Weather Records on 18 May 1989

721 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 18 May 1989. Highest significance: Ashland, US.

Key Facts for 18 May 1989

On 18 May 1989, 721 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
291 were record highs and 108 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 8 were all-time records, 32 monthly and 681 daily.
Ashland set an all-time record daily precipitation of 276.4 mm (10.9 in) on 18 May 1989.
Across 164 earlier years (1796 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 441 records.

Record Map

721 stations

721 station records on 18 May 1989 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 18 May 1989: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Ashland	United States	Record daily precipitation	276.4 mm (10.9 in)	70 of 100 (Major)
Fairymead Sugar Mill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	88.6 mm (3.5 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Ulysses 3NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	84.8 mm (3.3 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Myers Page Fld AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	196.9 mm (7.8 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
De Quincy	United States	Record daily precipitation	123.2 mm (4.9 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Chapingo (Dge)	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Kinsley 2E	United States	Record daily precipitation	82.8 mm (3.3 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Burnett Heads Niell St	Australia	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Orange	United States	Record daily precipitation	115.8 mm (4.6 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
McMillin Rsvr	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Buderim Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	87.8 mm (3.5 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Warren 2 S	United States	Record daily precipitation	180.8 mm (7.1 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Beerburrum Forest Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Wenzhou	China	Record daily precipitation	88.2 mm (3.5 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Houston Indep Hts	United States	Record daily precipitation	111.8 mm (4.4 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Bingera Sugar Mill	Australia	Record daily precipitation	69.0 mm (2.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Sarajevo	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Record daily precipitation	49.7 mm (2.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Saugatuck Rsvr	United States	Record daily precipitation	94.0 mm (3.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Dixie	United States	Record daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Howard Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	49.4 mm (1.9 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Logan 4 ESE	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Houston San Jacinto da	United States	Record daily precipitation	106.7 mm (4.2 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Armavir	Russia	Record daily precipitation	61.8 mm (2.4 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Hewitt	United States	Record daily precipitation	100.8 mm (4.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Cardowan	Australia	Record daily precipitation	64.0 mm (2.5 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Liberty	United States	Record daily precipitation	269.2 mm (10.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Garden City Rgnl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	71.6 mm (2.8 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Garden City Exp STN	United States	Record daily precipitation	54.1 mm (2.1 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Richfield	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.2 mm (3.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
High Landing 2 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.6 mm (1.6 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Fargo 3ENE	United States	Record daily precipitation	58.4 mm (2.3 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Bucklin 1SE	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.5 mm (3.0 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Pratt 3NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	81.3 mm (3.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Ruston la Tech	United States	Record daily precipitation	133.4 mm (5.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Bald Hills Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.2 mm (1.3 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Saint Peter 4ENE	United States	Record daily precipitation	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Ashland	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.2 C (28.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Nanping	China	Record daily precipitation	82.0 mm (3.2 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Oswego 1 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	51.6 mm (2.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Hatch	United States	Record low maximum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Durham	United Kingdom	Record high minimum temperature	12.0 C (53.6 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Corsicana	United States	Record daily precipitation	92.7 mm (3.6 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
New Caney 2 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	144.8 mm (5.7 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Port Arthur SE Tx Rgnl AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	251.2 mm (9.9 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Kansas City Dwtn AP	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Forbes (Camp Street)	Australia	Record high minimum temperature	15.2 C (59.4 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Chaoyang	China	Record daily precipitation	45.0 mm (1.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Goodwell Rsch STN	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Houston Barker	United States	Record daily precipitation	82.3 mm (3.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Cordalba Store	Australia	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Hateruma	Japan	Record daily precipitation	166.5 mm (6.6 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Kzylzar	Kazakhstan	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Natchitoches	United States	Record daily precipitation	217.2 mm (8.6 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Coldspring 5 SSW	United States	Record daily precipitation	105.9 mm (4.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Gilmer 4 WNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	88.9 mm (3.5 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Tuan Creek Forest STN	Australia	Record daily precipitation	50.2 mm (2.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Russell Springs	United States	Record daily precipitation	37.1 mm (1.5 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Many	United States	Record daily precipitation	97.0 mm (3.8 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Valley View	United States	Record daily precipitation	83.8 mm (3.3 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Cougar 6 E	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

721 records

Records set or tied on 18 May 1989 by type: Highest daily maximum 138, Lowest daily maximum 43, Highest daily minimum 153, Lowest daily minimum 65, Heaviest daily rainfall 310, Heaviest daily snowfall 8, Deepest snow cover 4.

Records on 18 May 1989 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	138
Lowest daily maximum	43
Highest daily minimum	153
Lowest daily minimum	65
Heaviest daily rainfall	310
Heaviest daily snowfall	8
Deepest snow cover	4

Records on 18 May 1989 by timescale: all-time 8, monthly 32, daily 681.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

562 broken records

Margins by which the 562 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 300.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

18 May 1989

Top 20 records on 18 May 1989 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
18 May 1989	Ashland, US	all-time rain	276.4 mm (10.9 in)	104.9 mm (4.1 in)	23 years	70 of 100 (Major)
18 May 1989	Fairymead Sugar Mill, AU	daily rain	88.6 mm (3.5 in)	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	63 years	61 of 100 (Major)
18 May 1989	Ulysses 3NE, US	daily rain	84.8 mm (3.3 in)	45.9 mm (1.8 in)	48 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Ft Myers Page Fld AP, US	monthly rain	196.9 mm (7.8 in)	61.5 mm (2.4 in)	8 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	De Quincy, US	daily rain	123.2 mm (4.9 in)	97.8 mm (3.9 in)	42 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Chapingo (Dge), MX	daily rain	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	28.5 mm (1.1 in)	36 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Kinsley 2E, US	daily rain	82.8 mm (3.3 in)	47.7 mm (1.9 in)	34 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Burnett Heads Niell St, AU	daily rain	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	88 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Orange, US	daily rain	115.8 mm (4.6 in)	85.3 mm (3.4 in)	42 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	McMillin Rsvr, US	daily rain	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	17.6 mm (0.7 in)	39 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Buderim Post Office, AU	daily rain	87.8 mm (3.5 in)	38.8 mm (1.5 in)	94 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Warren 2 S, US	monthly rain	180.8 mm (7.1 in)	51.3 mm (2.0 in)	46 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Beerburrum Forest Station, AU	daily rain	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	86 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Wenzhou, CN	daily rain	88.2 mm (3.5 in)	51.5 mm (2.0 in)	27 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Houston Indep Hts, US	daily rain	111.8 mm (4.4 in)	81.3 mm (3.2 in)	22 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Bingera Sugar Mill, AU	daily rain	69.0 mm (2.7 in)	46.1 mm (1.8 in)	23 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Sarajevo, BA	daily rain	49.7 mm (2.0 in)	19.2 mm (0.8 in)	44 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Saugatuck Rsvr, US	daily rain	94.0 mm (3.7 in)	78.5 mm (3.1 in)	16 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Dixie, US	daily snowfall	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	21.6 cm (8.5 in)	16 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
18 May 1989	Howard Post Office, AU	daily rain	49.4 mm (1.9 in)	33.9 mm (1.3 in)	63 years	47 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

1796 to 1989

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1796 to 1989. 1989 had 721 records.

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

Records on 05-18 in each year
Year	Records
1796	1
1798	1
1802	2
1832	1
1833	1
1845	1
1847	1
1848	1
1855	1
1859	1
1861	2
1863	3
1864	1
1866	2
1868	2
1869	1
1870	1
1871	2
1872	1
1874	2
1877	4
1878	1
1879	1
1881	1
1883	2
1884	2
1885	1
1887	1
1888	4
1889	2
1891	1
1893	2
1894	4
1895	5
1896	2
1897	2
1898	1
1899	1
1900	13
1901	6
1902	9
1903	7
1904	11
1905	2
1906	24
1907	18
1908	5
1909	12
1910	50
1911	64
1912	5
1913	11
1914	45
1915	55
1916	74
1917	30
1918	42
1919	30
1920	26
1921	41
1922	33
1923	61
1924	92
1925	220
1926	133
1927	180
1928	160
1929	193
1930	475
1931	191
1932	460
1933	380
1934	390
1935	400
1936	282
1937	348
1938	382
1939	169
1940	315
1941	334
1942	421
1943	744
1944	496
1945	706
1946	651
1947	231
1948	426
1949	597
1950	473
1951	279
1952	493
1953	393
1954	498
1955	848
1956	795
1957	595
1958	334
1959	435
1960	404
1961	187
1962	1,199
1963	477
1964	329
1965	345
1966	438
1967	410
1968	817
1969	865
1970	703
1971	666
1972	499
1973	1,233
1974	1,097
1975	383
1976	733
1977	1,126
1978	1,090
1979	399
1980	614
1981	1,218
1982	452
1983	1,093
1984	717
1985	498
1986	1,131
1987	823
1988	1,154
1989	721
1990	753
1991	1,218
1992	921
1993	707
1994	1,015
1995	1,849
1996	1,767
1997	1,115
1998	1,060
1999	584
2000	922
2001	898
2002	1,833
2003	1,270
2004	847
2005	630
2006	1,493
2007	1,133
2008	999
2009	1,368
2010	894
2011	1,406
2012	523
2013	816
2014	609
2015	785
2016	597
2017	1,855
2018	557
2019	810
2020	706
2021	418
2022	711
2023	554
2024	551
2025	619
2026	1,131

Download the Data

Data for records on 1989-05-18: 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	538
50 to 100	21
100 to 150	1
150 to 200	0
200 to 250	1
250 to 300	1