Weather Records on 23 May 1938

390 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 23 May 1938. Highest significance: Harrisonville, US.

Key Facts for 23 May 1938

On 23 May 1938, 390 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
161 were record highs and 43 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 7 monthly and 383 daily.
Harrisonville set a daily record precipitation of 83.6 mm (3.3 in) on 23 May 1938.
Across 158 earlier years (1793 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 463 records.

Record Map

390 stations

390 station records on 23 May 1938 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 23 May 1938: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Harrisonville	United States	Record daily precipitation	83.6 mm (3.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Philo	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Philo 3 SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Avon Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Carmel	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Huehue 92.1	United States	Record daily precipitation	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Gongolgon Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Carmel 4 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Morenci	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Plymouth Pwr Substn	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
1 WSW Princeton	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.1 mm (2.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Mongpoo	India	Record daily precipitation	112.8 mm (4.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Washington 1 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
McAlester Rgnl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	110.7 mm (4.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Hutchinson River	United States	Record daily precipitation	57.7 mm (2.3 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Honokaa Mauka	United States	Record daily precipitation	81.3 mm (3.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Columbia Wb City	United States	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Pavagada	India	Record daily precipitation	83.8 mm (3.3 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Warrensburg 4NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	84.3 mm (3.3 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Landsborough Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Fayetteville	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.2 mm (2.5 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Elkhart	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Kynnersley	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Soro	India	Record daily precipitation	78.7 mm (3.1 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Harrison	United States	Record daily precipitation	52.1 mm (2.1 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Rogers	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.8 mm (1.9 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Pratt 3NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Fayetteville Exp STN	United States	Record daily precipitation	58.7 mm (2.3 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Mammoth Spring	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Mt Vernon 3 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Huntingburg AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Princeton	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Harbor Beach 1 SSE	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Ingham Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Tibooburra (Olive Downs)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Curlewis Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Kurseong	India	Record daily precipitation	114.3 mm (4.5 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Charleston	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Birch Tree	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Lexington Bluegrass AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Bolivar Wtr Wks	United States	Record daily precipitation	64.5 mm (2.5 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Victoria Sugar Mill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Flora 5 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	65.3 mm (2.6 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Salem	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Bowen Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Yengarie Railway Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	37.3 mm (1.5 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
New Westminster	Canada	Record high maximum temperature	28.3 C (82.9 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Georgetown	Canada	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Santa Cruz	United States	Record high maximum temperature	30.6 C (87.1 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Calhoun (1)	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Dayton Mcd	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Corvallis State UNIV	United States	Record high maximum temperature	31.7 C (89.1 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Paauhau 217	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Tewantin Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	76.2 mm (3.0 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Eureka Springs 3 WNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	71.9 mm (2.8 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Eureka 1E	United States	Record daily precipitation	85.6 mm (3.4 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Irvington	United States	Record daily precipitation	72.9 mm (2.9 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Mtn Grove 2 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Shelbina	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Wilmington Wb City	United States	Record high minimum temperature	23.3 C (73.9 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

390 records

Records set or tied on 23 May 1938 by type: Highest daily maximum 93, Lowest daily maximum 32, Highest daily minimum 68, Lowest daily minimum 11, Heaviest daily rainfall 186.

Records on 23 May 1938 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	93
Lowest daily maximum	32
Highest daily minimum	68
Lowest daily minimum	11
Heaviest daily rainfall	186
Heaviest daily snowfall	0
Deepest snow cover	0

Records on 23 May 1938 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 7, daily 383.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

323 broken records

Margins by which the 323 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 67.3. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

23 May 1938

Top 20 records on 23 May 1938 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
23 May 1938	Harrisonville, US	daily rain	83.6 mm (3.3 in)	58.2 mm (2.3 in)	29 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Philo, US	daily rain	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	27 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Philo 3 SW, US	daily rain	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	32.8 mm (1.3 in)	31 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Avon Downs, AU	daily rain	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	48 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Mt Carmel, US	daily rain	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	36 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Huehue 92.1, US	daily rain	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	38.8 mm (1.5 in)	20 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Gongolgon Post Office, AU	daily rain	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	41 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Mt Carmel 4 NW, US	daily rain	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	28 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Morenci, US	daily rain	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	28 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Plymouth Pwr Substn, US	daily rain	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	24.2 mm (1.0 in)	43 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	1 WSW Princeton, US	daily rain	55.1 mm (2.2 in)	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	33 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Mongpoo, IN	daily rain	112.8 mm (4.4 in)	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	1 year	38 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Washington 1 W, US	daily rain	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	27.6 mm (1.1 in)	36 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	McAlester Rgnl AP, US	daily rain	110.7 mm (4.4 in)	64.7 mm (2.5 in)	15 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Hutchinson River, US	daily rain	57.7 mm (2.3 in)	32.6 mm (1.3 in)	28 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Honokaa Mauka, US	daily rain	81.3 mm (3.2 in)	67.3 mm (2.6 in)	16 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Columbia Wb City, US	daily rain	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	20.0 mm (0.8 in)	47 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1938	Pavagada, IN	daily rain	83.8 mm (3.3 in)	51.5 mm (2.0 in)	0 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
23 May 1938	Warrensburg 4NW, US	daily rain	84.3 mm (3.3 in)	32.2 mm (1.3 in)	29 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
23 May 1938	Landsborough Post Office, AU	daily rain	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	42 years	32 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

1793 to 1938

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1938. 1938 had 390 records.

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

Records on 05-23 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1794	1
1798	1
1817	1
1818	1
1837	3
1845	1
1847	2
1857	1
1863	1
1865	2
1866	5
1867	7
1870	2
1871	1
1875	1
1877	1
1878	1
1880	1
1884	2
1885	2
1886	4
1887	1
1889	2
1891	11
1893	3
1894	1
1895	3
1896	4
1897	3
1898	8
1899	3
1900	12
1901	3
1902	12
1903	6
1904	14
1905	10
1906	23
1907	11
1908	13
1909	23
1910	26
1911	39
1912	31
1913	29
1914	33
1915	13
1916	44
1917	58
1918	36
1919	120
1920	37
1921	92
1922	82
1923	99
1924	230
1925	325
1926	204
1927	243
1928	177
1929	221
1930	199
1931	719
1932	358
1933	443
1934	203
1935	369
1936	568
1937	156
1938	390
1939	415
1940	324
1941	676
1942	235
1943	342
1944	784
1945	241
1946	311
1947	285
1948	273
1949	612
1950	490
1951	400
1952	597
1953	777
1954	496
1955	650
1956	498
1957	653
1958	744
1959	486
1960	395
1961	412
1962	677
1963	1,153
1964	964
1965	477
1966	391
1967	1,055
1968	578
1969	437
1970	314
1971	659
1972	449
1973	371
1974	678
1975	855
1976	556
1977	596
1978	703
1979	730
1980	1,202
1981	862
1982	717
1983	1,123
1984	1,027
1985	608
1986	626
1987	745
1988	662
1989	1,106
1990	1,660
1991	1,244
1992	1,423
1993	845
1994	690
1995	1,106
1996	1,114
1997	983
1998	947
1999	705
2000	1,372
2001	1,441
2002	1,537
2003	954
2004	1,275
2005	908
2006	1,122
2007	1,170
2008	1,472
2009	805
2010	1,275
2011	1,001
2012	1,006
2013	929
2014	858
2015	667
2016	679
2017	602
2018	552
2019	1,044
2020	631
2021	837
2022	807
2023	316
2024	760
2025	865
2026	804

Download the Data

Data for records on 1938-05-23: 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).

Margin	Records
0 to 10	235
10 to 20	41
20 to 30	20
30 to 40	21
40 to 50	1
50 to 60	3
60 to 70	2