Weather Records on 5 May 1956

363 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 5 May 1956. Highest significance: Rietvallei, ZA.

Key Facts for 5 May 1956

On 5 May 1956, 363 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
68 were record highs and 72 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 9 monthly and 353 daily.
Rietvallei set an all-time record daily precipitation of 244.6 mm (9.6 in) on 5 May 1956.
Across 160 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 444 records.

Record Map

363 stations

363 station records on 5 May 1956 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 5 May 1956: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Rietvallei	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	244.6 mm (9.6 in)	73 of 100 (Major)
Daly River Police	Australia	Record daily precipitation	78.5 mm (3.1 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Dhubri	India	Record daily precipitation	154.2 mm (6.1 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Donkerhoek-Rainhill	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Leslie (Mun)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Warmun	Australia	Record daily precipitation	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Driefontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Mamogaleskraal	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Kowanyama Airport	Australia	Record daily precipitation	91.4 mm (3.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Cooch Behar	India	Record daily precipitation	103.9 mm (4.1 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Sousa	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Delmas (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Sarnia	Canada	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Wilgerivier (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Bosbokrand (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Tipton	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Pilgrims Rest (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Hex Krantz	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Jhb-Norwood	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Pretoria-Burgerspark	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.5 mm (1.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Lydenburg	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Lakhipur	India	Record daily precipitation	109.2 mm (4.3 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Waterkloof	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.8 mm (1.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Simcoe	Canada	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Tura	India	Record daily precipitation	136.1 mm (5.4 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Moultrie 2 ESE	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Darwin Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Vaalkop	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Donkerhoek (Skl)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Fraser	United States	Record high minimum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Ivanhoe Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Robe Comparison	Australia	Record low minimum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Bysonder	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Del Norte 3ENE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Westcliffe	United States	Record high minimum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Maquoketa	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Gilberton	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Dublin Phoenix Park	Ireland	Record high minimum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Maandagshoek	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Rustplaats	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Sycamore	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Newaygo Hardy Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Pomeroy	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Longreach Post Office	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	19.4 C (66.9 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Dwarsfontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Vlakplaats	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
De Wagendrift	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	28.5 mm (1.1 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Belleville	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Brooksville Chin Hill	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Varzea Alegre	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Mountain View	Canada	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Springview 2NW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	24 of 100 (Routine)
Natashquan A	Canada	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Buena Vista 2S	United States	Record high minimum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Watertown	United States	Record low maximum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	23 of 100 (Routine)
Dunolly	Australia	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Devala	India	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Chita	Russia	Record low minimum temperature	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)
De Kroon (Irr)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	22 of 100 (Routine)
Cheesman	United States	Record high minimum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	22 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

363 records

Records set or tied on 5 May 1956 by type: Highest daily maximum 17, Lowest daily maximum 32, Highest daily minimum 51, Lowest daily minimum 40, Heaviest daily rainfall 212, Heaviest daily snowfall 11.

Records on 5 May 1956 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	17
Lowest daily maximum	32
Highest daily minimum	51
Lowest daily minimum	40
Heaviest daily rainfall	212
Heaviest daily snowfall	11
Deepest snow cover	0

Records on 5 May 1956 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 9, daily 353.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

299 broken records

Margins by which the 299 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 105.7. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

5 May 1956

Top 20 records on 5 May 1956 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
5 May 1956	Rietvallei, ZA	all-time rain	244.6 mm (9.6 in)	84.6 mm (3.3 in)	31 years	73 of 100 (Major)
5 May 1956	Daly River Police, AU	monthly rain	78.5 mm (3.1 in)	36.6 mm (1.4 in)	40 years	62 of 100 (Major)
5 May 1956	Dhubri, IN	daily rain	154.2 mm (6.1 in)	105.7 mm (4.2 in)	43 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Donkerhoek-Rainhill, ZA	daily rain	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	35 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Leslie (Mun), ZA	daily rain	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	43 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Warmun, AU	daily rain	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	33 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Driefontein, ZA	daily rain	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	29.3 mm (1.2 in)	33 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Mamogaleskraal, ZA	daily rain	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	33 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Kowanyama Airport, AU	monthly rain	91.4 mm (3.6 in)	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	35 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Cooch Behar, IN	daily rain	103.9 mm (4.1 in)	80.5 mm (3.2 in)	42 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Sousa, BR	daily rain	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	54.7 mm (2.2 in)	16 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Delmas (Pol), ZA	daily rain	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	37.5 mm (1.5 in)	30 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Sarnia, CA	daily rain	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	17.2 mm (0.7 in)	56 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Wilgerivier (Sar), ZA	daily rain	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	25.5 mm (1.0 in)	35 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Bosbokrand (Pol), ZA	daily rain	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	18.5 mm (0.7 in)	45 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Tipton, US	daily rain	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	27.7 mm (1.1 in)	43 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Pilgrims Rest (Pol), ZA	daily rain	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	20.0 mm (0.8 in)	35 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Hex Krantz, ZA	daily rain	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	29.4 mm (1.2 in)	30 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Jhb-Norwood, ZA	daily rain	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	22.2 mm (0.9 in)	35 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
5 May 1956	Pretoria-Burgerspark, ZA	daily rain	26.5 mm (1.0 in)	24.5 mm (1.0 in)	35 years	36 of 100 (Notable)

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

1795 to 1956

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1795 to 1956. 1956 had 363 records.

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

Records on 05-05 in each year
Year	Records
1795	2
1805	1
1836	1
1837	1
1840	1
1850	4
1852	1
1855	1
1856	2
1859	2
1861	5
1862	1
1864	2
1867	1
1875	2
1877	2
1878	1
1879	2
1880	1
1882	1
1884	2
1885	1
1886	3
1888	3
1889	5
1890	2
1891	3
1892	5
1894	3
1895	2
1896	1
1897	2
1898	6
1899	5
1900	3
1901	2
1902	5
1903	9
1904	14
1905	17
1906	4
1907	16
1908	14
1909	17
1910	19
1911	17
1912	17
1913	46
1914	39
1915	73
1916	98
1917	70
1918	24
1919	77
1920	41
1921	63
1922	98
1923	139
1924	132
1925	143
1926	220
1927	115
1928	149
1929	256
1930	469
1931	250
1932	166
1933	339
1934	448
1935	417
1936	377
1937	159
1938	362
1939	222
1940	446
1941	415
1942	529
1943	427
1944	1,237
1945	355
1946	306
1947	528
1948	671
1949	1,099
1950	893
1951	174
1952	723
1953	659
1954	607
1955	382
1956	363
1957	561
1958	404
1959	587
1960	773
1961	644
1962	261
1963	249
1964	643
1965	724
1966	1,413
1967	613
1968	434
1969	530
1970	386
1971	444
1972	292
1973	542
1974	716
1975	711
1976	402
1977	708
1978	1,033
1979	1,534
1980	562
1981	524
1982	659
1983	475
1984	767
1985	463
1986	968
1987	895
1988	820
1989	941
1990	1,511
1991	1,176
1992	1,004
1993	725
1994	743
1995	888
1996	1,368
1997	1,220
1998	1,707
1999	1,301
2000	1,442
2001	963
2002	883
2003	1,792
2004	1,401
2005	1,009
2006	657
2007	850
2008	453
2009	751
2010	1,053
2011	857
2012	1,281
2013	1,265
2014	680
2015	783
2016	554
2017	849
2018	481
2019	538
2020	403
2021	733
2022	514
2023	579
2024	961
2025	717
2026	538

Download the Data

Data for records on 1956-05-05: 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 20	260
20 to 40	29
40 to 60	6
60 to 80	1
80 to 100	2
100 to 120	1