Weather Records on 21 May 1979

787 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 May 1979. Highest significance: Subiaco, US.

Key Facts for 21 May 1979

On 21 May 1979, 787 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
233 were record highs and 157 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 2 were all-time records, 13 monthly and 772 daily.
Subiaco set a daily record precipitation of 147.6 mm (5.8 in) on 21 May 1979.
Across 156 earlier years (1793 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 458 records.

Record Map

787 stations

787 station records on 21 May 1979 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 May 1979: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Subiaco	United States	Record daily precipitation	147.6 mm (5.8 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
El Rito	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Telpoort	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	100.0 mm (3.9 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Chacon	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.8 mm (1.5 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Jarrell	United States	Record daily precipitation	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Durant	United States	Record daily precipitation	120.7 mm (4.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Chattanooga	United States	Record daily precipitation	133.9 mm (5.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Ojo Caliente	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Montreal McGill	Canada	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Trinidad	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Atwood Lake	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Dover Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Pasamonte	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Goodwell Rsch STN	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.7 mm (3.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Crowell	United States	Record daily precipitation	93.0 mm (3.7 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Tishomingo Natl Wr	United States	Record daily precipitation	82.3 mm (3.2 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Wolmada	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	100.0 mm (3.9 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Forrest City	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.7 mm (1.6 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Russellville	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Washington 2 ESE	United States	Record daily precipitation	67.1 mm (2.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Eagle Nest	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Ardmore	United States	Record daily precipitation	67.6 mm (2.7 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Kalgan River	Australia	Record daily precipitation	55.8 mm (2.2 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Sombrerete (Dge)	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Maxwell 3 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Pleasant Hill Lake	United States	Record daily precipitation	58.2 mm (2.3 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Sonoma	United States	Record high minimum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Des Moines	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Pointe Au Pere	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Ciudad Hidalgo (Smn)	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Nizhne-Tambovskoe	Russia	Record daily precipitation	27.5 mm (1.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
East London -Signal STN	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	36.5 mm (1.4 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Weltevrede	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Healdton 3 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Albany	Australia	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Postmasburg	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Port Hastings	Canada	Record daily precipitation	28.2 mm (1.1 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Mesa	United States	Record low maximum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Hammon 3 SSW	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Clovis 13 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Ellendale	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-3.9 C (25.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Tezontepec (Smn)	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Leesville Lake	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.3 mm (1.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Tuskahoma	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.6 mm (2.2 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Austin-Camp Mabry	United States	Record daily precipitation	141.0 mm (5.6 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Smithville	United States	Record daily precipitation	97.8 mm (3.9 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Toccoa	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Baxter	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Naalehu 14	United States	Record low minimum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Nappan Cda	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	14.0 C (57.2 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Susanville 2SW	United States	Record high minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Avon Park 2 W	United States	Record low minimum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
King River	Australia	Record daily precipitation	57.8 mm (2.3 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Parrsboro	Canada	Record high minimum temperature	12.5 C (54.5 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Frederick	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Sallisaw 2 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Denton 2 SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Vega 2NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.8 mm (1.9 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Dordrecht - Tnk 14	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	29.3 mm (1.2 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Hugoton	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

787 records

Records set or tied on 21 May 1979 by type: Highest daily maximum 73, Lowest daily maximum 87, Highest daily minimum 160, Lowest daily minimum 70, Heaviest daily rainfall 395, Heaviest daily snowfall 1, Deepest snow cover 1.

Records on 21 May 1979 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	73
Lowest daily maximum	87
Highest daily minimum	160
Lowest daily minimum	70
Heaviest daily rainfall	395
Heaviest daily snowfall	1
Deepest snow cover	1

Records on 21 May 1979 by timescale: all-time 2, monthly 13, daily 772.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

667 broken records

Margins by which the 667 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 80.5. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 May 1979

Top 20 records on 21 May 1979 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 May 1979	Subiaco, US	daily rain	147.6 mm (5.8 in)	80.5 mm (3.2 in)	62 years	66 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1979	El Rito, US	daily rain	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	21.6 mm (0.9 in)	44 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Telpoort, ZA	monthly rain	100.0 mm (3.9 in)	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	2 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Chacon, US	daily rain	37.8 mm (1.5 in)	24.8 mm (1.0 in)	57 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Jarrell, US	daily rain	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	80.1 mm (3.2 in)	36 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Durant, US	daily rain	120.7 mm (4.8 in)	53.4 mm (2.1 in)	62 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Chattanooga, US	daily rain	133.9 mm (5.3 in)	80.1 mm (3.2 in)	16 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Ojo Caliente, US	daily rain	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	26.1 mm (1.0 in)	26 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Montreal McGill, CA	daily rain	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	9.4 mm (0.37 in)	89 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Trinidad, US	daily rain	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	17.0 mm (0.7 in)	78 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Atwood Lake, US	daily rain	36.8 mm (1.4 in)	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	26 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Dover Dam, US	daily rain	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	16 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Pasamonte, US	daily rain	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	20.6 mm (0.8 in)	60 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Goodwell Rsch STN, US	daily rain	76.7 mm (3.0 in)	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	1 year	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Crowell, US	daily rain	93.0 mm (3.7 in)	54.9 mm (2.2 in)	40 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Tishomingo Natl Wr, US	daily rain	82.3 mm (3.2 in)	37.8 mm (1.5 in)	62 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Wolmada, ZA	all-time rain	100.0 mm (3.9 in)	8.6 mm (0.34 in)	31 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Forrest City, US	daily rain	41.7 mm (1.6 in)	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	73 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Russellville, US	daily rain	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	80 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1979	Washington 2 ESE, US	daily rain	67.1 mm (2.6 in)	45.3 mm (1.8 in)	20 years	44 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

1793 to 1979

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1979. 1979 had 787 records.

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

Records on 05-21 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1795	1
1811	1
1837	2
1842	1
1847	2
1854	1
1857	1
1858	1
1865	1
1866	1
1870	2
1875	1
1876	1
1880	2
1882	1
1885	1
1886	2
1887	3
1889	5
1890	3
1891	6
1892	1
1893	1
1894	4
1895	4
1896	5
1897	2
1898	1
1899	5
1900	1
1901	3
1902	4
1903	26
1904	8
1905	7
1906	12
1907	36
1908	13
1909	13
1910	14
1911	87
1912	24
1913	13
1914	26
1915	24
1916	13
1917	76
1918	51
1919	170
1920	39
1921	158
1922	39
1923	125
1924	148
1925	250
1926	221
1927	207
1928	173
1929	247
1930	133
1931	488
1932	343
1933	290
1934	590
1935	190
1936	328
1937	227
1938	348
1939	355
1940	456
1941	525
1942	482
1943	463
1944	310
1945	515
1946	324
1947	485
1948	312
1949	593
1950	403
1951	271
1952	385
1953	501
1954	961
1955	507
1956	409
1957	709
1958	511
1959	684
1960	615
1961	306
1962	553
1963	598
1964	788
1965	238
1966	296
1967	1,022
1968	549
1969	832
1970	449
1971	536
1972	557
1973	493
1974	847
1975	1,160
1976	393
1977	756
1978	575
1979	787
1980	857
1981	1,550
1982	599
1983	1,106
1984	950
1985	610
1986	908
1987	1,242
1988	819
1989	671
1990	947
1991	1,065
1992	1,143
1993	1,197
1994	656
1995	749
1996	1,461
1997	953
1998	1,200
1999	544
2000	897
2001	1,187
2002	2,048
2003	807
2004	898
2005	1,020
2006	810
2007	894
2008	740
2009	1,315
2010	962
2011	959
2012	848
2013	884
2014	522
2015	956
2016	567
2017	780
2018	525
2019	1,668
2020	707
2021	1,131
2022	1,512
2023	794
2024	751
2025	776
2026	356

Download the Data

Data for records on 1979-05-21: 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 2026-10-13 (13 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2026-10-12. Last revised 12 October 2026 (2026-10-12).

Margin	Records
0 to 20	592
20 to 40	58
40 to 60	14
60 to 80	0
80 to 100	3