Weather Records on 17 May 1973

1,016 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 May 1973. Highest significance: Frei Paulo, BR.

Key Facts for 17 May 1973

On 17 May 1973, 1,016 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
345 were record highs and 567 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 2 were all-time records, 13 monthly and 1,001 daily.
Frei Paulo set a daily record precipitation of 73.0 mm (2.9 in) on 17 May 1973.
Across 167 earlier years (1802 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 431 records.

Record Map

1,016 stations

1,016 station records on 17 May 1973 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 May 1973: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Frei Paulo	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	73.0 mm (2.9 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Chapulco	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	51.8 mm (2.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Isfjord Radio	Norway	Record daily precipitation	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Estancia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	171.8 mm (6.8 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Japaratuba	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	145.0 mm (5.7 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Tkvarcheli	Georgia	Record daily precipitation	81.8 mm (3.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Sotchi	Russia	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Zinapecuaro	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Lagarto	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Itaporanga Dajuda	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	98.1 mm (3.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Heinersreuth-Vollhof	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-1.8 C (28.8 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Porto	Portugal	Record daily precipitation	40.4 mm (1.6 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Albion	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Plauen	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-1.0 C (30.2 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Louisville 1 E	United States	Record low minimum temperature	7.8 C (46.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Montpelier	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.7 C (28.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Watseka Public Works	United States	Record low minimum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Grants Pass	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Sombrerete (Dge)	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Ukiah	United States	Record high minimum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Brooksville Chin Hill	United States	Record low maximum temperature	25.6 C (78.1 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Griggsville	United States	Record low minimum temperature	2.8 C (37.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Minonk	United States	Record low minimum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Tuscola	United States	Record low minimum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Seymour 1 WSW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	1.1 C (34.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Sumy	Ukraine	Record daily precipitation	29.9 mm (1.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Albion	United States	Record low minimum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Mt Vernon	United States	Record low minimum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Pontiac Wwtp	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.7 C (28.9 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
S Bend AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Pacatuba (Pacatiba)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	86.9 mm (3.4 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Caldwell	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	18.3 C (64.9 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Durham	Canada	Record low maximum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Guanacevi (Smn)	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Salamanca	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Tarpon Spgs Sewage Plt	United States	Record low maximum temperature	25.6 C (78.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Porthill	United States	Record high maximum temperature	30.6 C (87.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Carlinville	United States	Record low minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Danville	United States	Record low minimum temperature	0.6 C (33.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Kokomo 3 WSW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Scottsburg	United States	Record low minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Charles City	United States	Record low minimum temperature	1.1 C (34.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Abilene	United States	Record low minimum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Anchorage	United States	Record low minimum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Heppner	United States	Record high maximum temperature	31.7 C (89.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Klamath Falls 2 SSW	United States	Record high maximum temperature	32.2 C (90.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Zacatecas (Smn)	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	14.4 C (57.9 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Flora 5 NW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	2.8 C (37.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Ann Arbor U of Mich	United States	Record low minimum temperature	1.1 C (34.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Ionia 2SSW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Ripley	United States	Record low minimum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Lima Wwtp	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Wauseon Wtp	United States	Record low minimum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Clarksville Wwtp	United States	Record low minimum temperature	5.6 C (42.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Baia Mare	Romania	Record low minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Ocala	United States	Record low minimum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Sibley	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.2 C (28.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Benton Harbor AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Saint Ignatius	United States	Record high maximum temperature	30.6 C (87.1 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Biskra	Algeria	Record high minimum temperature	25.0 C (77.0 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,016 records

Records set or tied on 17 May 1973 by type: Highest daily maximum 183, Lowest daily maximum 121, Highest daily minimum 162, Lowest daily minimum 446, Heaviest daily rainfall 92, Heaviest daily snowfall 11, Deepest snow cover 1.

Records on 17 May 1973 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	183
Lowest daily maximum	121
Highest daily minimum	162
Lowest daily minimum	446
Heaviest daily rainfall	92
Heaviest daily snowfall	11
Deepest snow cover	1

Records on 17 May 1973 by timescale: all-time 2, monthly 13, daily 1,001.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

778 broken records

Margins by which the 778 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 70.8. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 May 1973

Top 20 records on 17 May 1973 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 May 1973	Frei Paulo, BR	daily rain	73.0 mm (2.9 in)	45.6 mm (1.8 in)	51 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Chapulco, MX	monthly rain	51.8 mm (2.0 in)	21.8 mm (0.9 in)	25 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Isfjord Radio, NO	daily rain	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	24.1 mm (0.9 in)	24 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Estancia, BR	all-time rain	171.8 mm (6.8 in)	34.6 mm (1.4 in)	11 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Japaratuba, BR	daily rain	145.0 mm (5.7 in)	70.8 mm (2.8 in)	8 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Tkvarcheli, GE	daily rain	81.8 mm (3.2 in)	46.1 mm (1.8 in)	32 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Sotchi, RU	daily rain	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	6.4 mm (0.25 in)	97 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Zinapecuaro, MX	daily rain	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	29.8 mm (1.2 in)	6 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Lagarto, BR	daily rain	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	24.5 mm (1.0 in)	48 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Itaporanga Dajuda, BR	daily rain	98.1 mm (3.9 in)	45.1 mm (1.8 in)	36 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Heinersreuth-Vollhof, DE	daily low min	-1.8 C (28.8 F)	1.6 C (2.9 F)	90 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Porto, PT	daily rain	40.4 mm (1.6 in)	30.4 mm (1.2 in)	16 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Albion, US	monthly low min	-6.1 C (21.0 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	66 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Plauen, DE	daily low min	-1.0 C (30.2 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	90 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Louisville 1 E, US	daily low min	7.8 C (46.0 F)	2.2 C (4.0 F)	79 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Montpelier, US	daily low min	-1.7 C (28.9 F)	3.4 C (6.1 F)	77 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Watseka Public Works, US	daily low min	0.6 C (33.1 F)	3.3 C (5.9 F)	74 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Grants Pass, US	daily high min	12.8 C (55.0 F)	2.2 C (4.0 F)	75 years	36 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Sombrerete (Dge), MX	monthly low max	15.6 C (60.1 F)	1.6 C (2.9 F)	51 years	35 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1973	Ukiah, US	daily high min	13.3 C (55.9 F)	1.6 C (2.9 F)	75 years	35 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 1973

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1802 to 1973. 1973 had 1,016 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 1973-05-17: 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	750
10 to 20	11
20 to 30	8
30 to 40	5
40 to 50	3
50 to 60	0
60 to 70	0
70 to 80	1