Weather Records on 23 May 1988

662 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 23 May 1988. Highest significance: Cape Willoughby, AU.

Key Facts for 23 May 1988

On 23 May 1988, 662 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
242 were record highs and 151 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 2 were all-time records, 17 monthly and 643 daily.
Cape Willoughby set a daily record precipitation of 26.0 mm (1.0 in) on 23 May 1988.
Across 158 earlier years (1793 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 461 records.

Record Map

662 stations

662 station records on 23 May 1988 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 23 May 1988: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Cape Willoughby	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Jacupiranga	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	60.5 mm (2.4 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Tengchong	China	Record daily precipitation	69.6 mm (2.7 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Turvo	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	63.2 mm (2.5 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Usina Sao Jose	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	61.1 mm (2.4 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Walnut	United States	Record daily precipitation	65.3 mm (2.6 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Taquari-Vai	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	54.7 mm (2.2 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Ribeira	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	66.5 mm (2.6 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Gramadinho	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	64.6 mm (2.5 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Bealiba	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.8 mm (1.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Bom Jardim	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	85.7 mm (3.4 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Buri	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	72.1 mm (2.8 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Santa Cruz	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	84.4 mm (3.3 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Klepinino	Ukraine	Record daily precipitation	32.2 mm (1.3 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Tibaji	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	100.8 mm (4.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Morretes	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Doutor Pedrinho	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	60.6 mm (2.4 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Bidyadanga	Australia	Record daily precipitation	85.0 mm (3.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Coldwater St School	United States	Record daily precipitation	52.3 mm (2.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Willow Sprg Radio Kuku	United States	Record daily precipitation	88.9 mm (3.5 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Cerro Azul	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	66.4 mm (2.6 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Sarapui	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	47.4 mm (1.9 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Balsa Do Cerro Azul	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	69.9 mm (2.8 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Ponta Grossa-Vila Velha	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	73.4 mm (2.9 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Corupa (Hansa)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	70.2 mm (2.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Ferreira Das Almas	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
La Harpe	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Prattsville	United States	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Tereza Cristina	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	132.2 mm (5.2 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Coalcoman (Smn)	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	26.7 C (80.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Wayne Intl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.6 mm (1.6 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Daysdale (Dennison Street)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Engenheiro Maia	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	58.0 mm (2.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Colonia Do Cachoeira	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	77.5 mm (3.1 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Ariri	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	82.2 mm (3.2 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Casey	United States	Record daily precipitation	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Paxton	United States	Record daily precipitation	52.3 mm (2.1 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Aberdeen	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Syracuse	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Eldorado	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Hobart 2 WNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	31.5 mm (1.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Richfield	United States	Record low maximum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Big Sandy	United States	Record high minimum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Selmer	United States	Record daily precipitation	69.3 mm (2.7 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Salmon Gums	Australia	Record daily precipitation	26.2 mm (1.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Gritador	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	41.0 mm (1.6 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Torrington	United States	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Ravensdale	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Kremsmuenster	Austria	Record low minimum temperature	4.0 C (39.2 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Salto de Pirapora	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Usina Turvinho	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	41.7 mm (1.6 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Searcy	United States	Record low maximum temperature	20.6 C (69.1 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Monmouth	United States	Record daily precipitation	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Longwood	Australia	Record daily precipitation	38.2 mm (1.5 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Miracatu	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	39.6 mm (1.6 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Ivaipora	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	54.3 mm (2.1 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Caucaia Do Alto	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	30.8 mm (1.2 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Barra Do Capinzal	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	39.8 mm (1.6 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Saint Francis	United States	Record low maximum temperature	10.6 C (51.1 F)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Rockville 1 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

662 records

Records set or tied on 23 May 1988 by type: Highest daily maximum 130, Lowest daily maximum 90, Highest daily minimum 112, Lowest daily minimum 61, Heaviest daily rainfall 268, Deepest snow cover 1.

Records on 23 May 1988 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	130
Lowest daily maximum	90
Highest daily minimum	112
Lowest daily minimum	61
Heaviest daily rainfall	268
Heaviest daily snowfall	0
Deepest snow cover	1

Records on 23 May 1988 by timescale: all-time 2, monthly 17, daily 643.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

493 broken records

Margins by which the 493 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 72.7. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

23 May 1988

Top 20 records on 23 May 1988 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
23 May 1988	Cape Willoughby, AU	daily rain	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	11.3 mm (0.4 in)	80 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Jacupiranga, BR	daily rain	60.5 mm (2.4 in)	46.5 mm (1.8 in)	30 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Tengchong, CN	daily rain	69.6 mm (2.7 in)	53.7 mm (2.1 in)	34 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Turvo, BR	daily rain	63.2 mm (2.5 in)	55.0 mm (2.2 in)	30 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Usina Sao Jose, BR	daily rain	61.1 mm (2.4 in)	42.1 mm (1.7 in)	30 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Walnut, US	daily rain	65.3 mm (2.6 in)	21.9 mm (0.9 in)	81 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Taquari-Vai, BR	daily rain	54.7 mm (2.2 in)	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	30 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Ribeira, BR	daily rain	66.5 mm (2.6 in)	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	41 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Gramadinho, BR	daily rain	64.6 mm (2.5 in)	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	16 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Bealiba, AU	daily rain	25.8 mm (1.0 in)	10.8 mm (0.4 in)	82 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Bom Jardim, BR	daily rain	85.7 mm (3.4 in)	72.7 mm (2.9 in)	16 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Buri, BR	daily rain	72.1 mm (2.8 in)	57.0 mm (2.2 in)	16 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Santa Cruz, BR	daily rain	84.4 mm (3.3 in)	66.3 mm (2.6 in)	36 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Klepinino, UA	daily rain	32.2 mm (1.3 in)	21.1 mm (0.8 in)	29 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Tibaji, BR	daily rain	100.8 mm (4.0 in)	50.6 mm (2.0 in)	45 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Morretes, BR	daily rain	75.0 mm (3.0 in)	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	45 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Doutor Pedrinho, BR	daily rain	60.6 mm (2.4 in)	48.6 mm (1.9 in)	30 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Bidyadanga, AU	daily rain	85.0 mm (3.3 in)	51.2 mm (2.0 in)	38 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Coldwater St School, US	daily rain	52.3 mm (2.1 in)	11.2 mm (0.4 in)	82 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
23 May 1988	Willow Sprg Radio Kuku, US	daily rain	88.9 mm (3.5 in)	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	50 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 1988

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1988. 1988 had 662 records.

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

Records on 05-23 in each year
Year	Records
1793	1
1794	1
1798	1
1817	1
1818	1
1837	3
1845	1
1847	2
1857	1
1863	1
1865	2
1866	5
1867	7
1870	2
1871	1
1875	1
1877	1
1878	1
1880	1
1884	2
1885	2
1886	4
1887	1
1889	2
1891	11
1893	3
1894	1
1895	3
1896	4
1897	3
1898	8
1899	3
1900	12
1901	3
1902	12
1903	6
1904	14
1905	10
1906	23
1907	11
1908	13
1909	23
1910	26
1911	39
1912	31
1913	29
1914	33
1915	13
1916	44
1917	58
1918	36
1919	120
1920	37
1921	92
1922	82
1923	99
1924	230
1925	325
1926	204
1927	243
1928	177
1929	221
1930	199
1931	719
1932	358
1933	443
1934	203
1935	369
1936	568
1937	156
1938	390
1939	415
1940	324
1941	676
1942	235
1943	342
1944	784
1945	241
1946	311
1947	285
1948	273
1949	612
1950	490
1951	400
1952	597
1953	777
1954	496
1955	650
1956	498
1957	653
1958	744
1959	486
1960	395
1961	412
1962	677
1963	1,153
1964	964
1965	477
1966	391
1967	1,055
1968	578
1969	437
1970	314
1971	659
1972	449
1973	371
1974	678
1975	855
1976	556
1977	596
1978	703
1979	730
1980	1,202
1981	862
1982	717
1983	1,123
1984	1,027
1985	608
1986	626
1987	745
1988	662
1989	1,106
1990	1,660
1991	1,244
1992	1,423
1993	845
1994	690
1995	1,106
1996	1,114
1997	983
1998	947
1999	705
2000	1,372
2001	1,441
2002	1,537
2003	954
2004	1,275
2005	908
2006	1,122
2007	1,170
2008	1,472
2009	805
2010	1,275
2011	1,001
2012	1,006
2013	929
2014	858
2015	667
2016	679
2017	602
2018	552
2019	1,044
2020	631
2021	837
2022	807
2023	316
2024	760
2025	865
2026	804

Download the Data

Data for records on 1988-05-23: 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 10	392
10 to 20	53
20 to 30	18
30 to 40	8
40 to 50	11
50 to 60	8
60 to 70	2
70 to 80	1