Weather Records on 15 May 1997

1,175 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 15 May 1997. Highest significance: Arrabury Station, AU.

Key Facts for 15 May 1997

On 15 May 1997, 1,175 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
537 were record highs and 378 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 0 were all-time records, 17 monthly and 1,158 daily.
Arrabury Station set a monthly record daily precipitation of 66.0 mm (2.6 in) on 15 May 1997.
Across 162 earlier years (1820 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 426 records.

Record Map

1,175 stations

1,175 station records on 15 May 1997 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 15 May 1997: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Arrabury Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
Cordillo Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	58 of 100 (Notable)
Taylor	United States	Record daily precipitation	88.9 mm (3.5 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Kalaupapa 563	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Ocozocoautla	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Beaconsfield	Australia	Record daily precipitation	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Changchun	China	Record daily precipitation	34.9 mm (1.4 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Bergland Dam	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Ironwood	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Salem AP (McNary Field)	United States	Record high minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Puente Jula	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	189.2 mm (7.4 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Foxholm 7 N	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-11.1 C (12.0 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Elderslie	Australia	Record daily precipitation	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Praha-Klementinum	Czech Republic	Record high maximum temperature	30.2 C (86.4 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Virginia City	United States	Record high minimum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Elizabethton	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Beaver Dam Wwtp	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Durham Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Ironwood	United States	Record daily snowfall	9.7 cm (3.8 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Pine Rvr Dam	United States	Record low maximum temperature	6.7 C (44.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Snoqualmie Falls	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Terrick Terrick Stud	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Soledad Nueva	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	35.8 mm (1.4 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Glorieta	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Wishek	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-6.7 C (19.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Osmjany	Belarus	Record daily precipitation	28.9 mm (1.1 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Paso del Aura	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	79.8 mm (3.1 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Krakmo	Norway	Record snow depth	68.0 cm (26.8 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Loksak	Russia	Record daily precipitation	42.9 mm (1.7 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Stalon_11	Sweden	Record daily precipitation	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Cresco 1 NE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Storm Lake	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.7 C (28.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Milaca	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-4.4 C (24.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Headworks Portland Wtr B	United States	Record high minimum temperature	12.2 C (54.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Lancaster 4 WSW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Medford Intl AP	United States	Record high minimum temperature	16.7 C (62.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Uman	Ukraine	Record high maximum temperature	29.4 C (84.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Pocahontas	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Agate 3 E	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Dallas 2 NE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Estacada 2 SE	United States	Record high minimum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Ipswich	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-4.4 C (24.1 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Wessington Springs	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Pembina	United States	Record low maximum temperature	3.9 C (39.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Redwood Falls Muni AP	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
N Bend SW Oregon Rgnl AP	United States	Record high minimum temperature	13.3 C (55.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Amor Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Francisco Gonzalez Villarreal	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	54.9 mm (2.2 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Ada	United States	Record low maximum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
McKenzie Rvr Rs	United States	Record high minimum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Darlington Wwtp	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-3.3 C (26.1 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Mauston 1 SE	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Regensburg	Germany	Record high maximum temperature	30.2 C (86.4 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Santa Maria Yucuhiti (Cfe)	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	86.4 mm (3.4 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Galva	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Kewaunee	United States	Record low maximum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Cairo 3N	United States	Record low minimum temperature	5.0 C (41.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Kantunilkin	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	80.3 mm (3.2 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Leech Lake	United States	Record low maximum temperature	6.7 C (44.1 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Omak 4 N	United States	Record high minimum temperature	15.0 C (59.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,175 records

Records set or tied on 15 May 1997 by type: Highest daily maximum 255, Lowest daily maximum 170, Highest daily minimum 282, Lowest daily minimum 208, Heaviest daily rainfall 224, Heaviest daily snowfall 13, Deepest snow cover 23.

Records on 15 May 1997 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	255
Lowest daily maximum	170
Highest daily minimum	282
Lowest daily minimum	208
Heaviest daily rainfall	224
Heaviest daily snowfall	13
Deepest snow cover	23

Records on 15 May 1997 by timescale: all-time 0, monthly 17, daily 1,158.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

887 broken records

Margins by which the 887 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 380.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

15 May 1997

Top 20 records on 15 May 1997 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
15 May 1997	Arrabury Station, AU	monthly rain	66.0 mm (2.6 in)	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	33 years	68 of 100 (Major)
15 May 1997	Cordillo Downs, AU	daily rain	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	79 years	58 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Taylor, US	daily rain	88.9 mm (3.5 in)	55.1 mm (2.2 in)	64 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Kalaupapa 563, US	daily rain	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	59 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Ocozocoautla, MX	daily rain	59.4 mm (2.3 in)	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	46 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Beaconsfield, AU	daily rain	28.0 mm (1.1 in)	18.3 mm (0.7 in)	96 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Changchun, CN	daily rain	34.9 mm (1.4 in)	20.4 mm (0.8 in)	36 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Bergland Dam, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	82 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Ironwood, US	daily snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	7.7 cm (3.0 in)	92 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Salem AP (McNary Field), US	daily high min	13.9 C (57.0 F)	2.2 C (4.0 F)	90 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Puente Jula, MX	monthly rain	189.2 mm (7.4 in)	54.3 mm (2.1 in)	16 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Foxholm 7 N, US	monthly low min	-11.1 C (12.0 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	68 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Elderslie, AU	daily rain	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	30.6 mm (1.2 in)	44 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Praha-Klementinum, CZ	daily high max	30.2 C (86.4 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	207 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Virginia City, US	daily high min	13.3 C (55.9 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	106 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Elizabethton, US	daily low min	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	0.6 C (1.1 F)	101 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Beaver Dam Wwtp, US	daily low max	8.9 C (48.0 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	101 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Durham Downs, AU	daily rain	49.0 mm (1.9 in)	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	14 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Ironwood, US	daily snowfall	9.7 cm (3.8 in)	4.6 cm (1.8 in)	76 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
15 May 1997	Pine Rvr Dam, US	daily low max	6.7 C (44.1 F)	1.1 C (2.0 F)	97 years	40 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

1820 to 1997

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1820 to 1997. 1997 had 1,175 records.

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

Records on 05-15 in each year
Year	Records
1820	1
1825	1
1831	1
1832	1
1837	2
1845	1
1847	2
1848	1
1855	2
1857	2
1859	1
1862	1
1863	1
1865	1
1866	2
1867	1
1868	2
1870	1
1871	3
1874	2
1876	4
1878	1
1879	2
1881	1
1883	1
1885	1
1886	2
1888	3
1891	3
1893	5
1894	2
1895	4
1896	2
1897	4
1898	3
1899	9
1900	9
1901	2
1902	9
1903	4
1904	13
1905	16
1906	10
1907	27
1908	25
1909	89
1910	27
1911	27
1912	26
1913	60
1914	16
1915	236
1916	27
1917	80
1918	133
1919	25
1920	58
1921	92
1922	30
1923	125
1924	174
1925	100
1926	161
1927	191
1928	144
1929	161
1930	136
1931	459
1932	368
1933	439
1934	227
1935	288
1936	372
1937	373
1938	393
1939	351
1940	179
1941	454
1942	701
1943	568
1944	630
1945	588
1946	238
1947	334
1948	264
1949	363
1950	260
1951	736
1952	476
1953	426
1954	355
1955	538
1956	466
1957	521
1958	605
1959	764
1960	291
1961	508
1962	1,128
1963	782
1964	347
1965	320
1966	389
1967	609
1968	1,019
1969	790
1970	512
1971	351
1972	484
1973	818
1974	1,230
1975	372
1976	803
1977	1,186
1978	922
1979	404
1980	625
1981	586
1982	500
1983	1,215
1984	1,059
1985	649
1986	679
1987	1,073
1988	643
1989	552
1990	776
1991	1,179
1992	944
1993	784
1994	910
1995	1,750
1996	1,452
1997	1,175
1998	1,641
1999	810
2000	850
2001	1,280
2002	801
2003	1,023
2004	1,046
2005	767
2006	955
2007	949
2008	995
2009	675
2010	1,088
2011	1,298
2012	751
2013	1,081
2014	1,411
2015	717
2016	890
2017	435
2018	1,074
2019	627
2020	472
2021	412
2022	847
2023	566
2024	596
2025	801
2026	481

Download the Data

Data for records on 1997-05-15: 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	867
50 to 100	14
100 to 150	1
150 to 200	0
200 to 250	1
250 to 300	2
300 to 350	1
350 to 400	1