21	55
5	127
28	55
24	69
31	16
46	17
20	81
14	77
20	68
5	101
82	16
15	77
37	29
27	38
23	51
36	39
36	3
8	125
28	16
12	67
18	60
43	19
29	61
4	123
4	121
7	100
30	33
3	123
24	57
4	104
21	34
3	118
7	92
8	87
13	37
8	99
10	82
27	20
23	68
17	58
37	2
10	77
16	67
30	39
12	77
33	6
11	28
20	59
6	91
27	30
3	95
10	75
10	75
8	82
8	77
18	50
0	120
1	107
12	77
12	63
35	24
16	61
27	16
33	23
32	18
2	122
5	85
3	92
8	77
7	78
3	90
21	39

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
45	101
37	121
44	102
42	93
38	82
40	112
44	87
59	110
38	59
118	74
56	78
38	80
25	98
18	67
34	71
37	51
45	76
38	73
37	89
35	68
30	78
64	68
131	45
25	93
52	92
26	118
27	91
31	48
28	92
69	37
55	46
22	109
54	48
21	116
17	118
76	37
24	119
34	55
39	30
19	120
51	25
6	107
41	37
30	75
30	75
31	63
58	51
30	59
30	49
58	20
54	20
49	20
47	50
44	34
61	29
19	147
39	20
40	20
31	67
17	120
21	92
18	125
33	115
58	29
31	67
18	119
13	102
58	20
19	90
20	77
23	60
19	74
13	60
16	78
94	19
24	77
14	102
76	17
34	61
20	123
20	74
16	111
47	16
11	102
17	54
36	35
37	23
9	119
17	91
88	6
25	55
10	121
25	40
14	91
28	40
59	17
39	68
18	77
37	23
22	74
24	34
16	76
41	4
20	63
46	3
11	127
8	105
35	74
7	104
34	16
14	51
24	51
31	73
40	50
29	51
18	78
97	12
24	34
9	95
20	45
20	59
66	4
28	40
48	37
24	14
16	37
31	68
5	123
21	55
5	127
28	55
24	69
31	16
46	17
20	81
14	77
20	68
5	101
82	16
15	77
37	29
27	38
23	51
36	39
36	3
8	125
28	16
12	67
18	60
43	19
29	61
4	123
4	121
7	100
30	33
3	123
24	57
4	104
21	34
3	118
7	92
8	87
13	37
8	99
10	82
27	20
23	68
17	58
37	2
10	77
16	67
30	39
12	77
33	6
11	28
20	59
6	91
27	30
3	95
10	75
10	75
8	82
8	77
18	50
0	120
1	107
12	77
12	63
35	24
16	61
27	16
33	23
32	18
2	122
5	85
3	92
8	77
7	78
3	90
21	39

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
45	101
37	121
44	102
42	93
38	82
40	112
44	87
59	110
38	59
118	74
56	78
38	80
25	98
18	67
34	71
37	51
45	76
38	73
37	89
35	68
30	78
64	68
131	45
25	93
52	92
26	118
27	91
31	48
28	92
69	37
55	46
22	109
54	48
21	116
17	118
76	37
24	119
34	55
39	30
19	120
51	25
6	107
41	37
30	75
30	75
31	63
58	51
30	59
30	49
58	20
54	20
49	20
47	50
44	34
61	29
19	147
39	20
40	20
31	67
17	120
21	92
18	125
33	115
58	29
31	67
18	119
13	102
58	20
19	90
20	77
23	60
19	74
13	60
16	78
94	19
24	77
14	102
76	17
34	61
20	123
20	74
16	111
47	16
11	102
17	54
36	35
37	23
9	119
17	91
88	6
25	55
10	121
25	40
14	91
28	40
59	17
39	68
18	77
37	23
22	74
24	34
16	76
41	4
20	63
46	3
11	127
8	105
35	74
7	104
34	16
14	51
24	51
31	73
40	50
29	51
18	78
97	12
24	34
9	95
20	45
20	59
66	4
28	40
48	37
24	14
16	37
31	68
5	123
21	55
5	127
28	55
24	69
31	16
46	17
20	81
14	77
20	68
5	101
82	16
15	77
37	29
27	38
23	51
36	39
36	3
8	125
28	16
12	67
18	60
43	19
29	61
4	123
4	121
7	100
30	33
3	123
24	57
4	104
21	34
3	118
7	92
8	87
13	37
8	99
10	82
27	20
23	68
17	58
37	2
10	77
16	67
30	39
12	77
33	6
11	28
20	59
6	91
27	30
3	95
10	75
10	75
8	82
8	77
18	50
0	120
1	107
12	77
12	63
35	24
16	61
27	16
33	23
32	18
2	122
5	85
3	92
8	77
7	78
3	90
21	39