Weather Records on 20 May 1987

1,036 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 May 1987. Highest significance: Crookston NW Exp STN, US.

Key Facts for 20 May 1987

On 20 May 1987, 1,036 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
376 were record highs and 287 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 3 were all-time records, 19 monthly and 1,014 daily.
Crookston NW Exp STN set a daily record precipitation of 56.6 mm (2.2 in) on 20 May 1987.
Across 162 earlier years (1802 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 452 records.

Record Map

1,036 stations

1,036 station records on 20 May 1987 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 May 1987: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Crookston NW Exp STN	United States	Record daily precipitation	56.6 mm (2.2 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Zhaltyr	Kazakhstan	Record daily precipitation	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Chapel Hill 2 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	83.1 mm (3.3 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Grand Forks Intl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Borzomi	Georgia	Record daily precipitation	34.9 mm (1.4 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Kihnu	Estonia	Record daily precipitation	32.9 mm (1.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Congonhas-Montante	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	35.5 mm (1.4 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Geneseo	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Meleiro	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	56.2 mm (2.2 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
San Juan L M Marin Intl AP	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record daily precipitation	89.9 mm (3.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Alingsas_D	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	28.1 mm (1.1 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Carrington	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Alexandria 4 WSW	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Knoxville	United States	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
San Jon	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Atlantic City Marina	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Irapuato	Mexico	Record low minimum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Moline Quad City Intl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Pierre Rgnl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Fazenda Campo Grande	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Fazenda Umbaubas	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	30.4 mm (1.2 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Ardmore 1 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Diredawa	Ethiopia	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Montezuma 1 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Summerville 4W	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.5 mm (3.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Surat Thani	Thailand	Record daily precipitation	72.9 mm (2.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Toms River	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Hillsboro 3 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Coleman	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Paris Stp	United States	Record high minimum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Greensburg	United States	Record high minimum temperature	20.6 C (69.1 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Lewiston	United States	Record low minimum temperature	2.2 C (36.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Morgantown L&D	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Wellsburg Wtr Trmt Pl	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.1 C (70.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Cerro Azul	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Charleston	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Hillsboro	United States	Record high maximum temperature	35.0 C (95.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Lamesa 1 SSE	United States	Record daily precipitation	28.4 mm (1.1 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Canovanas	Puerto Rico [United States]	Record daily precipitation	89.2 mm (3.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Corning	United States	Record high minimum temperature	22.8 C (73.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Pella 1S	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Towson	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.2 mm (1.8 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Mtn Grove 2 N	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.1 C (70.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Princeton	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.2 mm (1.1 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Tuckerton 2 NE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.1 C (52.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Breien	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Jackson Exp STN	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Barra Do Acungui	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	45.1 mm (1.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Usina Turvinho	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	41.7 mm (1.6 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Otis 11 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
1 ENE Fairfield	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.1 C (70.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Galesburg	United States	Record high maximum temperature	32.8 C (91.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Monmouth	United States	Record high maximum temperature	32.8 C (91.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Jackson	United States	Record high maximum temperature	33.9 C (93.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Jefferson 3SE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	23.9 C (75.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Burlington Muni AP	United States	Record high minimum temperature	19.4 C (66.9 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Bismarck	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.1 mm (1.5 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Tuscola	United States	Record high minimum temperature	21.7 C (71.1 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Greensburg	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Detroit Lakes 1 NNE	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,036 records

Records set or tied on 20 May 1987 by type: Highest daily maximum 127, Lowest daily maximum 165, Highest daily minimum 249, Lowest daily minimum 122, Heaviest daily rainfall 359, Heaviest daily snowfall 11, Deepest snow cover 3.

Records on 20 May 1987 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	127
Lowest daily maximum	165
Highest daily minimum	249
Lowest daily minimum	122
Heaviest daily rainfall	359
Heaviest daily snowfall	11
Deepest snow cover	3

Records on 20 May 1987 by timescale: all-time 3, monthly 19, daily 1,014.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

794 broken records

Margins by which the 794 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 86.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 May 1987

Top 20 records on 20 May 1987 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 May 1987	Crookston NW Exp STN, US	daily rain	56.6 mm (2.2 in)	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	95 years	62 of 100 (Major)
20 May 1987	Zhaltyr, KZ	monthly rain	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	14.0 mm (0.6 in)	28 years	61 of 100 (Major)
20 May 1987	Chapel Hill 2 W, US	daily rain	83.1 mm (3.3 in)	36.4 mm (1.4 in)	57 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Grand Forks Intl AP, US	daily rain	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	30.5 mm (1.2 in)	40 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Borzomi, GE	daily rain	34.9 mm (1.4 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	29 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Kihnu, EE	daily rain	32.9 mm (1.3 in)	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	24 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Congonhas-Montante, BR	daily rain	35.5 mm (1.4 in)	33.3 mm (1.3 in)	32 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Geneseo, US	daily rain	53.1 mm (2.1 in)	18.3 mm (0.7 in)	88 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Meleiro, BR	daily rain	56.2 mm (2.2 in)	40.2 mm (1.6 in)	26 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	San Juan L M Marin Intl AP, PR	daily rain	89.9 mm (3.5 in)	64.0 mm (2.5 in)	22 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Alingsas_D, SE	daily rain	28.1 mm (1.1 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	20 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Carrington, US	daily rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	34.5 mm (1.4 in)	14 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Alexandria 4 WSW, US	daily rain	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	18.0 mm (0.7 in)	72 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Knoxville, US	daily rain	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	14.4 mm (0.6 in)	87 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	San Jon, US	daily rain	44.5 mm (1.8 in)	17.8 mm (0.7 in)	77 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Atlantic City Marina, US	daily rain	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	5.3 mm (0.21 in)	100 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Irapuato, MX	daily low min	7.2 C (45.0 F)	3.9 C (7.0 F)	61 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Moline Quad City Intl AP, US	daily rain	54.6 mm (2.1 in)	36.1 mm (1.4 in)	28 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Pierre Rgnl AP, US	daily rain	25.1 mm (1.0 in)	9.4 mm (0.37 in)	87 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1987	Fazenda Campo Grande, BR	daily rain	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	25 years	43 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 1987

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1802 to 1987. 1987 had 1,036 records.

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

Records on 05-20 in each year
Year	Records
1802	1
1803	1
1804	1
1815	1
1825	1
1837	1
1844	1
1845	3
1847	1
1854	1
1858	3
1861	1
1862	1
1865	1
1867	1
1868	2
1870	3
1871	2
1876	2
1877	3
1879	1
1880	2
1884	2
1885	1
1887	2
1889	3
1890	3
1891	5
1892	3
1893	1
1894	6
1895	3
1896	3
1897	3
1898	4
1899	4
1900	1
1901	5
1902	11
1903	19
1904	4
1905	4
1906	22
1907	35
1908	23
1909	10
1910	20
1911	82
1912	20
1913	10
1914	16
1915	42
1916	29
1917	46
1918	92
1919	56
1920	44
1921	234
1922	40
1923	125
1924	189
1925	251
1926	128
1927	118
1928	138
1929	323
1930	129
1931	451
1932	689
1933	449
1934	582
1935	259
1936	207
1937	270
1938	331
1939	266
1940	337
1941	378
1942	337
1943	802
1944	315
1945	498
1946	339
1947	358
1948	514
1949	586
1950	327
1951	288
1952	615
1953	518
1954	822
1955	421
1956	565
1957	728
1958	378
1959	785
1960	612
1961	333
1962	773
1963	732
1964	517
1965	200
1966	416
1967	587
1968	743
1969	885
1970	310
1971	653
1972	612
1973	419
1974	893
1975	1,332
1976	837
1977	553
1978	534
1979	683
1980	751
1981	1,540
1982	554
1983	1,307
1984	867
1985	426
1986	790
1987	1,036
1988	805
1989	764
1990	722
1991	925
1992	1,200
1993	1,208
1994	778
1995	734
1996	1,749
1997	1,106
1998	1,124
1999	673
2000	991
2001	847
2002	2,299
2003	1,201
2004	746
2005	929
2006	1,006
2007	565
2008	999
2009	1,529
2010	1,011
2011	1,117
2012	604
2013	919
2014	629
2015	1,001
2016	692
2017	1,214
2018	460
2019	1,483
2020	784
2021	904
2022	1,643
2023	1,106
2024	478
2025	969
2026	696

Download the Data

Data for records on 1987-05-20: 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	741
20 to 40	46
40 to 60	3
60 to 80	3
80 to 100	1