Weather Records on 17 May 1971

723 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 May 1971. Highest significance: Alta 1 NNW, US.

Key Facts for 17 May 1971

On 17 May 1971, 723 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
211 were record highs and 352 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 11 monthly and 712 daily.
Alta 1 NNW set a daily record snowfall of 20.6 cm (8.1 in) on 17 May 1971.
Across 167 earlier years (1802 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 433 records.

Record Map

723 stations

723 station records on 17 May 1971 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 May 1971: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Alta 1 NNW	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.6 cm (8.1 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Pianco	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	96.3 mm (3.8 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Halifax	Canada	Record daily precipitation	61.2 mm (2.4 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Putbus	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	28.8 C (83.8 F)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Bidwell	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Upper Stewiacke	Canada	Record daily precipitation	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Amiandos	Cyprus	Record daily precipitation	27.7 mm (1.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Mud Mtn Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Uppsala_Aut	Sweden	Record high maximum temperature	24.6 C (76.3 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Five Mile Lake	Canada	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Toms River	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Heber	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Norley Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
St Margaret's Bay	Canada	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Palmer 3 ESE	United States	Record daily precipitation	61.5 mm (2.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Potlatch 3 NNE	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Alva 1W	United States	Record high minimum temperature	22.8 C (73.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Nappan Cda	Canada	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Montmorillon	France	Record daily precipitation	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Bremen-Seefahrtschule	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	14.7 C (58.5 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Jena Sternwarte	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	33.0 C (91.4 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Saint Maries	United States	Record low maximum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Sedro-Woolley	United States	Record low maximum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Grassmere	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.4 mm (1.6 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Nurnberg	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	30.4 C (86.7 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Ponca City	United States	Record high minimum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Lewistown AP	United States	Record low maximum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Winnemucca AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Koebenhavn: Landbohojskolen-1	Denmark	Record high maximum temperature	25.1 C (77.2 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Chemnitz	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	29.3 C (84.7 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Prineville	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-7.8 C (18.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Alta 1 NNW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	4.4 C (39.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Alliston	Canada	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Quincy	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-3.3 C (26.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Coeur D'Alene	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Grangeville	United States	Record low maximum temperature	4.4 C (39.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Orofino	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Cottonwood Falls	United States	Record high minimum temperature	22.8 C (73.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Minneapolis	United States	Record high minimum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Fillmore	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Cedar Lake	United States	Record low maximum temperature	4.4 C (39.9 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Rainier Paradise Rs	United States	Record daily snowfall	43.2 cm (17.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Rosalia	United States	Record low maximum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Mount Uniacke	Canada	Record daily precipitation	47.2 mm (1.9 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Charlottetown Cda	Canada	Record daily precipitation	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Schwerin	Germany	Record high minimum temperature	17.0 C (62.6 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Zerbst	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	31.0 C (87.8 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Chico UNIV Farm	United States	Record low minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Hayden	United States	Record low maximum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Minden	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Manila	United States	Record low maximum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Woodruff	United States	Record low maximum temperature	6.7 C (44.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Lake Keechelus	United States	Record low maximum temperature	2.8 C (37.0 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Kemmerer 2N	United States	Record low maximum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Grenfell	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Hubbard	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Riggins	United States	Record low maximum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Norwich	United States	Record high maximum temperature	34.4 C (93.9 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Lakeview 2 NNW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)
Ogden Pioneer Ph	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	28 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

723 records

Records set or tied on 17 May 1971 by type: Highest daily maximum 97, Lowest daily maximum 225, Highest daily minimum 114, Lowest daily minimum 127, Heaviest daily rainfall 139, Heaviest daily snowfall 18, Deepest snow cover 3.

Records on 17 May 1971 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	97
Lowest daily maximum	225
Highest daily minimum	114
Lowest daily minimum	127
Heaviest daily rainfall	139
Heaviest daily snowfall	18
Deepest snow cover	3

Records on 17 May 1971 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 11, daily 712.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

589 broken records

Margins by which the 589 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 206.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 May 1971

Top 20 records on 17 May 1971 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 May 1971	Alta 1 NNW, US	daily snowfall	20.6 cm (8.1 in)	20.6 cm (8.1 in)	60 years	64 of 100 (Major)
17 May 1971	Pianco, BR	daily rain	96.3 mm (3.8 in)	66.5 mm (2.6 in)	36 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Halifax, CA	daily rain	61.2 mm (2.4 in)	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	30 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Putbus, DE	daily high max	28.8 C (83.8 F)	4.8 C (8.6 F)	92 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Ft Bidwell, US	daily low min	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	2.2 C (4.0 F)	100 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Upper Stewiacke, CA	daily rain	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	21.1 mm (0.8 in)	44 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Amiandos, CY	daily rain	27.7 mm (1.1 in)	22.7 mm (0.9 in)	53 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Mud Mtn Dam, US	daily rain	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	22.8 mm (0.9 in)	29 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Uppsala_Aut, SE	daily high max	24.6 C (76.3 F)	0.1 C (0.2 F)	122 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Five Mile Lake, CA	daily rain	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	22.4 mm (0.9 in)	33 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Toms River, US	daily rain	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	30 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Heber, US	daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	72 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Norley Station, AU	daily rain	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	13.2 mm (0.5 in)	56 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	St Margaret's Bay, CA	daily rain	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	21.5 mm (0.8 in)	48 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Palmer 3 ESE, US	daily rain	61.5 mm (2.4 in)	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	20 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Potlatch 3 NNE, US	monthly snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	2.6 cm (1.0 in)	55 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Alva 1W, US	daily high min	22.8 C (73.0 F)	2.8 C (5.0 F)	74 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1971	Nappan Cda, CA	daily rain	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	11.4 mm (0.4 in)	32 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
17 May 1971	Montmorillon, FR	daily rain	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	17.4 mm (0.7 in)	32 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
17 May 1971	Bremen-Seefahrtschule, DE	daily high min	14.7 C (58.5 F)	0.8 C (1.4 F)	77 years	33 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 1971

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1802 to 1971. 1971 had 723 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 1971-05-17: 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 50	578
50 to 100	8
100 to 150	1
150 to 200	1
200 to 250	1