Weather Records on 17 May 1954

298 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 May 1954. Highest significance: Cape Town Maitland (Cem), ZA.

Key Facts for 17 May 1954

On 17 May 1954, 298 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
162 were record highs and 25 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 6 monthly and 292 daily.
Cape Town Maitland (Cem) set a daily record precipitation of 41.5 mm (1.6 in) on 17 May 1954.
Across 167 earlier years (1802 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 435 records.

Record Map

298 stations

298 station records on 17 May 1954 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 May 1954: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Cape Town Maitland (Cem)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	41.5 mm (1.6 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Roswell Muni AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	62.7 mm (2.5 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Avanashi	India	Record daily precipitation	68.3 mm (2.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Vrugbaar	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Rawsonville (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	84.2 mm (3.3 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
The Towers	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Lebanon (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Paarl (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Pesaro	Italy	Record daily precipitation	33.4 mm (1.3 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Colby	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Oakley 4W	United States	Record daily precipitation	52.8 mm (2.1 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Paca-Ata	Kyrgyzstan	Record daily precipitation	45.5 mm (1.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Table.Mtn Woodhead Tunnel	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Gove 4W	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Rothenburg Ob der Tauber	Germany	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Eersterivier (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Stellenbosch (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Holyoke	United States	Record daily precipitation	66.5 mm (2.6 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Hoxie	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.6 mm (1.6 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Riva	Italy	Record low maximum temperature	14.0 C (57.2 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Welbedacht	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Wakeeney	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Salzburg	Austria	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
San Diego de la Union	Mexico	Record high minimum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Serrinha	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Quincy	United States	Record high maximum temperature	35.0 C (95.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Dalton	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.1 mm (1.6 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Richland	United States	Record high maximum temperature	32.8 C (91.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Villiersdorp	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Tuskegee	United States	Record low minimum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Hugoton	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Winnemucca AP	United States	Record high maximum temperature	31.7 C (89.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Annur	India	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Kislovodsk	Russia	Record daily precipitation	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Huntington	United States	Record high maximum temperature	35.0 C (95.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
St Andrews	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Atwood	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.1 mm (1.5 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Arlington	United States	Record high maximum temperature	32.8 C (91.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Winkelman 6 S	United States	Record high minimum temperature	17.2 C (63.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Alturas	United States	Record high maximum temperature	31.1 C (88.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Deer Creek Ph	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Grangeville	United States	Record high maximum temperature	26.1 C (79.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Pomeroy	United States	Record high maximum temperature	28.9 C (84.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Malmesbury	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Stratton	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Chiloquin 1 E	United States	Record high maximum temperature	31.7 C (89.1 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Joseph	United States	Record high minimum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Groot Constantia	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	47.5 mm (1.9 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Moore Haven Lock 1	United States	Record daily precipitation	86.9 mm (3.4 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Moscow U of I	United States	Record high maximum temperature	27.2 C (81.0 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Tucumcari	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Ellendale	United States	Record low minimum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Forest Grove	United States	Record high maximum temperature	31.1 C (88.0 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Tropic	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Lucin	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Tulbagh (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Sidhout(Siddavat)	India	Record daily precipitation	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Tahoe City	United States	Record high minimum temperature	6.7 C (44.1 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Garnett 1 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	21 of 100 (Routine)
Hood Rvr Exp STN	United States	Record high maximum temperature	32.2 C (90.0 F)	21 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

298 records

Records set or tied on 17 May 1954 by type: Highest daily maximum 100, Lowest daily maximum 9, Highest daily minimum 62, Lowest daily minimum 16, Heaviest daily rainfall 111.

Records on 17 May 1954 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	100
Lowest daily maximum	9
Highest daily minimum	62
Lowest daily minimum	16
Heaviest daily rainfall	111
Heaviest daily snowfall	0
Deepest snow cover	0

Records on 17 May 1954 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 6, daily 292.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

243 broken records

Margins by which the 243 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 65.1. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 May 1954

Top 20 records on 17 May 1954 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 May 1954	Cape Town Maitland (Cem), ZA	daily rain	41.5 mm (1.6 in)	33.9 mm (1.3 in)	39 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Roswell Muni AP, US	daily rain	62.7 mm (2.5 in)	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	19 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Avanashi, IN	daily rain	68.3 mm (2.7 in)	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	29 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Vrugbaar, ZA	daily rain	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	37.8 mm (1.5 in)	39 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Rawsonville (Pol), ZA	daily rain	84.2 mm (3.3 in)	65.1 mm (2.6 in)	15 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	The Towers, ZA	daily rain	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	20.2 mm (0.8 in)	48 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Lebanon (Bos), ZA	daily rain	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	48.2 mm (1.9 in)	3 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Paarl (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	22.1 mm (0.9 in)	74 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Pesaro, IT	daily rain	33.4 mm (1.3 in)	16.4 mm (0.6 in)	43 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Colby, US	daily rain	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	23.6 mm (0.9 in)	24 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Oakley 4W, US	daily rain	52.8 mm (2.1 in)	37.1 mm (1.5 in)	0 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Paca-Ata, KG	daily rain	45.5 mm (1.8 in)	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	9 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Table.Mtn Woodhead Tunnel, ZA	daily rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	40 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Gove 4W, US	daily rain	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	16.5 mm (0.6 in)	54 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1954	Rothenburg Ob der Tauber, DE	daily rain	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	9.7 mm (0.38 in)	39 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
17 May 1954	Eersterivier (Bos), ZA	daily rain	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	14.0 mm (0.6 in)	47 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
17 May 1954	Stellenbosch (Tnk), ZA	daily rain	43.9 mm (1.7 in)	21.0 mm (0.8 in)	39 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
17 May 1954	Holyoke, US	daily rain	66.5 mm (2.6 in)	13.9 mm (0.5 in)	55 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
17 May 1954	Hoxie, US	daily rain	39.6 mm (1.6 in)	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	24 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
17 May 1954	Riva, IT	daily low max	14.0 C (57.2 F)	2.6 C (4.7 F)	57 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

1802 to 1954

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1802 to 1954. 1954 had 298 records.

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

Records on 05-17 in each year
Year	Records
1802	2
1803	1
1808	1
1816	1
1834	1
1837	1
1839	1
1847	2
1848	1
1851	1
1853	1
1855	1
1858	1
1859	1
1861	2
1862	2
1863	2
1864	1
1871	2
1872	2
1873	2
1874	4
1877	1
1878	1
1879	2
1880	1
1881	1
1882	2
1883	3
1885	1
1887	1
1888	2
1889	3
1891	8
1892	4
1893	3
1895	8
1896	2
1897	3
1898	6
1899	7
1900	12
1901	2
1902	3
1903	9
1904	12
1905	10
1906	22
1907	10
1908	5
1909	33
1910	16
1911	30
1912	16
1913	24
1914	24
1915	53
1916	49
1917	18
1918	56
1919	35
1920	46
1921	50
1922	30
1923	95
1924	80
1925	326
1926	133
1927	264
1928	127
1929	168
1930	421
1931	201
1932	288
1933	365
1934	373
1935	341
1936	270
1937	183
1938	340
1939	285
1940	338
1941	408
1942	589
1943	855
1944	521
1945	799
1946	586
1947	249
1948	412
1949	544
1950	371
1951	373
1952	777
1953	441
1954	298
1955	570
1956	1,166
1957	469
1958	331
1959	488
1960	402
1961	291
1962	1,325
1963	368
1964	417
1965	462
1966	489
1967	644
1968	564
1969	638
1970	711
1971	723
1972	610
1973	1,016
1974	1,302
1975	365
1976	426
1977	1,078
1978	872
1979	459
1980	768
1981	940
1982	476
1983	1,326
1984	925
1985	561
1986	921
1987	1,054
1988	1,096
1989	1,307
1990	1,135
1991	1,237
1992	1,025
1993	495
1994	858
1995	1,734
1996	1,706
1997	1,619
1998	1,080
1999	795
2000	825
2001	960
2002	964
2003	1,127
2004	769
2005	784
2006	1,522
2007	742
2008	1,309
2009	1,050
2010	880
2011	1,483
2012	711
2013	739
2014	1,062
2015	824
2016	741
2017	1,302
2018	726
2019	686
2020	496
2021	443
2022	479
2023	385
2024	566
2025	928
2026	745

Download the Data

Data for records on 1954-05-17: 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 2026-10-16. Last revised 16 October 2026 (2026-10-16).

Margin	Records
0 to 10	206
10 to 20	18
20 to 30	12
30 to 40	3
40 to 50	2
50 to 60	1
60 to 70	1