Weather Records on 8 May 1956

490 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 8 May 1956. Highest significance: Mount Surprise Township, AU.

Key Facts for 8 May 1956

On 8 May 1956, 490 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
85 were record highs and 187 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 24 monthly and 466 daily.
Mount Surprise Township set a daily record precipitation of 82.6 mm (3.3 in) on 8 May 1956.
Across 163 earlier years (1795 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 430 records.

Record Map

490 stations

490 station records on 8 May 1956 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 8 May 1956: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Mount Surprise Township	Australia	Record daily precipitation	82.6 mm (3.3 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Mt Garnet Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	67.3 mm (2.6 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Irvinebank	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Mount Wellington (the Springs)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	78.7 mm (3.1 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Immarna	Australia	Record daily precipitation	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Spring Creek Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Fort McPherson	Canada	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Potlatch 3 NNE	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Gunnawarra	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.4 mm (1.6 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Youanmi Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	37.3 mm (1.5 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Madras	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Chudleigh Park Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Fortine 1 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Bend	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Dunbar Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Barrie	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-5.6 C (21.9 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Marnai	India	Record daily precipitation	162.8 mm (6.4 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Gilberton	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Oak Park Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Mathabhanga	India	Record daily precipitation	113.0 mm (4.4 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Pupri	India	Record daily precipitation	56.1 mm (2.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Ochoco Rs	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.6 mm (1.6 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Chillagoe Atherton Street	Australia	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Prineville	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Burdekin Shire Council	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Kingston Queens U	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Lake Alfred Exp STN	United States	Record daily precipitation	52.8 mm (2.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Mount Magnet	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Georgetown Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Hyannis	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.7 C (28.9 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Cornwall	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Glendower Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Clarke River Telecom	Australia	Record daily precipitation	37.8 mm (1.5 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Lyndhurst Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Parry Sound	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Barh	India	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Valley of Lagoons	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Greenvale	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Orbost (Comparison)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	36.6 mm (1.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Lockport 2SE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-3.9 C (25.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Kingston Queens U	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Haliburton A	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Freiburg	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	26.0 C (78.8 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Riva	Italy	Record high maximum temperature	24.0 C (75.2 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Newport News Press Bld	United States	Record low minimum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Hughenden Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Clontarf	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-7.2 C (19.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Southampton	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-3.3 C (26.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Peterborough	Canada	Record low minimum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Cooch Behar	India	Record daily precipitation	119.9 mm (4.7 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Bothaville (Mun)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Pocomoke City	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Oneonta 1 S	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-3.9 C (25.0 F)	27 of 100 (Routine)
Nugent	Australia	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Gloversville	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-3.3 C (26.1 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Conway	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Bennington 2 NNW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-3.9 C (25.0 F)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Ft Myers Page Fld AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	26 of 100 (Routine)
Fraser Range	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.7 mm (1.2 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)
Ooldea Railway	Australia	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	25 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

490 records

Records set or tied on 8 May 1956 by type: Highest daily maximum 59, Lowest daily maximum 24, Highest daily minimum 26, Lowest daily minimum 163, Heaviest daily rainfall 214, Heaviest daily snowfall 2, Deepest snow cover 2.

Records on 8 May 1956 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	59
Lowest daily maximum	24
Highest daily minimum	26
Lowest daily minimum	163
Heaviest daily rainfall	214
Heaviest daily snowfall	2
Deepest snow cover	2

Records on 8 May 1956 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 24, daily 466.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

390 broken records

Margins by which the 390 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 89.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

8 May 1956

Top 20 records on 8 May 1956 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
8 May 1956	Mount Surprise Township, AU	daily rain	82.6 mm (3.3 in)	81.1 mm (3.2 in)	47 years	61 of 100 (Major)
8 May 1956	Mt Garnet Post Office, AU	daily rain	67.3 mm (2.6 in)	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	37 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Irvinebank, AU	daily rain	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	65 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Mount Wellington (the Springs), AU	daily rain	78.7 mm (3.1 in)	44.4 mm (1.7 in)	30 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Immarna, AU	daily rain	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	29 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Spring Creek Station, AU	daily rain	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	37 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Fort McPherson, CA	daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	8.9 cm (3.5 in)	61 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Potlatch 3 NNE, US	daily rain	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	19.8 mm (0.8 in)	40 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Gunnawarra, AU	daily rain	40.4 mm (1.6 in)	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	24 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Youanmi Downs, AU	daily rain	37.3 mm (1.5 in)	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	13 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Madras, US	daily rain	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	24.9 mm (1.0 in)	4 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Chudleigh Park Station, AU	daily rain	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	26 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Fortine 1 N, US	daily rain	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	17.5 mm (0.7 in)	23 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Bend, US	monthly rain	41.9 mm (1.6 in)	14.5 mm (0.6 in)	7 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Dunbar Station, AU	daily rain	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	33 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Barrie, CA	daily low min	-5.6 C (21.9 F)	3.4 C (6.1 F)	84 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Marnai, IN	daily rain	162.8 mm (6.4 in)	67.0 mm (2.6 in)	34 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Gilberton, AU	daily rain	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	30.8 mm (1.2 in)	37 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Oak Park Station, AU	daily rain	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	37 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
8 May 1956	Mathabhanga, IN	daily rain	113.0 mm (4.4 in)	77.7 mm (3.1 in)	6 years	39 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 490 records.

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

Records on 05-08 in each year
Year	Records
1795	2
1806	1
1825	1
1834	1
1845	2
1848	1
1849	1
1851	1
1852	1
1857	1
1858	2
1861	2
1862	1
1863	1
1865	1
1867	4
1868	1
1873	1
1874	3
1876	3
1879	1
1880	1
1882	4
1883	1
1885	1
1886	3
1888	2
1889	1
1890	2
1891	2
1892	2
1893	3
1894	1
1895	1
1896	3
1897	5
1898	2
1900	10
1901	5
1902	5
1903	11
1904	13
1905	17
1906	27
1907	7
1908	14
1909	19
1910	26
1911	34
1912	36
1913	34
1914	71
1915	35
1916	17
1917	108
1918	47
1919	132
1920	62
1921	35
1922	38
1923	510
1924	196
1925	272
1926	191
1927	328
1928	310
1929	194
1930	572
1931	403
1932	283
1933	553
1934	728
1935	78
1936	650
1937	107
1938	425
1939	235
1940	296
1941	271
1942	128
1943	465
1944	258
1945	646
1946	271
1947	1,152
1948	453
1949	361
1950	748
1951	274
1952	794
1953	580
1954	463
1955	411
1956	490
1957	546
1958	440
1959	252
1960	748
1961	556
1962	450
1963	1,105
1964	731
1965	704
1966	522
1967	573
1968	424
1969	542
1970	501
1971	413
1972	509
1973	527
1974	777
1975	555
1976	989
1977	682
1978	676
1979	1,113
1980	722
1981	613
1982	557
1983	638
1984	1,072
1985	591
1986	1,210
1987	1,226
1988	632
1989	1,543
1990	715
1991	710
1992	1,740
1993	892
1994	768
1995	1,340
1996	908
1997	973
1998	1,348
1999	985
2000	1,782
2001	851
2002	1,843
2003	1,420
2004	1,133
2005	685
2006	801
2007	718
2008	595
2009	779
2010	1,079
2011	602
2012	709
2013	686
2014	958
2015	647
2016	752
2017	467
2018	711
2019	723
2020	599
2021	419
2022	908
2023	579
2024	1,015
2025	380
2026	292

Download the Data

Data for records on 1956-05-08: 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	360
20 to 40	22
40 to 60	4
60 to 80	2
80 to 100	2