Extreme rain in Australia, 8 to 14 May 2021

Name: Extreme rain in Australia, 8 to 14 May 2021
Start: 2021-05-08
End: 2021-05-14
Location: Australia

Extreme rain in Australia, 8 to 14 May 2021: 198 records at 181 stations, peak on 12 May 2021. Closed.

Data as of 2026-10-17. Last revised 17 October 2026 (2026-10-17).

Key Facts

Extreme rain in Australia, 8 to 14 May 2021 set or tied 198 station records at 181 stations.
It ran from 8 May 2021 to 14 May 2021 (7 days) and its peak day was 12 May 2021.
Status: closed.
Forest Hill set a daily record precipitation of 70.5 mm (2.8 in) on 12 May 2021.
The busiest day was 12 May 2021 with 87 records.
The oldest broken record in the ranked list had stood for 151 years.

Footprint

8 to 14 May 2021

The area covered by Extreme rain in Australia, 8 to 14 May 2021 is outlined, with 20 of the stations that set records marked, coloured by record type. Made with Natural Earth.

Footprint of Extreme rain in Australia, 8 to 14 May 2021: stations that set records in the event
Station	Type	Value	Date
Forest Hill	Record daily precipitation	70.5 mm (2.8 in)	2021-05-12
Green Cape Lighthouse	Record daily precipitation	87.0 mm (3.4 in)	2021-05-12
Moorang	Record daily precipitation	116.0 mm (4.6 in)	2021-05-13
Brogo (Hawks Head Road)	Record daily precipitation	115.0 mm (4.5 in)	2021-05-12
Nimmitabel Wastewater Treatmen	Record daily precipitation	68.8 mm (2.7 in)	2021-05-12
Tanybryn	Record daily precipitation	64.8 mm (2.6 in)	2021-05-12
Pechey Forestry	Record daily precipitation	50.4 mm (2.0 in)	2021-05-12
Eden (Timbillica)	Record daily precipitation	101.4 mm (4.0 in)	2021-05-12
Eden (Caravan Park)	Record daily precipitation	110.2 mm (4.3 in)	2021-05-12
Cooma Visitors Centre	Record daily precipitation	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	2021-05-12
Marlo	Record daily precipitation	28.2 mm (1.1 in)	2021-05-12
Dalgety (Severn Park)	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	2021-05-13
Goombungee Post Office	Record daily precipitation	26.6 mm (1.0 in)	2021-05-12
Mullaley (Bando)	Record daily precipitation	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	2021-05-09
University of Queensland Gatto	Record daily precipitation	32.8 mm (1.3 in)	2021-05-12
East Sale Airport	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	2021-05-11
Quendon	Record daily precipitation	62.4 mm (2.5 in)	2021-05-13
East Sale Comparison	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	2021-05-10
Genoa (Fools Haven)	Record daily precipitation	91.2 mm (3.6 in)	2021-05-12
Rock Flat (Old Post Office)	Record daily precipitation	33.6 mm (1.3 in)	2021-05-12

Records per Day

Peak day 87

Records set or tied each day from 8 May 2021 to 14 May 2021. The most in one day was 87 on 12 May 2021.

Top Records by Margin

Margin over the record replaced

Top records of Extreme rain in Australia, 8 to 14 May 2021 ranked by margin
Moorang, 05-13	93.9 mm (3.7 in)
Brogo (Hawks Head Road), 05-12	83.2 mm (3.3 in)
Forest Hill, 05-12	58.6 mm (2.3 in)
Quendon, 05-13	50.6 mm (2.0 in)
Green Cape Lighthouse, 05-12	41.3 mm (1.6 in)
Tanybryn, 05-12	39.9 mm (1.6 in)
Dalgety (Severn Park), 05-13	34.0 mm (1.3 in)
Eden (Caravan Park), 05-12	33.2 mm (1.3 in)
Genoa (Fools Haven), 05-12	33.2 mm (1.3 in)
Pechey Forestry, 05-12	32.6 mm (1.3 in)
Eden (Timbillica), 05-12	32.1 mm (1.3 in)
Cooma Visitors Centre, 05-12	30.6 mm (1.2 in)
Nimmitabel Wastewater Treatmen, 05-12	27.7 mm (1.1 in)
East Sale Airport, 05-11	23.6 mm (0.9 in)
East Sale Comparison, 05-10	23.6 mm (0.9 in)

Margin is how far the new value is beyond the record it replaced. Ties are not shown.

Margin Against Age of the Broken Record

198 records plotted by how far they beat the old record (across) and how many years the old record had stood (up). Long standing records beaten by a wide margin sit in the top right.

Margin against age of the broken record in Extreme rain in Australia, 8 to 14 May 2021
Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
59	80
41	96
94	52
83	58
28	96
40	50
33	80
32	96
33	96
31	40
34	24
14	116
17	95
19	87
16	118
51	16
24	42
33	16
24	42
22	40
16	96
8	100
18	96
8	96
31	48
17	80
14	96
89	3
4	100
21	52
6	100
5	151
5	116
2	108
4	95
2	92
25	16
4	87
43	3
25	64
25	24
2	92
4	84
16	64
6	68
4	76
29	10
1	80
17	48
16	24
45	3
12	48
12	48
1	80
3	64
8	48
11	56
25	48
4	66
23	52
15	48
32	16
18	30
31	2
18	16
0	76
7	59
6	42
6	62
7	44
1	60
15	52
11	52
8	40
9	42
7	52
10	48
25	16
11	48
15	3
9	52
5	52
2	58
18	3
11	40
8	43
10	40
15	28
13	28
7	48
6	48
24	16
19	16
6	52
7	48
4	56
5	40
7	40
13	35
7	40
8	34
5	44
1	56
15	16
19	35
4	52
12	35
1	43
2	52
5	40
10	16
8	40
5	43
10	3
7	2
3	35
7	11
6	48
25	28
21	11
1	52
3	48
3	40
10	16
0	48
17	10
10	30
1	40
9	4
1	28
2	43
0	32
2	40
3	40
0	48
8	4
1	28
4	35
5	28
1	43
12	16
4	32
2	39
10	28
2	34
3	32
0	40
6	30
5	34
3	28
5	16
12	28
3	16
6	22
2	34
7	28
4	16
1	18
2	34
8	22
8	3
8	3
2	28
0	28
2	28
2	16
3	28
3	22
2	30
4	28
3	24
9	2
3	16
1	0
1	22
11	8
9	3
7	3
3	2
2	28
2	16
4	16
1	27
3	10
3	16
3	7
5	3
2	3
1	16
3	16
1	10
1	12
1	2
1	4
1	11
1	3
1	6
1	2

Compared With Other Events

Station records per event

Station records in Extreme rain in Australia, 8 to 14 May 2021 compared with similar events
Extreme rain in United States and Mexico, 23 February to 15 March 2019	2,223 records
Extreme rain in United States, 3 to 19 January 2024	2,133 records
Extreme rain in Australia, 7 to 26 March 2021	2,099 records
Extreme rain in United States and Mexico, 29 September to 19 October 2018	1,970 records
Extreme rain in United States, 19 December 2022 to 13 January 2023	1,941 records
Extreme rain in Australia, 8 to 14 May 2021 (this event)	198 records

Every Record Set

20 of 198

Every record set or tied during Extreme rain in Australia, 8 to 14 May 2021, in date order
Date	Station	Record	Value	Margin	Years stood	Significance
2021-05-09	Mullaley (Bando)	Record daily precipitation	30.2 mm (1.2 in)	15.5 mm (0.6 in)	118	51 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-10	East Sale Comparison	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	23.6 mm (0.9 in)	42	49 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-11	East Sale Airport	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	23.6 mm (0.9 in)	42	50 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-12	Forest Hill	Record daily precipitation	70.5 mm (2.8 in)	58.6 mm (2.3 in)	80	74 of 100 (Major)
2021-05-12	Green Cape Lighthouse	Record daily precipitation	87.0 mm (3.4 in)	41.3 mm (1.6 in)	96	72 of 100 (Major)
2021-05-12	Brogo (Hawks Head Road)	Record daily precipitation	115.0 mm (4.5 in)	83.2 mm (3.3 in)	58	63 of 100 (Major)
2021-05-12	Nimmitabel Wastewater Treatmen	Record daily precipitation	68.8 mm (2.7 in)	27.7 mm (1.1 in)	96	63 of 100 (Major)
2021-05-12	Tanybryn	Record daily precipitation	64.8 mm (2.6 in)	39.9 mm (1.6 in)	50	62 of 100 (Major)
2021-05-12	Pechey Forestry	Record daily precipitation	50.4 mm (2.0 in)	32.6 mm (1.3 in)	80	61 of 100 (Major)
2021-05-12	Eden (Timbillica)	Record daily precipitation	101.4 mm (4.0 in)	32.1 mm (1.3 in)	96	60 of 100 (Major)
2021-05-12	Eden (Caravan Park)	Record daily precipitation	110.2 mm (4.3 in)	33.2 mm (1.3 in)	96	58 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-12	Cooma Visitors Centre	Record daily precipitation	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	30.6 mm (1.2 in)	40	56 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-12	Marlo	Record daily precipitation	28.2 mm (1.1 in)	14.2 mm (0.6 in)	116	53 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-12	Goombungee Post Office	Record daily precipitation	26.6 mm (1.0 in)	16.7 mm (0.7 in)	95	52 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-12	University of Queensland Gatto	Record daily precipitation	32.8 mm (1.3 in)	19.1 mm (0.8 in)	87	51 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-12	Genoa (Fools Haven)	Record daily precipitation	91.2 mm (3.6 in)	33.2 mm (1.3 in)	16	49 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-12	Rock Flat (Old Post Office)	Record daily precipitation	33.6 mm (1.3 in)	21.8 mm (0.9 in)	40	48 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-13	Moorang	Record daily precipitation	116.0 mm (4.6 in)	93.9 mm (3.7 in)	52	65 of 100 (Major)
2021-05-13	Dalgety (Severn Park)	Record daily precipitation	47.0 mm (1.9 in)	34.0 mm (1.3 in)	24	53 of 100 (Notable)
2021-05-13	Quendon	Record daily precipitation	62.4 mm (2.5 in)	50.6 mm (2.0 in)	16	50 of 100 (Notable)

The daily ledgers keep a limited number of records per day, so this list has 20 of the 198 records the event counts. The counts above use the full total.

Related Headlines

Third party news, headline and link only

Download the Data

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)) Data as of 2026-10-17. Events are found by this site from station records and are not official designations. Records are provisional until reprocessed.

Date	Records
2021-05-08	1
2021-05-09	23
2021-05-10	16
2021-05-11	36
2021-05-12	87
2021-05-13	34
2021-05-14	1

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
59	80
41	96
94	52
83	58
28	96
40	50
33	80
32	96
33	96
31	40
34	24
14	116
17	95
19	87
16	118
51	16
24	42
33	16
24	42
22	40
16	96
8	100
18	96
8	96
31	48
17	80
14	96
89	3
4	100
21	52
6	100
5	151
5	116
2	108
4	95
2	92
25	16
4	87
43	3
25	64
25	24
2	92
4	84
16	64
6	68
4	76
29	10
1	80
17	48
16	24
45	3
12	48
12	48
1	80
3	64
8	48
11	56
25	48
4	66
23	52
15	48
32	16
18	30
31	2
18	16
0	76
7	59
6	42
6	62
7	44
1	60
15	52
11	52
8	40
9	42
7	52
10	48
25	16
11	48
15	3
9	52
5	52
2	58
18	3
11	40
8	43
10	40
15	28
13	28
7	48
6	48
24	16
19	16
6	52
7	48
4	56
5	40
7	40
13	35
7	40
8	34
5	44
1	56
15	16
19	35
4	52
12	35
1	43
2	52
5	40
10	16
8	40
5	43
10	3
7	2
3	35
7	11
6	48
25	28
21	11
1	52
3	48
3	40
10	16
0	48
17	10
10	30
1	40
9	4
1	28
2	43
0	32
2	40
3	40
0	48
8	4
1	28
4	35
5	28
1	43
12	16
4	32
2	39
10	28
2	34
3	32
0	40
6	30
5	34
3	28
5	16
12	28
3	16
6	22
2	34
7	28
4	16
1	18
2	34
8	22
8	3
8	3
2	28
0	28
2	28
2	16
3	28
3	22
2	30
4	28
3	24
9	2
3	16
1	0
1	22
11	8
9	3
7	3
3	2
2	28
2	16
4	16
1	27
3	10
3	16
3	7
5	3
2	3
1	16
3	16
1	10
1	12
1	2
1	4
1	11
1	3
1	6
1	2

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
59	80
41	96
94	52
83	58
28	96
40	50
33	80
32	96
33	96
31	40
34	24
14	116
17	95
19	87
16	118
51	16
24	42
33	16
24	42
22	40
16	96
8	100
18	96
8	96
31	48
17	80
14	96
89	3
4	100
21	52
6	100
5	151
5	116
2	108
4	95
2	92
25	16
4	87
43	3
25	64
25	24
2	92
4	84
16	64
6	68
4	76
29	10
1	80
17	48
16	24
45	3
12	48
12	48
1	80
3	64
8	48
11	56
25	48
4	66
23	52
15	48
32	16
18	30
31	2
18	16
0	76
7	59
6	42
6	62
7	44
1	60
15	52
11	52
8	40
9	42
7	52
10	48
25	16
11	48
15	3
9	52
5	52
2	58
18	3
11	40
8	43
10	40
15	28
13	28
7	48
6	48
24	16
19	16
6	52
7	48
4	56
5	40
7	40
13	35
7	40
8	34
5	44
1	56
15	16
19	35
4	52
12	35
1	43
2	52
5	40
10	16
8	40
5	43
10	3
7	2
3	35
7	11
6	48
25	28
21	11
1	52
3	48
3	40
10	16
0	48
17	10
10	30
1	40
9	4
1	28
2	43
0	32
2	40
3	40
0	48
8	4
1	28
4	35
5	28
1	43
12	16
4	32
2	39
10	28
2	34
3	32
0	40
6	30
5	34
3	28
5	16
12	28
3	16
6	22
2	34
7	28
4	16
1	18
2	34
8	22
8	3
8	3
2	28
0	28
2	28
2	16
3	28
3	22
2	30
4	28
3	24
9	2
3	16
1	0
1	22
11	8
9	3
7	3
3	2
2	28
2	16
4	16
1	27
3	10
3	16
3	7
5	3
2	3
1	16
3	16
1	10
1	12
1	2
1	4
1	11
1	3
1	6
1	2

Margin (mm)	Years the old record stood
59	80
41	96
94	52
83	58
28	96
40	50
33	80
32	96
33	96
31	40
34	24
14	116
17	95
19	87
16	118
51	16
24	42
33	16
24	42
22	40
16	96
8	100
18	96
8	96
31	48
17	80
14	96
89	3
4	100
21	52
6	100
5	151
5	116
2	108
4	95
2	92
25	16
4	87
43	3
25	64
25	24
2	92
4	84
16	64
6	68
4	76
29	10
1	80
17	48
16	24
45	3
12	48
12	48
1	80
3	64
8	48
11	56
25	48
4	66
23	52
15	48
32	16
18	30
31	2
18	16
0	76
7	59
6	42
6	62
7	44
1	60
15	52
11	52
8	40
9	42
7	52
10	48
25	16
11	48
15	3
9	52
5	52
2	58
18	3
11	40
8	43
10	40
15	28
13	28
7	48
6	48
24	16
19	16
6	52
7	48
4	56
5	40
7	40
13	35
7	40
8	34
5	44
1	56
15	16
19	35
4	52
12	35
1	43
2	52
5	40
10	16
8	40
5	43
10	3
7	2
3	35
7	11
6	48
25	28
21	11
1	52
3	48
3	40
10	16
0	48
17	10
10	30
1	40
9	4
1	28
2	43
0	32
2	40
3	40
0	48
8	4
1	28
4	35
5	28
1	43
12	16
4	32
2	39
10	28
2	34
3	32
0	40
6	30
5	34
3	28
5	16
12	28
3	16
6	22
2	34
7	28
4	16
1	18
2	34
8	22
8	3
8	3
2	28
0	28
2	28
2	16
3	28
3	22
2	30
4	28
3	24
9	2
3	16
1	0
1	22
11	8
9	3
7	3
3	2
2	28
2	16
4	16
1	27
3	10
3	16
3	7
5	3
2	3
1	16
3	16
1	10
1	12
1	2
1	4
1	11
1	3
1	6
1	2