Weather Records on 17 May 1986

921 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 May 1986. Highest significance: St Marys (Cullenswood), AU.

Key Facts for 17 May 1986

On 17 May 1986, 921 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
299 were record highs and 208 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 3 were all-time records, 16 monthly and 902 daily.
St Marys (Cullenswood) set a daily record precipitation of 138.0 mm (5.4 in) on 17 May 1986.
Across 167 earlier years (1802 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 431 records.

Record Map

921 stations

921 station records on 17 May 1986 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 May 1986: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
St Marys (Cullenswood)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	138.0 mm (5.4 in)	75 of 100 (Major)
Iowa City	United States	Record daily precipitation	89.7 mm (3.5 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Lady Barron (Franklin Parade)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Fairfield	United States	Record daily precipitation	80.5 mm (3.2 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Currie Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	55.2 mm (2.2 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Paso de San Antonio	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	119.9 mm (4.7 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Columbus Junction	United States	Record daily precipitation	75.2 mm (3.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Rogersville 1 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Harwell	Australia	Record daily precipitation	64.2 mm (2.5 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Gooloogong Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.2 mm (1.3 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Oswego 1 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	67.6 mm (2.7 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Rawlinna	Australia	Record daily precipitation	38.4 mm (1.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Slutsk	Belarus	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Mosquero 1 NE	United States	Record daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Westbury (Valley View)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.4 mm (1.6 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Cimarron 4 SW	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Marshall	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Kolomyia	Ukraine	Record daily precipitation	29.8 mm (1.2 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Monmouth	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Horton	United States	Record daily precipitation	70.6 mm (2.8 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Irtyshsk	Kazakhstan	Record daily precipitation	25.3 mm (1.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Mc Farland	United States	Record daily precipitation	81.3 mm (3.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Cloudcroft	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Gascon	United States	Record daily snowfall	25.4 cm (10.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Carrick (Oaks Road)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Cangucu	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	98.4 mm (3.9 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Westcliffe	United States	Record daily snowfall	6.4 cm (2.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Moberly	United States	Record daily precipitation	70.1 mm (2.8 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
City of Melbourne Bay	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.8 mm (1.8 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Walsenburg 1 NW	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Manhattan	United States	Record daily precipitation	64.5 mm (2.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Grant City	United States	Record daily precipitation	64.0 mm (2.5 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Wolf Canyon	United States	Record daily snowfall	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Geneseo	United States	Record daily precipitation	72.4 mm (2.9 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Cedar Rapids #1	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Corydon 8 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.1 mm (2.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Trenton Falls	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Blue Rapids	United States	Record daily precipitation	64.5 mm (2.5 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Glenview NAS	United States	Record daily precipitation	65.5 mm (2.6 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Burlington Muni AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	56.6 mm (2.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Connorville (Lake River)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Wingaroo	Australia	Record daily precipitation	36.2 mm (1.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Hamburg Fuhlsbuettel	Germany	Record low minimum temperature	1.2 C (34.2 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Salida	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-6.7 C (19.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Niles	United States	Record daily precipitation	57.7 mm (2.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Van Wert 1 S	United States	Record high minimum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Mineola	United States	Record daily precipitation	69.9 mm (2.8 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Kenosha Wwtp	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Centerville	United States	Record daily precipitation	47.5 mm (1.9 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Springview 2NW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	1.1 C (34.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Des Moines	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Avon	United States	Record high minimum temperature	16.1 C (61.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Grapevine Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	49.8 mm (2.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Hawkins	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Neah Bay 1 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Blaine	United States	Record daily precipitation	70.1 mm (2.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Buckland (Brockley)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	54.4 mm (2.1 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Ft Madison	United States	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Labelle	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.3 mm (2.1 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Cape May 2 NW	United States	Record high maximum temperature	31.1 C (88.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

921 records

Records set or tied on 17 May 1986 by type: Highest daily maximum 96, Lowest daily maximum 62, Highest daily minimum 203, Lowest daily minimum 146, Heaviest daily rainfall 375, Heaviest daily snowfall 25, Deepest snow cover 14.

Records on 17 May 1986 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	96
Lowest daily maximum	62
Highest daily minimum	203
Lowest daily minimum	146
Heaviest daily rainfall	375
Heaviest daily snowfall	25
Deepest snow cover	14

Records on 17 May 1986 by timescale: all-time 3, monthly 16, daily 902.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

738 broken records

Margins by which the 738 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 241.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 May 1986

Top 20 records on 17 May 1986 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 May 1986	St Marys (Cullenswood), AU	daily rain	138.0 mm (5.4 in)	86.4 mm (3.4 in)	87 years	75 of 100 (Major)
17 May 1986	Iowa City, US	daily rain	89.7 mm (3.5 in)	42.5 mm (1.7 in)	48 years	62 of 100 (Major)
17 May 1986	Lady Barron (Franklin Parade), AU	daily rain	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	65 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Fairfield, US	daily rain	80.5 mm (3.2 in)	42.1 mm (1.7 in)	48 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Currie Post Office, AU	daily rain	55.2 mm (2.2 in)	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	31 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Paso de San Antonio, MX	daily rain	119.9 mm (4.7 in)	108.0 mm (4.3 in)	39 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Columbus Junction, US	daily rain	75.2 mm (3.0 in)	41.7 mm (1.6 in)	28 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Rogersville 1 NE, US	daily rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	23.9 mm (0.9 in)	72 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Harwell, AU	daily rain	64.2 mm (2.5 in)	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	31 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Gooloogong Post Office, AU	daily rain	32.2 mm (1.3 in)	13.7 mm (0.5 in)	85 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Oswego 1 N, US	daily rain	67.6 mm (2.7 in)	23.7 mm (0.9 in)	84 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Rawlinna, AU	monthly rain	38.4 mm (1.5 in)	7.4 mm (0.29 in)	56 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Slutsk, BY	daily rain	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	15.7 mm (0.6 in)	36 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Mosquero 1 NE, US	daily snowfall	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	59 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Westbury (Valley View), AU	daily rain	40.4 mm (1.6 in)	17.5 mm (0.7 in)	63 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Cimarron 4 SW, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	81 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Marshall, US	daily rain	38.1 mm (1.5 in)	21.8 mm (0.9 in)	40 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Kolomyia, UA	daily rain	29.8 mm (1.2 in)	22.9 mm (0.9 in)	27 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Monmouth, US	daily rain	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	22.1 mm (0.9 in)	48 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1986	Horton, US	daily rain	70.6 mm (2.8 in)	31.7 mm (1.2 in)	48 years	45 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 1986

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1802 to 1986. 1986 had 921 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 1986-05-17: 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	716
50 to 100	14
100 to 150	6
150 to 200	1
200 to 250	1