Weather Records on 21 May 1988

819 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 May 1988. Highest significance: Billabalong, AU.

Key Facts for 21 May 1988

On 21 May 1988, 819 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
259 were record highs and 173 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 10 were all-time records, 47 monthly and 762 daily.
Billabalong set a daily record precipitation of 59.0 mm (2.3 in) on 21 May 1988.
Across 156 earlier years (1793 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 458 records.

Record Map

819 stations

819 station records on 21 May 1988 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 May 1988: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Billabalong	Australia	Record daily precipitation	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	71 of 100 (Major)
Manarra	Australia	Record daily precipitation	67.2 mm (2.6 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
Ogilvie	Australia	Record daily precipitation	76.0 mm (3.0 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Bullfinch	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	65 of 100 (Major)
Dartmoor	Australia	Record daily precipitation	72.8 mm (2.9 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Eradu	Australia	Record daily precipitation	85.0 mm (3.3 in)	63 of 100 (Major)
Tamala	Australia	Record daily precipitation	217.4 mm (8.6 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Binnu	Australia	Record daily precipitation	104.0 mm (4.1 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Tardun	Australia	Record daily precipitation	73.0 mm (2.9 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Twin Peaks	Australia	Record daily precipitation	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Yuna	Australia	Record daily precipitation	99.0 mm (3.9 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Barberton	Australia	Record daily precipitation	41.6 mm (1.6 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Fairfield	Australia	Record daily precipitation	53.8 mm (2.1 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Gleneva	Australia	Record daily precipitation	104.4 mm (4.1 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Moorleah (Preolenna Road)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	97.0 mm (3.8 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Uman	Ukraine	Record daily precipitation	33.7 mm (1.3 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Narra Tarra	Australia	Record daily precipitation	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Willigulli North	Australia	Record daily precipitation	76.4 mm (3.0 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Yallalong	Australia	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Moora	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Yarragadee	Australia	Record daily precipitation	85.0 mm (3.3 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Codg Codgen	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Isseka	Australia	Record daily precipitation	76.0 mm (3.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Gabyon	Australia	Record daily precipitation	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Yuin	Australia	Record daily precipitation	60.0 mm (2.4 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Howatharra	Australia	Record daily precipitation	73.0 mm (2.9 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Coolangatta	Australia	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Canaan Farm	Australia	Record daily precipitation	42.2 mm (1.7 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Balla	Australia	Record daily precipitation	102.0 mm (4.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Bowgada	Australia	Record daily precipitation	87.0 mm (3.4 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Morawa West	Australia	Record daily precipitation	80.0 mm (3.1 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Morawa	Australia	Record daily precipitation	85.6 mm (3.4 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Walebing	Australia	Record daily precipitation	41.8 mm (1.6 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Clontarf Farm	Australia	Record daily precipitation	72.4 mm (2.9 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
South Holmwood	Australia	Record daily precipitation	83.0 mm (3.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Moningarin	Australia	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Fowlerton	United States	Record daily precipitation	101.6 mm (4.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Wongan Hills	Australia	Record daily precipitation	45.8 mm (1.8 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Ajana	Australia	Record daily precipitation	100.2 mm (3.9 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Nabawa	Australia	Record daily precipitation	78.4 mm (3.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Wattoning	Australia	Record daily precipitation	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Kellevie	Australia	Record daily precipitation	49.2 mm (1.9 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Shelleyvale	Australia	Record daily precipitation	65.2 mm (2.6 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Carnamah	Australia	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Woolgorong	Australia	Record daily precipitation	43.6 mm (1.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Buntine	Australia	Record daily precipitation	42.4 mm (1.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Wongan Hills Res.Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.8 mm (1.6 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Mogumber Farm	Australia	Record daily precipitation	36.6 mm (1.4 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Huddleston (Willow Ponds)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	33.2 mm (1.3 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Humble Pump STN 5 WNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	112.3 mm (4.4 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Mullen 21 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Nanutarra	Australia	Record daily precipitation	44.0 mm (1.7 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Tenindewa Bindu	Australia	Record daily precipitation	77.2 mm (3.0 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Bruce Rock	Australia	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Ejanding	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.3 mm (1.6 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Wessington Springs 7SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	66.8 mm (2.6 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Kokardine	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.4 mm (1.3 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Bencubbin	Australia	Record daily precipitation	34.6 mm (1.4 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Wamego 4 W	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Berkshire Valley	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

819 records

Records set or tied on 21 May 1988 by type: Highest daily maximum 171, Lowest daily maximum 104, Highest daily minimum 88, Lowest daily minimum 69, Heaviest daily rainfall 384, Heaviest daily snowfall 1, Deepest snow cover 2.

Records on 21 May 1988 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	171
Lowest daily maximum	104
Highest daily minimum	88
Lowest daily minimum	69
Heaviest daily rainfall	384
Heaviest daily snowfall	1
Deepest snow cover	2

Records on 21 May 1988 by timescale: all-time 10, monthly 47, daily 762.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

664 broken records

Margins by which the 664 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 113.3. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

21 May 1988

Top 20 records on 21 May 1988 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 May 1988	Billabalong, AU	daily rain	59.0 mm (2.3 in)	52.9 mm (2.1 in)	77 years	71 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1988	Manarra, AU	daily rain	67.2 mm (2.6 in)	48.7 mm (1.9 in)	67 years	68 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1988	Ogilvie, AU	daily rain	76.0 mm (3.0 in)	49.1 mm (1.9 in)	67 years	67 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1988	Bullfinch, AU	daily rain	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	31.6 mm (1.2 in)	61 years	65 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1988	Dartmoor, AU	monthly rain	72.8 mm (2.9 in)	24.3 mm (1.0 in)	55 years	63 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1988	Eradu, AU	monthly rain	85.0 mm (3.3 in)	22.8 mm (0.9 in)	67 years	63 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1988	Tamala, AU	monthly rain	217.4 mm (8.6 in)	113.3 mm (4.5 in)	15 years	62 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1988	Binnu, AU	monthly rain	104.0 mm (4.1 in)	32.9 mm (1.3 in)	41 years	62 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1988	Tardun, AU	monthly rain	73.0 mm (2.9 in)	24.2 mm (1.0 in)	59 years	62 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1988	Twin Peaks, AU	daily rain	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	27.3 mm (1.1 in)	79 years	61 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1988	Yuna, AU	monthly rain	99.0 mm (3.9 in)	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	41 years	60 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1988	Barberton, AU	daily rain	41.6 mm (1.6 in)	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	55 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1988	Fairfield, AU	daily rain	53.8 mm (2.1 in)	30.9 mm (1.2 in)	55 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1988	Gleneva, AU	monthly rain	104.4 mm (4.1 in)	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	41 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1988	Moorleah (Preolenna Road), AU	monthly rain	97.0 mm (3.8 in)	32.2 mm (1.3 in)	23 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1988	Uman, UA	daily rain	33.7 mm (1.3 in)	12.6 mm (0.5 in)	100 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1988	Narra Tarra, AU	daily rain	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	42.7 mm (1.7 in)	27 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1988	Willigulli North, AU	monthly rain	76.4 mm (3.0 in)	14.7 mm (0.6 in)	80 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1988	Yallalong, AU	daily rain	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	56.0 mm (2.2 in)	28 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1988	Moora, AU	daily rain	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	26.4 mm (1.0 in)	43 years	56 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 1988

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1988. 1988 had 819 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 1988-05-21: 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 2026-10-14 (14 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	584
20 to 40	61
40 to 60	13
60 to 80	4
80 to 100	0
100 to 120	2