Weather Records on 21 May 1997

953 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 21 May 1997. Highest significance: Lissadell, AU.

Key Facts for 21 May 1997

On 21 May 1997, 953 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
180 were record highs and 500 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 2 were all-time records, 17 monthly and 934 daily.
Lissadell set a daily record precipitation of 38.0 mm (1.5 in) on 21 May 1997.
Across 156 earlier years (1793 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 457 records.

Record Map

953 stations

953 station records on 21 May 1997 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 21 May 1997: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Lissadell	Australia	Record daily precipitation	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	72 of 100 (Major)
Groningen-1	Netherlands	Record daily precipitation	55.6 mm (2.2 in)	70 of 100 (Major)
Cleve (Pineside)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
Balashov	Russia	Record daily precipitation	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Voru	Estonia	Record daily precipitation	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Rostoshi	Russia	Record daily precipitation	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Tukan	Russia	Record daily precipitation	32.2 mm (1.3 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Bay Springs	United States	Record daily precipitation	73.2 mm (2.9 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Myers Page Fld AP	United States	Record high minimum temperature	24.4 C (75.9 F)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Viroqua	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Waialua 847	United States	Record low minimum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Jesus Maria	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	88.9 mm (3.5 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Sahuaripa	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Cresco 1 NE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.7 C (28.9 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Farmerville	United States	Record low minimum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Houston Spring Branch	United States	Record daily precipitation	86.9 mm (3.4 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Sorocinsk	Russia	Record daily precipitation	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Langtry	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Waxahachie	United States	Record low maximum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Carrizozo 1SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	28.2 mm (1.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Alfred	United States	Record low maximum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Kirbyville	United States	Record daily precipitation	116.3 mm (4.6 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Elizabethton	United States	Record low minimum temperature	2.8 C (37.0 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Tranebjerg	Denmark	Record low maximum temperature	7.4 C (45.3 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Sappemeer	Netherlands	Record daily precipitation	43.1 mm (1.7 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
De Funiak Springs 1 E	United States	Record high minimum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Philo 3 SW	United States	Record low maximum temperature	12.8 C (55.0 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Kingsville Naas	United States	Record daily precipitation	85.6 mm (3.4 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Koebenhavn: Landbohojskolen-1	Denmark	Record low maximum temperature	6.8 C (44.2 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Onnen	Netherlands	Record daily precipitation	34.9 mm (1.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Eelde-1	Netherlands	Record daily precipitation	34.4 mm (1.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Ludington 4 SE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Neillsville 3ESE	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Udialla	Australia	Record daily precipitation	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Decorah	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Chula Vista	United States	Record high minimum temperature	18.3 C (64.9 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Ashland	United States	Record daily precipitation	89.4 mm (3.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Wisconsin Rapids	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Elgin Water	United States	Record low minimum temperature	1.7 C (35.1 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Washington	United States	Record daily snowfall	20.8 cm (8.2 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Seward AP	United States	Record high maximum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Karlshamn	Sweden	Record low maximum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
San Bernardino F S 226	United States	Record high minimum temperature	17.2 C (63.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Estancia 4N	United States	Record low maximum temperature	13.9 C (57.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Mt Pleasant	United States	Record low maximum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Bodoquena (Particular)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	71.0 mm (2.8 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Ayutla (Cfe)	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	55.9 mm (2.2 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Altotonga	Mexico	Record low maximum temperature	15.6 C (60.1 F)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Veenhuizen (D)	Netherlands	Record daily precipitation	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Kingsville	United States	Record daily precipitation	85.6 mm (3.4 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Northwood	United States	Record low minimum temperature	0.0 C (32.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Charleston	United States	Record low maximum temperature	22.2 C (72.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Mize 3SW	United States	Record daily precipitation	64.8 mm (2.6 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Sherman	United States	Record low maximum temperature	18.3 C (64.9 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Richland Ctr	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-1.1 C (30.0 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Hartford Brainard Fld	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-4.4 C (24.1 F)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Nakanno	Russia	Record high minimum temperature	12.9 C (55.2 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Chattanooga	United States	Record low maximum temperature	20.0 C (68.0 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Presidio	United States	Record daily precipitation	26.7 mm (1.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Weatherford	United States	Record low maximum temperature	16.7 C (62.1 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

953 records

Records set or tied on 21 May 1997 by type: Highest daily maximum 61, Lowest daily maximum 262, Highest daily minimum 119, Lowest daily minimum 238, Heaviest daily rainfall 258, Heaviest daily snowfall 2, Deepest snow cover 13.

Records on 21 May 1997 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	61
Lowest daily maximum	262
Highest daily minimum	119
Lowest daily minimum	238
Heaviest daily rainfall	258
Heaviest daily snowfall	2
Deepest snow cover	13

Records on 21 May 1997 by timescale: all-time 2, monthly 17, daily 934.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

723 broken records

Margins by which the 723 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

21 May 1997

Top 20 records on 21 May 1997 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
21 May 1997	Lissadell, AU	daily rain	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	99 years	72 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1997	Groningen-1, NL	monthly rain	55.6 mm (2.2 in)	17.6 mm (0.7 in)	43 years	70 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1997	Cleve (Pineside), AU	daily rain	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	15.1 mm (0.6 in)	71 years	62 of 100 (Major)
21 May 1997	Balashov, RU	daily rain	34.8 mm (1.4 in)	27.8 mm (1.1 in)	36 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Voru, EE	daily rain	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	12.5 mm (0.5 in)	68 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Rostoshi, RU	daily rain	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	35.2 mm (1.4 in)	16 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Tukan, RU	daily rain	32.2 mm (1.3 in)	23.5 mm (0.9 in)	19 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Bay Springs, US	daily rain	73.2 mm (2.9 in)	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	36 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Ft Myers Page Fld AP, US	daily high min	24.4 C (75.9 F)	1.6 C (2.9 F)	103 years	47 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Viroqua, US	daily low min	-2.8 C (27.0 F)	3.4 C (6.1 F)	101 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Waialua 847, US	daily low min	13.9 C (57.0 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	88 years	45 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Jesus Maria, MX	all-time rain	88.9 mm (3.5 in)	8.4 mm (0.33 in)	28 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Sahuaripa, MX	daily rain	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	52 years	44 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Cresco 1 NE, US	daily low min	-1.7 C (28.9 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	101 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Farmerville, US	daily low min	9.4 C (48.9 F)	1.2 C (2.2 F)	102 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Houston Spring Branch, US	daily rain	86.9 mm (3.4 in)	65.3 mm (2.6 in)	30 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Sorocinsk, RU	daily rain	25.7 mm (1.0 in)	15.3 mm (0.6 in)	35 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Langtry, US	daily rain	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	35.1 mm (1.4 in)	18 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Waxahachie, US	daily low max	20.0 C (68.0 F)	3.3 C (5.9 F)	80 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
21 May 1997	Carrizozo 1SW, US	daily rain	28.2 mm (1.1 in)	7.4 mm (0.29 in)	68 years	41 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 1997

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1793 to 1997. 1997 had 953 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 1997-05-21: 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 2026-10-13 (13 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 50	708
50 to 100	10
100 to 150	0
150 to 200	1
200 to 250	0
250 to 300	2
300 to 350	0
350 to 400	2