Weather Records on 16 May 1938

299 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 16 May 1938. Highest significance: Perpignan, FR.

Key Facts for 16 May 1938

On 16 May 1938, 299 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
104 were record highs and 42 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 7 monthly and 292 daily.
Perpignan set a daily record precipitation of 41.6 mm (1.6 in) on 16 May 1938.
Across 165 earlier years (1802 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 439 records.

Record Map

299 stations

299 station records on 16 May 1938 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 16 May 1938: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Perpignan	France	Record daily precipitation	41.6 mm (1.6 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Jind	India	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Pierre Rgnl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Karnaprayag	India	Record daily precipitation	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Hawi 168	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Gann Valley 4NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Waimanalo 794	United States	Record low minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Talcher	India	Record daily precipitation	42.2 mm (1.7 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Kennebec	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Tewantin Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Kowardha	India	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Lares	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record daily precipitation	152.4 mm (6.0 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Kurseong	India	Record daily precipitation	90.7 mm (3.6 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Visby_Flygplats	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	27.5 C (81.5 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Bridgeport	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Victoria Cp&L	United States	Record daily precipitation	136.9 mm (5.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Boylston	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Sandvig	Denmark	Record high maximum temperature	26.5 C (79.7 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Putbus	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	26.0 C (78.8 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Stockholm	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	28.0 C (82.4 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Sandvig	Denmark	Record high minimum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Hallettsville 2 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	70.6 mm (2.8 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Peak Hill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Mungar Junction	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.1 mm (1.4 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Chakradhanpur	India	Record daily precipitation	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Caledon (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Deniliquin (Wilkinson St)	Australia	Record high maximum temperature	27.8 C (82.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Gavle	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	27.5 C (81.5 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Cap Madeleine	Canada	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Timovskoe	Russia	Record high minimum temperature	4.3 C (39.7 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Vastervik	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	28.9 C (84.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Uppsala_Aut	Sweden	Record high minimum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Sfax El-Maou	Tunisia	Record low maximum temperature	16.0 C (60.8 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Berlin-Dahlem	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	16.0 C (60.8 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Jonkoping	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	27.0 C (80.6 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Mount Augustus	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Greifswald	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	27.5 C (81.5 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Chemnitz	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	13.1 C (55.6 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Visby_Flygplats	Sweden	Record high minimum temperature	13.0 C (55.4 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Kristianstad	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	26.5 C (79.7 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Ulricehamn	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	27.2 C (81.0 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Orebro	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	25.6 C (78.1 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Orebro	Sweden	Record high minimum temperature	11.0 C (51.8 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Stockholm	Sweden	Record high minimum temperature	12.5 C (54.5 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Ewa Plantation 741	United States	Record low minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Barkerville	Canada	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Ramnagar Sr	India	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Serampore	India	Record daily precipitation	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Falun	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	26.0 C (78.8 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Vanersborg	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	22.5 C (72.5 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Skara 1	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	24.1 C (75.4 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Beaver	United States	Record high minimum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Moab	United States	Record high minimum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Independence	United States	Record daily precipitation	16.3 mm (0.6 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Unnao	India	Record daily precipitation	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Smith Bay (Smiths Bay)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	19.6 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Robertson	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	15.7 mm (0.6 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Chatham	Canada	Record daily precipitation	19.3 mm (0.8 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Akbarpur	India	Record daily precipitation	16.5 mm (0.6 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)
Dunderlandsdalen	Norway	Record daily precipitation	18.6 mm (0.7 in)	20 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

299 records

Records set or tied on 16 May 1938 by type: Highest daily maximum 37, Lowest daily maximum 23, Highest daily minimum 67, Lowest daily minimum 19, Heaviest daily rainfall 152, Heaviest daily snowfall 1.

Records on 16 May 1938 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	37
Lowest daily maximum	23
Highest daily minimum	67
Lowest daily minimum	19
Heaviest daily rainfall	152
Heaviest daily snowfall	1
Deepest snow cover	0

Records on 16 May 1938 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 7, daily 292.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

252 broken records

Margins by which the 252 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 47.7. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

16 May 1938

Top 20 records on 16 May 1938 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
16 May 1938	Perpignan, FR	daily rain	41.6 mm (1.6 in)	33.1 mm (1.3 in)	24 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1938	Jind, IN	daily rain	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	36 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1938	Pierre Rgnl AP, US	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	28 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1938	Karnaprayag, IN	daily rain	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	19.5 mm (0.8 in)	32 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1938	Hawi 168, US	daily rain	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	27 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1938	Gann Valley 4NW, US	daily rain	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	23.7 mm (0.9 in)	33 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1938	Waimanalo 794, US	monthly low min	13.9 C (57.0 F)	2.2 C (4.0 F)	22 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1938	Talcher, IN	daily rain	42.2 mm (1.7 in)	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	11 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
16 May 1938	Kennebec, US	daily rain	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	23.3 mm (0.9 in)	28 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
16 May 1938	Tewantin Post Office, AU	daily rain	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	37 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
16 May 1938	Kowardha, IN	daily rain	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	20.1 mm (0.8 in)	20 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
16 May 1938	Lares, PR	monthly rain	152.4 mm (6.0 in)	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	2 years	32 of 100 (Routine)
16 May 1938	Kurseong, IN	daily rain	90.7 mm (3.6 in)	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	32 years	31 of 100 (Routine)
16 May 1938	Visby_Flygplats, SE	monthly high max	27.5 C (81.5 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	51 years	31 of 100 (Routine)
16 May 1938	Bridgeport, US	daily rain	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	14.9 mm (0.6 in)	36 years	31 of 100 (Routine)
16 May 1938	Victoria Cp&L, US	monthly rain	136.9 mm (5.4 in)	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	1 year	31 of 100 (Routine)
16 May 1938	Boylston, US	daily rain	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	8 years	30 of 100 (Routine)
16 May 1938	Sandvig, DK	daily high max	26.5 C (79.7 F)	2.3 C (4.1 F)	56 years	28 of 100 (Routine)
16 May 1938	Putbus, DE	daily high max	26.0 C (78.8 F)	0.1 C (0.2 F)	69 years	28 of 100 (Routine)
16 May 1938	Stockholm, SE	daily high max	28.0 C (82.4 F)	5.0 C (9.0 F)	43 years	28 of 100 (Routine)

Significance is a score from 0 to 100 combining margin, the age of the old record and the length of the station's record. How it is computed.

The Same Date in Other Years

1802 to 1938

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1802 to 1938. 1938 had 299 records.

Counts for years before the ledger starts come from the same station rules.

Records on 05-16 in each year
Year	Records
1802	1
1806	1
1820	1
1825	1
1832	1
1837	1
1847	1
1856	1
1858	1
1861	1
1862	1
1863	1
1864	1
1866	1
1867	2
1871	1
1874	3
1878	1
1879	1
1880	1
1881	1
1882	1
1883	1
1884	1
1885	1
1886	1
1887	2
1888	2
1889	2
1890	1
1891	4
1892	3
1893	1
1894	2
1895	6
1896	2
1897	1
1898	11
1899	6
1900	7
1901	2
1902	10
1903	9
1904	17
1905	13
1906	25
1907	13
1908	6
1909	57
1910	24
1911	22
1912	13
1913	24
1914	11
1915	104
1916	38
1917	48
1918	395
1919	28
1920	69
1921	106
1922	31
1923	126
1924	152
1925	177
1926	211
1927	230
1928	121
1929	273
1930	170
1931	254
1932	441
1933	268
1934	304
1935	320
1936	520
1937	279
1938	299
1939	448
1940	334
1941	429
1942	721
1943	652
1944	531
1945	888
1946	327
1947	344
1948	281
1949	360
1950	210
1951	558
1952	773
1953	421
1954	251
1955	525
1956	697
1957	610
1958	361
1959	680
1960	370
1961	378
1962	1,295
1963	552
1964	313
1965	442
1966	420
1967	611
1968	790
1969	423
1970	520
1971	509
1972	625
1973	869
1974	1,207
1975	544
1976	518
1977	1,269
1978	808
1979	506
1980	830
1981	896
1982	427
1983	1,579
1984	981
1985	536
1986	747
1987	1,369
1988	946
1989	938
1990	1,068
1991	1,094
1992	809
1993	653
1994	705
1995	1,235
1996	1,835
1997	1,932
1998	1,500
1999	778
2000	1,129
2001	1,110
2002	694
2003	1,289
2004	869
2005	870
2006	1,345
2007	692
2008	1,034
2009	897
2010	836
2011	1,398
2012	770
2013	596
2014	1,483
2015	782
2016	793
2017	710
2018	1,013
2019	572
2020	431
2021	419
2022	717
2023	653
2024	601
2025	993
2026	558

Download the Data

Data for records on 1938-05-16: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.

Sources: 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)) Made with Natural Earth. Public domain map data. Borders are Natural Earth's de facto depiction. Data as of 2026-10-17 (17 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2026-10-15. Last revised 15 October 2026 (2026-10-15).

Histogram of margins by which records were beaten on 16 May 1938
Margin	Records
0 to 10	208
10 to 20	25
20 to 30	10
30 to 40	8
40 to 50	1