Weather Records on 17 May 1974

1,302 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 May 1974. Highest significance: Walcha Post Office, AU.

Key Facts for 17 May 1974

On 17 May 1974, 1,302 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
647 were record highs and 294 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 53 monthly and 1,248 daily.
Walcha Post Office set a daily record precipitation of 50.0 mm (2.0 in) on 17 May 1974.
Across 167 earlier years (1802 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 429 records.

Record Map

1,302 stations

1,302 station records on 17 May 1974 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 May 1974: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Walcha Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	75 of 100 (Major)
Barker 4 NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	115.6 mm (4.6 in)	69 of 100 (Major)
Clinton 2	United States	Record daily precipitation	96.5 mm (3.8 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Leavenworth	United States	Record daily precipitation	94.0 mm (3.7 in)	66 of 100 (Major)
Dontsa	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	135.0 mm (5.3 in)	64 of 100 (Major)
Brockport	United States	Record daily precipitation	79.2 mm (3.1 in)	62 of 100 (Major)
High River	Canada	Record daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Hesperia 4 WNW	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.5 mm (1.9 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Macedon Lock E30	United States	Record daily precipitation	74.9 mm (2.9 in)	59 of 100 (Notable)
Walnut	United States	Record daily precipitation	103.6 mm (4.1 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Inverell Comparison	Australia	Record daily precipitation	49.2 mm (1.9 in)	56 of 100 (Notable)
Fulton L&D #13	United States	Record daily precipitation	96.5 mm (3.8 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Edgerton	United States	Record daily precipitation	195.6 mm (7.7 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskij	Russia	Record daily precipitation	43.3 mm (1.7 in)	54 of 100 (Notable)
Fish Creek	Australia	Record daily precipitation	70.6 mm (2.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Kei Road (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	89.5 mm (3.5 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Lowell	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Carrollton	United States	Record daily precipitation	70.9 mm (2.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Bingara Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	50.6 mm (2.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Hogsback (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	105.0 mm (4.1 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Clinton #1	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.2 mm (3.0 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Morrison	United States	Record daily precipitation	106.7 mm (4.2 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Rochelle 6 NW	United States	Record daily precipitation	58.7 mm (2.3 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Lake 2 N	United States	Record daily snowfall	17.8 cm (7.0 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Eston	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	44.0 mm (1.7 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Morris River	United States	Record daily precipitation	69.6 mm (2.7 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Newport Bowling Club	Australia	Record daily precipitation	116.9 mm (4.6 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Williamston 3NE	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.1 mm (1.6 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Upper Bingara (Emohta)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	57.4 mm (2.3 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Bingara (Keera)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	33.4 mm (1.3 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Cootamundra (Landgrove)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	38.4 mm (1.5 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Carway	Canada	Record daily snowfall	11.2 cm (4.4 in)	47 of 100 (Notable)
Morro Agudo	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	73.5 mm (2.9 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Waterloo	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Ft Atkinson Wwtp	United States	Record daily precipitation	45.7 mm (1.8 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Bollon Mary St	Australia	Record daily precipitation	41.2 mm (1.6 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Paw Paw 2S	United States	Record daily precipitation	65.3 mm (2.6 in)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Caroda Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	101.1 mm (4.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Barraba (Neranghi)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
S. Joaquim	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	72.2 mm (2.8 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Paulista	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Nqamakwe (Tnk)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	55.5 mm (2.2 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Yevpatoriia	Ukraine	Record daily precipitation	33.9 mm (1.3 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Bellevue L/D 12	United States	Record daily precipitation	48.3 mm (1.9 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Rimrock Tieton Dam	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Gowrie Station	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Barraba Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	35.0 mm (1.4 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Clarence	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Yellowstone Park Mammoth	United States	Record daily snowfall	5.1 cm (2.0 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Gravesend Post Office	Australia	Record daily precipitation	45.6 mm (1.8 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Uralla (Dumaresq St)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Semjachik	Russia	Record daily precipitation	47.1 mm (1.9 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Sebewaing	United States	Record daily precipitation	62.7 mm (2.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Bedford	United States	Record daily precipitation	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Evart	United States	Record daily precipitation	41.1 mm (1.6 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Lyons	United States	Record daily precipitation	30.7 mm (1.2 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Clyde Lock 26	United States	Record daily precipitation	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Uralla (Salisbury Court)	Australia	Record daily precipitation	29.2 mm (1.1 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Monte Azul Paulista	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	36.3 mm (1.4 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Mountain View	Canada	Record daily snowfall	12.4 cm (4.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

1,302 records

Records set or tied on 17 May 1974 by type: Highest daily maximum 174, Lowest daily maximum 138, Highest daily minimum 473, Lowest daily minimum 156, Heaviest daily rainfall 331, Heaviest daily snowfall 24, Deepest snow cover 6.

Records on 17 May 1974 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	174
Lowest daily maximum	138
Highest daily minimum	473
Lowest daily minimum	156
Heaviest daily rainfall	331
Heaviest daily snowfall	24
Deepest snow cover	6

Records on 17 May 1974 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 53, daily 1,248.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

1,028 broken records

Margins by which the 1,028 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 381.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 May 1974

Top 20 records on 17 May 1974 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 May 1974	Walcha Post Office, AU	daily rain	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	31.7 mm (1.2 in)	88 years	75 of 100 (Major)
17 May 1974	Barker 4 NE, US	all-time rain	115.6 mm (4.6 in)	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	20 years	69 of 100 (Major)
17 May 1974	Clinton 2, US	monthly rain	96.5 mm (3.8 in)	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	60 years	66 of 100 (Major)
17 May 1974	Leavenworth, US	daily rain	94.0 mm (3.7 in)	67.3 mm (2.6 in)	60 years	66 of 100 (Major)
17 May 1974	Dontsa, ZA	monthly rain	135.0 mm (5.3 in)	53.7 mm (2.1 in)	24 years	64 of 100 (Major)
17 May 1974	Brockport, US	monthly rain	79.2 mm (3.1 in)	20.3 mm (0.8 in)	58 years	62 of 100 (Major)
17 May 1974	High River, CA	daily snowfall	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	20.3 cm (8.0 in)	71 years	61 of 100 (Major)
17 May 1974	Hesperia 4 WNW, US	daily rain	48.5 mm (1.9 in)	21.8 mm (0.9 in)	78 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1974	Macedon Lock E30, US	monthly rain	74.9 mm (2.9 in)	24.1 mm (0.9 in)	30 years	59 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1974	Walnut, US	daily rain	103.6 mm (4.1 in)	63.5 mm (2.5 in)	32 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1974	Inverell Comparison, AU	daily rain	49.2 mm (1.9 in)	26.3 mm (1.0 in)	73 years	56 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1974	Fulton L&D #13, US	monthly rain	96.5 mm (3.8 in)	44.7 mm (1.8 in)	8 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1974	Edgerton, US	monthly rain	195.6 mm (7.7 in)	121.7 mm (4.8 in)	1 year	55 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1974	Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskij, RU	daily rain	43.3 mm (1.7 in)	28.5 mm (1.1 in)	40 years	54 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1974	Fish Creek, AU	monthly rain	70.6 mm (2.8 in)	22.8 mm (0.9 in)	22 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1974	Kei Road (Pol), ZA	daily rain	89.5 mm (3.5 in)	58.5 mm (2.3 in)	15 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1974	Lowell, US	daily rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	26.9 mm (1.1 in)	53 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1974	Carrollton, US	daily rain	70.9 mm (2.8 in)	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	27 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1974	Bingara Post Office, AU	daily rain	50.6 mm (2.0 in)	34.1 mm (1.3 in)	56 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
17 May 1974	Hogsback (Bos), ZA	daily rain	105.0 mm (4.1 in)	47.8 mm (1.9 in)	24 years	52 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

1802 to 1974

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1802 to 1974. 1974 had 1,302 records.

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

Records on 05-17 in each year
Year	Records
1802	2
1803	1
1808	1
1816	1
1834	1
1837	1
1839	1
1847	2
1848	1
1851	1
1853	1
1855	1
1858	1
1859	1
1861	2
1862	2
1863	2
1864	1
1871	2
1872	2
1873	2
1874	4
1877	1
1878	1
1879	2
1880	1
1881	1
1882	2
1883	3
1885	1
1887	1
1888	2
1889	3
1891	8
1892	4
1893	3
1895	8
1896	2
1897	3
1898	6
1899	7
1900	12
1901	2
1902	3
1903	9
1904	12
1905	10
1906	22
1907	10
1908	5
1909	33
1910	16
1911	30
1912	16
1913	24
1914	24
1915	53
1916	49
1917	18
1918	56
1919	35
1920	46
1921	50
1922	30
1923	95
1924	80
1925	326
1926	133
1927	264
1928	127
1929	168
1930	421
1931	201
1932	288
1933	365
1934	373
1935	341
1936	270
1937	183
1938	340
1939	285
1940	338
1941	408
1942	589
1943	855
1944	521
1945	799
1946	586
1947	249
1948	412
1949	544
1950	371
1951	373
1952	777
1953	441
1954	298
1955	570
1956	1,166
1957	469
1958	331
1959	488
1960	402
1961	291
1962	1,325
1963	368
1964	417
1965	462
1966	489
1967	644
1968	564
1969	638
1970	711
1971	723
1972	610
1973	1,016
1974	1,302
1975	365
1976	426
1977	1,078
1978	872
1979	459
1980	768
1981	940
1982	476
1983	1,326
1984	925
1985	561
1986	921
1987	1,054
1988	1,096
1989	1,307
1990	1,135
1991	1,237
1992	1,025
1993	495
1994	858
1995	1,734
1996	1,706
1997	1,619
1998	1,080
1999	795
2000	825
2001	960
2002	964
2003	1,127
2004	769
2005	784
2006	1,522
2007	742
2008	1,309
2009	1,050
2010	880
2011	1,483
2012	711
2013	739
2014	1,062
2015	824
2016	741
2017	1,302
2018	726
2019	686
2020	496
2021	443
2022	479
2023	385
2024	566
2025	928
2026	745

Download the Data

Data for records on 1974-05-17: 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	1,006
50 to 100	13
100 to 150	5
150 to 200	2
200 to 250	1
250 to 300	0
300 to 350	0
350 to 400	1