Heat wave in Japan and 5 other countries, 12 to 24 May 2021
Heat wave in Japan and 5 other countries, 12 to 24 May 2021: 302 records at 168 stations, peak on 16 May 2021. Closed.
Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-17).
Key Facts
- Heat wave in Japan and 5 other countries, 12 to 24 May 2021 set or tied 302 station records at 168 stations.
- It ran from 12 May 2021 to 24 May 2021 (13 days) and its peak day was 16 May 2021.
- Status: closed.
- Mokpo set a daily record high minimum temperature of 19.5 C (67.1 F) on 15 May 2021.
- The busiest day was 16 May 2021 with 51 records.
- The oldest broken record in the ranked list had stood for 83 years.
Footprint
12 to 24 May 2021| Station | Type | Value | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mokpo | Record high minimum temperature | 19.5 C (67.1 F) | 2021-05-15 |
| Kawaguchiko | Record high minimum temperature | 16.8 C (62.2 F) | 2021-05-17 |
| Kofu | Record high minimum temperature | 21.1 C (70.0 F) | 2021-05-18 |
| Saga | Record high minimum temperature | 22.3 C (72.1 F) | 2021-05-16 |
| Ilyinskiy | Record high maximum temperature | 20.8 C (69.4 F) | 2021-05-17 |
| Matsuyama | Record high minimum temperature | 19.4 C (66.9 F) | 2021-05-14 |
| Izuhara | Record high minimum temperature | 18.5 C (65.3 F) | 2021-05-15 |
| Iizuka | Record high minimum temperature | 22.5 C (72.5 F) | 2021-05-16 |
| Ushibuka | Record high minimum temperature | 22.0 C (71.6 F) | 2021-05-16 |
| Irozaki | Record high minimum temperature | 20.1 C (68.2 F) | 2021-05-18 |
| Pogranichnoe | Record high maximum temperature | 26.3 C (79.3 F) | 2021-05-18 |
| Poset | Record high minimum temperature | 10.9 C (51.6 F) | 2021-05-15 |
| Tadotsu | Record high minimum temperature | 19.1 C (66.4 F) | 2021-05-17 |
| Fukuoka | Record high minimum temperature | 21.3 C (70.3 F) | 2021-05-15 |
| Hita | Record high minimum temperature | 21.0 C (69.8 F) | 2021-05-16 |
| Naze | Record high minimum temperature | 25.6 C (78.1 F) | 2021-05-20 |
| Hamamatsu | Record high minimum temperature | 20.1 C (68.2 F) | 2021-05-18 |
| Tonghe | Record high minimum temperature | 16.4 C (61.5 F) | 2021-05-20 |
| Shizuoka | Record high minimum temperature | 18.9 C (66.0 F) | 2021-05-20 |
| Esashi | Record high minimum temperature | 13.6 C (56.5 F) | 2021-05-21 |
Records per Day
Peak day 51| Date | Records |
|---|---|
| 2021-05-12 | 3 |
| 2021-05-13 | 7 |
| 2021-05-14 | 24 |
| 2021-05-15 | 35 |
| 2021-05-16 | 51 |
| 2021-05-17 | 32 |
| 2021-05-18 | 42 |
| 2021-05-19 | 11 |
| 2021-05-20 | 24 |
| 2021-05-21 | 13 |
| 2021-05-22 | 31 |
| 2021-05-23 | 24 |
| 2021-05-24 | 5 |
Top Records by Margin
Margin over the record replaced| Iizuka, 05-16 | |
|---|---|
| Kawaguchiko, 05-17 | |
| Saga, 05-16 | |
| Pogranichnoe, 05-18 | |
| Tonghe, 05-20 | |
| Fukuoka, 05-15 | |
| Mokpo, 05-15 | |
| Ilyinskiy, 05-17 | |
| Hita, 05-16 | |
| Ushibuka, 05-16 | |
| Matsuyama, 05-14 | |
| Irozaki, 05-18 | |
| Naze, 05-20 | |
| Izuhara, 05-15 | |
| Esashi, 05-21 |
Margin is how far the new value is beyond the record it replaced. Ties are not shown.
Margin Against Age of the Broken Record
| Margin (C) | Years the old record stood |
|---|---|
| 2.5 | 83 |
| 3.6 | 70 |
| 0.6 | 60 |
| 3.0 | 60 |
| 2.5 | 72 |
| 1.6 | 70 |
| 4.2 | 52 |
| 2.1 | 60 |
| 2.0 | 67 |
| 2.0 | 54 |
| 2.8 | 72 |
| 1.2 | 70 |
| 0.4 | 76 |
| 2.7 | 52 |
| 2.5 | 60 |
| 1.7 | 60 |
| 2.8 | 56 |
| 1.6 | 59 |
| 1.4 | 58 |
| 0.9 | 68 |
| 1.6 | 58 |
| 2.4 | 58 |
| 1.5 | 60 |
| 1.5 | 62 |
| 2.6 | 52 |
| 1.2 | 58 |
| 2.1 | 52 |
| 1.0 | 60 |
| 1.9 | 58 |
| 0.9 | 66 |
| 1.4 | 58 |
| 0.1 | 70 |
| 0.3 | 68 |
| 1.4 | 58 |
| 0.5 | 67 |
| 2.0 | 52 |
| 1.5 | 47 |
| 0.6 | 68 |
| 1.0 | 60 |
| 2.4 | 44 |
| 1.4 | 58 |
| 1.8 | 48 |
| 0.2 | 68 |
| 0.2 | 68 |
| 1.2 | 58 |
| 0.9 | 60 |
| 1.3 | 58 |
| 1.1 | 60 |
| 1.7 | 52 |
| 1.2 | 58 |
| 0.2 | 67 |
| 1.5 | 52 |
| 0.9 | 58 |
| 0.4 | 63 |
| 1.4 | 52 |
| 1.7 | 48 |
| 1.1 | 58 |
| 1.3 | 52 |
| 1.0 | 58 |
| 1.4 | 52 |
| 0.6 | 58 |
| 0.2 | 67 |
| 1.2 | 52 |
| 0.8 | 58 |
| 0.6 | 60 |
| 1.5 | 43 |
| 0.3 | 62 |
| 0.6 | 59 |
| 0.8 | 56 |
| 2.1 | 44 |
| 1.4 | 48 |
| 0.5 | 58 |
| 0.6 | 54 |
| 0.1 | 60 |
| 0.2 | 60 |
| 1.0 | 52 |
| 1.8 | 52 |
| 0.4 | 58 |
| 0.6 | 58 |
| 0.3 | 58 |
| 2.0 | 44 |
| 3.3 | 39 |
| 3.1 | 42 |
| 0.5 | 55 |
| 0.6 | 55 |
| 1.1 | 46 |
| 0.6 | 52 |
| 0.7 | 52 |
| 0.3 | 58 |
| 0.7 | 52 |
| 0.5 | 58 |
| 0.4 | 58 |
| 0.5 | 55 |
| 0.4 | 59 |
| 1.3 | 47 |
| 2.7 | 36 |
| 0.2 | 55 |
| 0.2 | 58 |
| 1.3 | 40 |
| 0.2 | 54 |
| 0.2 | 58 |
| 0.5 | 52 |
| 0.8 | 48 |
| 3.1 | 42 |
| 0.9 | 44 |
| 1.1 | 48 |
| 1.9 | 40 |
| 0.8 | 47 |
| 1.6 | 32 |
| 0.1 | 52 |
| 0.3 | 52 |
| 0.2 | 52 |
| 0.8 | 44 |
| 0.5 | 47 |
| 0.5 | 52 |
| 0.2 | 52 |
| 0.1 | 16 |
| 1.6 | 30 |
| 2.8 | 23 |
| 2.0 | 42 |
| 0.3 | 48 |
| 1.6 | 43 |
| 3.9 | 2 |
| 1.6 | 42 |
| 0.9 | 40 |
| 0.7 | 43 |
| 0.9 | 40 |
| 0.3 | 44 |
| 1.0 | 39 |
| 0.2 | 47 |
| 0.8 | 44 |
| 1.5 | 36 |
| 1.9 | 36 |
| 1.6 | 31 |
| 1.7 | 23 |
| 1.6 | 42 |
| 0.2 | 44 |
| 0.5 | 40 |
| 1.9 | 24 |
| 0.6 | 47 |
| 0.8 | 36 |
| 0.9 | 42 |
| 0.4 | 30 |
| 0.4 | 42 |
| 0.1 | 40 |
| 0.2 | 40 |
| 1.1 | 30 |
| 1.5 | 23 |
| 0.1 | 47 |
| 1.8 | 23 |
| 1.0 | 30 |
| 0.2 | 44 |
| 3.0 | 18 |
| 1.9 | 19 |
| 0.4 | 40 |
| 3.8 | 3 |
| 0.1 | 36 |
| 0.2 | 31 |
| 2.9 | 18 |
| 0.8 | 30 |
| 0.7 | 24 |
| 1.1 | 24 |
| 0.3 | 36 |
| 0.2 | 4 |
| 0.6 | 32 |
| 2.9 | 11 |
| 0.3 | 27 |
| 0.7 | 24 |
| 0.6 | 24 |
| 1.1 | 16 |
| 0.5 | 27 |
| 0.5 | 27 |
| 0.7 | 24 |
| 0.7 | 24 |
| 1.6 | 12 |
| 0.4 | 32 |
| 0.7 | 28 |
| 2.2 | 18 |
| 2.6 | 12 |
| 3.1 | 2 |
| 1.2 | 22 |
| 2.9 | 0 |
| 0.4 | 23 |
| 0.8 | 16 |
| 1.5 | 16 |
| 0.7 | 23 |
| 0.1 | 30 |
| 1.1 | 22 |
| 1.3 | 18 |
| 3.7 | 3 |
| 1.7 | 8 |
| 0.2 | 31 |
| 0.7 | 16 |
| 0.8 | 19 |
| 1.5 | 16 |
| 0.4 | 23 |
| 0.5 | 24 |
| 0.8 | 16 |
| 0.5 | 24 |
| 2.4 | 3 |
Compared With Other Events
Station records per event| Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 16 January to 14 February 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Heat wave in United States, 28 January to 24 February 2026 | |
| Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 24 May to 19 June 2020 | |
| Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 26 March to 17 April 2021 | |
| Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022 | |
| Heat wave in Japan and 5 other countries, 12 to 24 May 2021 (this event) |
Every Record Set
20 of 302| Date | Station | Record | Value | Margin | Years stood | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-05-14 | Matsuyama | Record high minimum temperature | 19.4 C (66.9 F) | 2.0 C (3.6 F) | 67 | 34 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-15 | Mokpo | Record high minimum temperature | 19.5 C (67.1 F) | 2.5 C (4.5 F) | 83 | 43 of 100 (Notable) |
| 2021-05-15 | Izuhara | Record high minimum temperature | 18.5 C (65.3 F) | 1.6 C (2.9 F) | 70 | 34 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-15 | Poset | Record high minimum temperature | 10.9 C (51.6 F) | 0.4 C (0.7 F) | 76 | 32 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-15 | Fukuoka | Record high minimum temperature | 21.3 C (70.3 F) | 2.7 C (4.9 F) | 52 | 31 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-16 | Saga | Record high minimum temperature | 22.3 C (72.1 F) | 3.0 C (5.4 F) | 60 | 35 of 100 (Notable) |
| 2021-05-16 | Iizuka | Record high minimum temperature | 22.5 C (72.5 F) | 4.2 C (7.6 F) | 52 | 34 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-16 | Ushibuka | Record high minimum temperature | 22.0 C (71.6 F) | 2.1 C (3.8 F) | 60 | 34 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-16 | Hita | Record high minimum temperature | 21.0 C (69.8 F) | 2.5 C (4.5 F) | 60 | 31 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-17 | Kawaguchiko | Record high minimum temperature | 16.8 C (62.2 F) | 3.6 C (6.5 F) | 70 | 39 of 100 (Notable) |
| 2021-05-17 | Ilyinskiy | Record high maximum temperature | 20.8 C (69.4 F) | 2.5 C (4.5 F) | 72 | 35 of 100 (Notable) |
| 2021-05-17 | Tadotsu | Record high minimum temperature | 19.1 C (66.4 F) | 1.2 C (2.2 F) | 70 | 32 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-18 | Kofu | Record high minimum temperature | 21.1 C (70.0 F) | 0.6 C (1.1 F) | 60 | 36 of 100 (Notable) |
| 2021-05-18 | Irozaki | Record high minimum temperature | 20.1 C (68.2 F) | 2.0 C (3.6 F) | 54 | 33 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-18 | Pogranichnoe | Record high maximum temperature | 26.3 C (79.3 F) | 2.8 C (5.0 F) | 72 | 33 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-18 | Hamamatsu | Record high minimum temperature | 20.1 C (68.2 F) | 1.4 C (2.5 F) | 58 | 30 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-20 | Naze | Record high minimum temperature | 25.6 C (78.1 F) | 1.7 C (3.1 F) | 60 | 31 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-20 | Tonghe | Record high minimum temperature | 16.4 C (61.5 F) | 2.8 C (5.0 F) | 56 | 30 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-20 | Shizuoka | Record high minimum temperature | 18.9 C (66.0 F) | 0.9 C (1.6 F) | 68 | 30 of 100 (Routine) |
| 2021-05-21 | Esashi | Record high minimum temperature | 13.6 C (56.5 F) | 1.6 C (2.9 F) | 59 | 30 of 100 (Routine) |
The daily ledgers keep a limited number of records per day, so this list has 20 of the 302 records the event counts. The counts above use the full total.
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.