Extreme rain in United States, 16 to 26 May 2020

Name: Extreme rain in United States, 16 to 26 May 2020
Start: 2020-05-16
End: 2020-05-26
Location: United States

Extreme rain in United States, 16 to 26 May 2020: 296 records at 262 stations, peak on 20 May 2020. Closed.

Data as of 2026-10-12. Last revised 12 October 2026 (2026-10-12).

Key Facts

Extreme rain in United States, 16 to 26 May 2020 set or tied 296 station records at 262 stations.
It ran from 16 May 2020 to 26 May 2020 (11 days) and its peak day was 20 May 2020.
Status: closed.
Joseph set a daily record precipitation of 40.6 mm (1.6 in) on 20 May 2020.
The busiest day was 20 May 2020 with 96 records.
The oldest broken record in the ranked list had stood for 115 years.

Footprint

16 to 26 May 2020

The area covered by Extreme rain in United States, 16 to 26 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, 16 to 26 May 2020: stations that set records in the event
Station	Type	Value	Date
Joseph	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	2020-05-20
Lucky Strike	Record daily precipitation	88.9 mm (3.5 in)	2020-05-20
Beowawe	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	2020-05-19
Wallowa	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	2020-05-20
Wise Rvr 3 WNW	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	2020-05-20
Gold Center	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	2020-05-20
Parma Exp STN	Record daily precipitation	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	2020-05-20
Pilot Rock 1 SE	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	2020-05-21
Union	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	2020-05-20
Dunkirk 19NNE	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	2020-05-21
Elk Rvr	Record daily precipitation	95.5 mm (3.8 in)	2020-05-20
Ruch	Record daily precipitation	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	2020-05-17
Pendleton	Record daily precipitation	28.2 mm (1.1 in)	2020-05-20
Shelby	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	2020-05-21
Payette	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	2020-05-19
Bear Saddle	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	2020-05-19
Potomac	Record daily precipitation	28.7 mm (1.1 in)	2020-05-20
Walla Walla Rgnl AP	Record daily precipitation	42.2 mm (1.7 in)	2020-05-20
Newport	Record daily precipitation	40.4 mm (1.6 in)	2020-05-18
Austin #2	Record daily precipitation	24.9 mm (1.0 in)	2020-05-18

Records per Day

Peak day 96

Records set or tied each day from 16 May 2020 to 26 May 2020. The most in one day was 96 on 20 May 2020.

Records per day during Extreme rain in United States, 16 to 26 May 2020
Date	Records
2020-05-16	4
2020-05-17	21
2020-05-18	49
2020-05-19	54
2020-05-20	96
2020-05-21	33
2020-05-22	13
2020-05-23	23
2020-05-24	1
2020-05-25	1
2020-05-26	1

Top Records by Margin

Margin over the record replaced

Top records of Extreme rain in United States, 16 to 26 May 2020 ranked by margin
Elk Rvr, 05-20	32.5 mm (1.3 in)
Lucky Strike, 05-20	30.5 mm (1.2 in)
Bear Saddle, 05-19	28.0 mm (1.1 in)
Joseph, 05-20	24.6 mm (1.0 in)
Parma Exp STN, 05-20	23.3 mm (0.9 in)
Ruch, 05-17	22.1 mm (0.9 in)
Potomac, 05-20	21.1 mm (0.8 in)
Shelby, 05-21	19.0 mm (0.7 in)
Walla Walla Rgnl AP, 05-20	18.8 mm (0.7 in)
Newport, 05-18	18.3 mm (0.7 in)
Wise Rvr 3 WNW, 05-20	18.1 mm (0.7 in)
Beowawe, 05-19	17.8 mm (0.7 in)
Gold Center, 05-20	15.3 mm (0.6 in)
Wallowa, 05-20	12.4 mm (0.5 in)
Dunkirk 19NNE, 05-21	12.4 mm (0.5 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

296 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, 16 to 26 May 2020
Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
25	115
31	31
18	98
12	108
18	63
15	36
23	39
11	95
12	93
10	108
33	1
22	2
12	60
19	65
11	67
21	27
9	103
28	28
19	60
18	46
16	79
12	103
13	51
5	108
16	32
3	113
71	18
15	34
23	14
25	40
4	99
23	39
12	39
4	109
15	33
12	64
14	1
2	97
8	15
9	60
7	9
18	26
3	88
14	63
6	82
5	84
10	52
10	31
6	67
11	39
1	95
11	52
11	34
13	26
10	39
5	61
25	16
15	16
36	12
12	28
11	27
15	39
15	39
20	29
13	9
19	7
1	84
5	60
18	39
8	55
18	2
13	26
5	52
4	63
6	60
2	46
10	9
5	63
1	20
3	72
1	76
8	36
4	60
6	51
8	39
15	8
8	38
15	34
23	1
8	9
4	63
13	5
12	2
9	24
7	48
20	8
10	29
5	60
18	18
2	63
10	33
3	63
3	51
5	48
2	58
15	24
10	16
5	22
6	35
0	63
1	63
2	51
2	51
1	26
13	12
18	24
13	22
8	26
3	52
5	40
5	19
1	60
18	9
1	55
13	24
15	18
8	30
8	34
13	1
13	14
2	60
11	24
6	18
6	36
7	26
0	19
9	14
5	40
10	34
10	2
10	1
8	39
10	14
0	62
5	28
2	51
8	17
8	30
8	34
10	14
3	39
13	9
1	11
2	46
4	26
5	29
5	26
13	26
5	39
8	16
5	34
15	9
15	1
15	1
20	9
15	9
7	16
2	40
3	33
10	2
5	29
8	27
10	22
5	26
8	26
2	43
6	16
2	46
7	4
5	25
7	22
3	16
8	4
5	26
5	36
5	30
5	29
3	34
4	22
7	29
2	39
8	4
5	33
8	26
5	27
5	28
3	39
3	38
3	39
2	26

Compared With Other Events

Station records per event

Station records in Extreme rain in United States, 16 to 26 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, 16 to 26 May 2020 (this event)	296 records

Every Record Set

20 of 296

Every record set or tied during Extreme rain in United States, 16 to 26 May 2020, in date order
Date	Station	Record	Value	Margin	Years stood	Significance
2020-05-17	Ruch	Record daily precipitation	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	22.1 mm (0.9 in)	2	55 of 100 (Notable)
2020-05-18	Newport	Record daily precipitation	40.4 mm (1.6 in)	18.3 mm (0.7 in)	46	51 of 100 (Notable)
2020-05-18	Austin #2	Record daily precipitation	24.9 mm (1.0 in)	9.2 mm (0.36 in)	103	20 of 100 (Routine)
2020-05-19	Beowawe	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	17.8 mm (0.7 in)	98	68 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-19	Payette	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	11.2 mm (0.4 in)	67	53 of 100 (Notable)
2020-05-19	Bear Saddle	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	28	52 of 100 (Notable)
2020-05-20	Joseph	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	24.6 mm (1.0 in)	115	80 of 100 (Exceptional)
2020-05-20	Lucky Strike	Record daily precipitation	88.9 mm (3.5 in)	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	31	73 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-20	Wallowa	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	12.4 mm (0.5 in)	108	62 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-20	Wise Rvr 3 WNW	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	18.1 mm (0.7 in)	63	61 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-20	Gold Center	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	15.3 mm (0.6 in)	36	61 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-20	Parma Exp STN	Record daily precipitation	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	23.3 mm (0.9 in)	39	60 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-20	Union	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	9.9 mm (0.39 in)	108	57 of 100 (Notable)
2020-05-20	Elk Rvr	Record daily precipitation	95.5 mm (3.8 in)	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	1	56 of 100 (Notable)
2020-05-20	Pendleton	Record daily precipitation	28.2 mm (1.1 in)	11.9 mm (0.5 in)	60	55 of 100 (Notable)
2020-05-20	Potomac	Record daily precipitation	28.7 mm (1.1 in)	21.1 mm (0.8 in)	27	52 of 100 (Notable)
2020-05-20	Walla Walla Rgnl AP	Record daily precipitation	42.2 mm (1.7 in)	18.8 mm (0.7 in)	60	52 of 100 (Notable)
2020-05-21	Pilot Rock 1 SE	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	11.0 mm (0.4 in)	95	60 of 100 (Major)
2020-05-21	Dunkirk 19NNE	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	12.4 mm (0.5 in)	93	57 of 100 (Notable)
2020-05-21	Shelby	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	19.0 mm (0.7 in)	65	54 of 100 (Notable)

The daily ledgers keep a limited number of records per day, so this list has 20 of the 296 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 2026-10-12. 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
25	115
31	31
18	98
12	108
18	63
15	36
23	39
11	95
12	93
10	108
33	1
22	2
12	60
19	65
11	67
21	27
9	103
28	28
19	60
18	46
16	79
12	103
13	51
5	108
16	32
3	113
71	18
15	34
23	14
25	40
4	99
23	39
12	39
4	109
15	33
12	64
14	1
2	97
8	15
9	60
7	9
18	26
3	88
14	63
6	82
5	84
10	52
10	31
6	67
11	39
1	95
11	52
11	34
13	26
10	39
5	61
25	16
15	16
36	12
12	28
11	27
15	39
15	39
20	29
13	9
19	7
1	84
5	60
18	39
8	55
18	2
13	26
5	52
4	63
6	60
2	46
10	9
5	63
1	20
3	72
1	76
8	36
4	60
6	51
8	39
15	8
8	38
15	34
23	1
8	9
4	63
13	5
12	2
9	24
7	48
20	8
10	29
5	60
18	18
2	63
10	33
3	63
3	51
5	48
2	58
15	24
10	16
5	22
6	35
0	63
1	63
2	51
2	51
1	26
13	12
18	24
13	22
8	26
3	52
5	40
5	19
1	60
18	9
1	55
13	24
15	18
8	30
8	34
13	1
13	14
2	60
11	24
6	18
6	36
7	26
0	19
9	14
5	40
10	34
10	2
10	1
8	39
10	14
0	62
5	28
2	51
8	17
8	30
8	34
10	14
3	39
13	9
1	11
2	46
4	26
5	29
5	26
13	26
5	39
8	16
5	34
15	9
15	1
15	1
20	9
15	9
7	16
2	40
3	33
10	2
5	29
8	27
10	22
5	26
8	26
2	43
6	16
2	46
7	4
5	25
7	22
3	16
8	4
5	26
5	36
5	30
5	29
3	34
4	22
7	29
2	39
8	4
5	33
8	26
5	27
5	28
3	39
3	38
3	39
2	26

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
25	115
31	31
18	98
12	108
18	63
15	36
23	39
11	95
12	93
10	108
33	1
22	2
12	60
19	65
11	67
21	27
9	103
28	28
19	60
18	46
16	79
12	103
13	51
5	108
16	32
3	113
71	18
15	34
23	14
25	40
4	99
23	39
12	39
4	109
15	33
12	64
14	1
2	97
8	15
9	60
7	9
18	26
3	88
14	63
6	82
5	84
10	52
10	31
6	67
11	39
1	95
11	52
11	34
13	26
10	39
5	61
25	16
15	16
36	12
12	28
11	27
15	39
15	39
20	29
13	9
19	7
1	84
5	60
18	39
8	55
18	2
13	26
5	52
4	63
6	60
2	46
10	9
5	63
1	20
3	72
1	76
8	36
4	60
6	51
8	39
15	8
8	38
15	34
23	1
8	9
4	63
13	5
12	2
9	24
7	48
20	8
10	29
5	60
18	18
2	63
10	33
3	63
3	51
5	48
2	58
15	24
10	16
5	22
6	35
0	63
1	63
2	51
2	51
1	26
13	12
18	24
13	22
8	26
3	52
5	40
5	19
1	60
18	9
1	55
13	24
15	18
8	30
8	34
13	1
13	14
2	60
11	24
6	18
6	36
7	26
0	19
9	14
5	40
10	34
10	2
10	1
8	39
10	14
0	62
5	28
2	51
8	17
8	30
8	34
10	14
3	39
13	9
1	11
2	46
4	26
5	29
5	26
13	26
5	39
8	16
5	34
15	9
15	1
15	1
20	9
15	9
7	16
2	40
3	33
10	2
5	29
8	27
10	22
5	26
8	26
2	43
6	16
2	46
7	4
5	25
7	22
3	16
8	4
5	26
5	36
5	30
5	29
3	34
4	22
7	29
2	39
8	4
5	33
8	26
5	27
5	28
3	39
3	38
3	39
2	26

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
25	115
31	31
18	98
12	108
18	63
15	36
23	39
11	95
12	93
10	108
33	1
22	2
12	60
19	65
11	67
21	27
9	103
28	28
19	60
18	46
16	79
12	103
13	51
5	108
16	32
3	113
71	18
15	34
23	14
25	40
4	99
23	39
12	39
4	109
15	33
12	64
14	1
2	97
8	15
9	60
7	9
18	26
3	88
14	63
6	82
5	84
10	52
10	31
6	67
11	39
1	95
11	52
11	34
13	26
10	39
5	61
25	16
15	16
36	12
12	28
11	27
15	39
15	39
20	29
13	9
19	7
1	84
5	60
18	39
8	55
18	2
13	26
5	52
4	63
6	60
2	46
10	9
5	63
1	20
3	72
1	76
8	36
4	60
6	51
8	39
15	8
8	38
15	34
23	1
8	9
4	63
13	5
12	2
9	24
7	48
20	8
10	29
5	60
18	18
2	63
10	33
3	63
3	51
5	48
2	58
15	24
10	16
5	22
6	35
0	63
1	63
2	51
2	51
1	26
13	12
18	24
13	22
8	26
3	52
5	40
5	19
1	60
18	9
1	55
13	24
15	18
8	30
8	34
13	1
13	14
2	60
11	24
6	18
6	36
7	26
0	19
9	14
5	40
10	34
10	2
10	1
8	39
10	14
0	62
5	28
2	51
8	17
8	30
8	34
10	14
3	39
13	9
1	11
2	46
4	26
5	29
5	26
13	26
5	39
8	16
5	34
15	9
15	1
15	1
20	9
15	9
7	16
2	40
3	33
10	2
5	29
8	27
10	22
5	26
8	26
2	43
6	16
2	46
7	4
5	25
7	22
3	16
8	4
5	26
5	36
5	30
5	29
3	34
4	22
7	29
2	39
8	4
5	33
8	26
5	27
5	28
3	39
3	38
3	39
2	26