Weather Records on 16 May 1968

790 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 16 May 1968. Highest significance: Delphi 2 N, US.

Key Facts for 16 May 1968

On 16 May 1968, 790 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
133 were record highs and 109 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 68 monthly and 721 daily.
Delphi 2 N set an all-time record daily precipitation of 176.8 mm (7.0 in) on 16 May 1968.
Across 165 earlier years (1802 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 436 records.

Record Map

790 stations

790 station records on 16 May 1968 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 16 May 1968: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Delphi 2 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	176.8 mm (7.0 in)	74 of 100 (Major)
Dotswood Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
Bloomington Normal	United States	Record daily precipitation	90.7 mm (3.6 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
North End	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	60.8 mm (2.4 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Prince Albert Road (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Ficksburg	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Marshfield Exp Farm	United States	Record daily precipitation	100.6 mm (4.0 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Kareepan	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Flora	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	52.5 mm (2.1 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Welgeleven	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Boetsap (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.2 mm (1.5 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Stanley Wwtp	United States	Record daily precipitation	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Middelpos (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Ficksburg;Kersieproe	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Hollowaysrust	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Vryburg (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	52.5 mm (2.1 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Coddington 1 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	65.5 mm (2.6 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Fraser Range	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Waterland	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	56.5 mm (2.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Brandfort (Mag)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Grootkuil	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Leeuspruit Wes	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Blair	United States	Record daily precipitation	79.2 mm (3.1 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Rantoul	United States	Record daily precipitation	105.4 mm (4.1 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Stillewoning	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Odendaalsrus	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Edenville (Mun)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Boscobel	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	53.5 mm (2.1 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Loeriesfontein (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Belmont	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	64.3 mm (2.5 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Medford	United States	Record daily precipitation	65.0 mm (2.6 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Nanambinia	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Calvinia	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Adamsonsvlei	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Osage	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.8 mm (2.5 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Harderug	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Hoopeston	United States	Record daily precipitation	66.8 mm (2.6 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Gannapan	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	41.3 mm (1.6 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Idomia	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	72.5 mm (2.9 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Geluk	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	57.0 mm (2.2 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Winamac 2SSE	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.7 mm (1.8 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Decorah	United States	Record daily precipitation	75.4 mm (3.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Keble	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Steamboat Springs	United States	Record daily snowfall	9.9 cm (3.9 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
W Lafayette 6 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	102.4 mm (4.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Guararema	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Glen Agr. College,Bfn.	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Winburg (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Glen Morgan	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Klipfontein "Rietpan"	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	59.1 mm (2.3 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Thundelarra	Australia	Record daily precipitation	51.6 mm (2.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Caribou Island	Canada	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Raisingnagar	India	Record daily precipitation	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Nelsdrift	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Driekoppies	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Marquette	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Daniels Hope	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Mnt Fletcher (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Oranjerivier (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.5 mm (1.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Sunny Hills	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

790 records

Records set or tied on 16 May 1968 by type: Highest daily maximum 25, Lowest daily maximum 56, Highest daily minimum 108, Lowest daily minimum 53, Heaviest daily rainfall 530, Heaviest daily snowfall 14, Deepest snow cover 4.

Records on 16 May 1968 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	25
Lowest daily maximum	56
Highest daily minimum	108
Lowest daily minimum	53
Heaviest daily rainfall	530
Heaviest daily snowfall	14
Deepest snow cover	4

Records on 16 May 1968 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 68, daily 721.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

700 broken records

Margins by which the 700 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 130.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

16 May 1968

Top 20 records on 16 May 1968 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
16 May 1968	Delphi 2 N, US	all-time rain	176.8 mm (7.0 in)	61.5 mm (2.4 in)	25 years	74 of 100 (Major)
16 May 1968	Dotswood Station, AU	daily rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	70 years	68 of 100 (Major)
16 May 1968	Bloomington Normal, US	daily rain	90.7 mm (3.6 in)	58.9 mm (2.3 in)	71 years	68 of 100 (Major)
16 May 1968	North End, ZA	monthly rain	60.8 mm (2.4 in)	23.0 mm (0.9 in)	33 years	63 of 100 (Major)
16 May 1968	Prince Albert Road (Sar), ZA	daily rain	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	19.2 mm (0.8 in)	82 years	62 of 100 (Major)
16 May 1968	Ficksburg, ZA	monthly rain	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	23.5 mm (0.9 in)	39 years	62 of 100 (Major)
16 May 1968	Marshfield Exp Farm, US	monthly rain	100.6 mm (4.0 in)	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	27 years	62 of 100 (Major)
16 May 1968	Kareepan, ZA	daily rain	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	48 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1968	Flora, ZA	monthly rain	52.5 mm (2.1 in)	19.0 mm (0.7 in)	56 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1968	Welgeleven, ZA	daily rain	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	45 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1968	Boetsap (Pol), ZA	daily rain	39.2 mm (1.5 in)	26.5 mm (1.0 in)	79 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1968	Stanley Wwtp, US	daily rain	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	55 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1968	Middelpos (Pol), ZA	daily rain	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	29 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1968	Ficksburg;Kersieproe, ZA	monthly rain	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	22.1 mm (0.9 in)	25 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1968	Hollowaysrust, ZA	daily rain	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	39 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1968	Vryburg (Pol), ZA	daily rain	52.5 mm (2.1 in)	41.1 mm (1.6 in)	29 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1968	Coddington 1 E, US	daily rain	65.5 mm (2.6 in)	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	43 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1968	Fraser Range, AU	daily rain	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	20.1 mm (0.8 in)	58 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1968	Waterland, ZA	monthly rain	56.5 mm (2.2 in)	23.5 mm (0.9 in)	25 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
16 May 1968	Brandfort (Mag), ZA	daily rain	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	35.9 mm (1.4 in)	29 years	54 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

1802 to 1968

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1802 to 1968. 1968 had 790 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 1968-05-16: 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 2026-10-16. Last revised 16 October 2026 (2026-10-16).

Margin	Records
0 to 20	590
20 to 40	85
40 to 60	16
60 to 80	5
80 to 100	2
100 to 120	1
120 to 140	1