Weather Records on 12 May 1978

802 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 12 May 1978. Highest significance: Ashley, US.

Key Facts for 12 May 1978

On 12 May 1978, 802 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
153 were record highs and 374 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 3 were all-time records, 38 monthly and 761 daily.
Ashley set a daily record precipitation of 45.7 mm (1.8 in) on 12 May 1978.
Across 164 earlier years (1814 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 451 records.

Record Map

802 stations

802 station records on 12 May 1978 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 12 May 1978: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Ashley	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Prahran (Como House)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Uniao Dos Palmares	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	86.5 mm (3.4 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Caulfield (Racecourse)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Yan Yean	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.4 mm (1.4 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Moorcroft 3S	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Nanaimo Departure Bay	Canada	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Rozdilna	Ukraine	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Portland	United States	Record daily precipitation	85.6 mm (3.4 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Fullerton 1 ESE	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Charters Towers Post Office	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	16.9 C (62.4 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Knoxville	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Clearwater	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.1 mm (1.4 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Sao Miguel Dos Campos	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	135.8 mm (5.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Napoleon	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.7 mm (1.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Selby	United States	Record daily precipitation	67.3 mm (2.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Dimbulah Brickley St	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.4 mm (1.2 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Ellendale	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.5 mm (1.8 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Toorourrong Reservoir (Toorour	Australia	Record daily precipitation	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Linton	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Eureka	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.6 mm (1.5 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Chilton	United States	Record daily precipitation	97.8 mm (3.9 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Governador Dix-Sept Rosado	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Pine Ridge (Mooki Springs)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Bjelasnica	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Record low minimum temperature	-11.0 C (12.2 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Gorlitz	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-0.8 C (30.6 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Izmail	Ukraine	Record low maximum temperature	10.8 C (51.4 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Kinglake West (Wallaby Creek)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.8 mm (1.6 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Glenthompson (Brie Brie)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Zagreb-Gric	Croatia	Record low minimum temperature	1.9 C (35.4 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Pollock	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.2 mm (1.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Manitowoc	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Inverell Comparison	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	12.0 C (53.6 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Bathurst Gaol	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	8.0 C (46.4 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Potsdam	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-2.1 C (28.2 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Angermunde	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-5.1 C (22.8 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Kirchdorf/Poel	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	0.5 C (32.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Kiev	Ukraine	Record low maximum temperature	5.9 C (42.6 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Newport Beach Harbor	United States	Record high minimum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Palmerville	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	28.5 C (83.3 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Marnitz	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-3.7 C (25.3 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
The Cedars	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Brisbane Regional Office	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	17.5 C (63.5 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Greifswald	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	-1.8 C (28.8 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Altastenberg	Germany	Record low maximum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Kristianstad	Sweden	Record low minimum temperature	-0.1 C (31.8 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Geneseo	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Comanche	United States	Record daily precipitation	77.7 mm (3.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Kremsmuenster	Austria	Record low minimum temperature	0.4 C (32.7 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Arkansas City	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Hatch	United States	Record high maximum temperature	35.0 C (95.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Shawano 2SSW	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Rockdale	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.7 mm (1.4 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Pacatuba (Pacatiba)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	88.4 mm (3.5 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Walnut	United States	Record high minimum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Moffit 3 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Sault Ste Marie Sanderson Fld	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Tewantin Post Office	Australia	Record low maximum temperature	14.7 C (58.5 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Eltham	Australia	Record daily precipitation	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Preston Reservoir	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.4 mm (1.3 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

802 records

Records set or tied on 12 May 1978 by type: Highest daily maximum 75, Lowest daily maximum 236, Highest daily minimum 78, Lowest daily minimum 138, Heaviest daily rainfall 263, Heaviest daily snowfall 4, Deepest snow cover 8.

Records on 12 May 1978 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	75
Lowest daily maximum	236
Highest daily minimum	78
Lowest daily minimum	138
Heaviest daily rainfall	263
Heaviest daily snowfall	4
Deepest snow cover	8

Records on 12 May 1978 by timescale: all-time 3, monthly 38, daily 761.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

702 broken records

Margins by which the 702 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 140.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

12 May 1978

Top 20 records on 12 May 1978 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
12 May 1978	Ashley, US	daily rain	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	39.6 mm (1.6 in)	37 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Prahran (Como House), AU	daily rain	46.2 mm (1.8 in)	16.7 mm (0.7 in)	81 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Uniao Dos Palmares, BR	daily rain	86.5 mm (3.4 in)	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	64 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Caulfield (Racecourse), AU	daily rain	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	15.7 mm (0.6 in)	81 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Yan Yean, AU	daily rain	35.4 mm (1.4 in)	20.7 mm (0.8 in)	21 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Moorcroft 3S, US	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	43 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Nanaimo Departure Bay, CA	daily rain	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	9.2 mm (0.36 in)	64 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Rozdilna, UA	daily rain	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	21.1 mm (0.8 in)	24 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Portland, US	daily rain	85.6 mm (3.4 in)	57.7 mm (2.3 in)	24 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Fullerton 1 ESE, US	daily rain	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	59 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Charters Towers Post Office, AU	daily low max	16.9 C (62.4 F)	4.5 C (8.1 F)	64 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Knoxville, US	daily rain	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	57 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Clearwater, US	daily rain	35.1 mm (1.4 in)	16.6 mm (0.7 in)	77 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Sao Miguel Dos Campos, BR	daily rain	135.8 mm (5.3 in)	54.5 mm (2.1 in)	16 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Napoleon, US	daily rain	29.7 mm (1.2 in)	15.7 mm (0.6 in)	59 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Selby, US	monthly rain	67.3 mm (2.6 in)	7.4 mm (0.29 in)	68 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Dimbulah Brickley St, AU	daily rain	29.4 mm (1.2 in)	29.4 mm (1.2 in)	45 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Ellendale, US	daily rain	45.5 mm (1.8 in)	35.1 mm (1.4 in)	15 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Toorourrong Reservoir (Toorour, AU	daily rain	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	13.5 mm (0.5 in)	52 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
12 May 1978	Linton, US	daily rain	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	21.1 mm (0.8 in)	36 years	42 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

1814 to 1978

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1814 to 1978. 1978 had 802 records.

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

Records on 05-12 in each year
Year	Records
1814	2
1823	1
1825	1
1827	1
1834	1
1837	1
1838	1
1845	1
1847	1
1848	1
1849	2
1851	1
1855	2
1860	2
1862	2
1863	1
1867	1
1868	1
1872	2
1874	1
1877	1
1878	1
1879	1
1881	4
1882	5
1884	3
1885	2
1886	3
1887	1
1888	1
1889	1
1890	1
1891	4
1894	1
1895	1
1896	1
1897	7
1898	3
1900	3
1901	6
1902	5
1903	7
1904	11
1905	10
1906	20
1907	53
1908	12
1909	4
1910	9
1911	37
1912	46
1913	6
1914	36
1915	50
1916	42
1917	54
1918	113
1919	42
1920	19
1921	64
1922	43
1923	109
1924	245
1925	275
1926	121
1927	167
1928	192
1929	172
1930	500
1931	350
1932	199
1933	476
1934	293
1935	404
1936	329
1937	214
1938	394
1939	233
1940	440
1941	568
1942	418
1943	803
1944	368
1945	389
1946	653
1947	286
1948	390
1949	414
1950	283
1951	427
1952	711
1953	891
1954	305
1955	265
1956	1,568
1957	454
1958	714
1959	740
1960	1,583
1961	381
1962	713
1963	777
1964	401
1965	196
1966	909
1967	810
1968	890
1969	506
1970	698
1971	668
1972	641
1973	393
1974	702
1975	418
1976	541
1977	855
1978	802
1979	763
1980	684
1981	855
1982	763
1983	1,281
1984	887
1985	1,199
1986	473
1987	1,295
1988	619
1989	856
1990	617
1991	1,177
1992	1,022
1993	1,208
1994	738
1995	1,190
1996	1,420
1997	921
1998	1,576
1999	881
2000	1,486
2001	1,015
2002	1,027
2003	861
2004	1,054
2005	1,369
2006	797
2007	630
2008	858
2009	687
2010	1,250
2011	1,119
2012	660
2013	689
2014	949
2015	958
2016	421
2017	529
2018	819
2019	784
2020	1,338
2021	712
2022	1,930
2023	429
2024	447
2025	940
2026	1,110

Download the Data

Data for records on 1978-05-12: 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	670
20 to 40	23
40 to 60	7
60 to 80	0
80 to 100	0
100 to 120	1
120 to 140	1