Weather Records on 20 May 1990

722 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 20 May 1990. Highest significance: Hot Springs 1 NNE, US.

Key Facts for 20 May 1990

On 20 May 1990, 722 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
256 were record highs and 184 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 1 were all-time records, 19 monthly and 702 daily.
Hot Springs 1 NNE set an all-time record daily precipitation of 329.4 mm (13.0 in) on 20 May 1990.
Across 162 earlier years (1802 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 454 records.

Record Map

722 stations

722 station records on 20 May 1990 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 20 May 1990: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Hot Springs 1 NNE	United States	Record daily precipitation	329.4 mm (13.0 in)	90 of 100 (Exceptional)
Owen Springs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	28.8 mm (1.1 in)	68 of 100 (Major)
Benton	United States	Record daily precipitation	104.1 mm (4.1 in)	61 of 100 (Major)
Kentfield	United States	Record daily precipitation	57.9 mm (2.3 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Moscow	United States	Record daily precipitation	97.8 mm (3.9 in)	60 of 100 (Major)
Amity	United States	Record daily precipitation	160.0 mm (6.3 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Whitewater Wwtp	United States	Record daily precipitation	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Occidental	United States	Record daily precipitation	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Ringwood	Australia	Record daily precipitation	49.2 mm (1.9 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Malvern	United States	Record daily precipitation	77.7 mm (3.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Curtin Springs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Marianna 2 S	United States	Record daily precipitation	72.1 mm (2.8 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Owensville 3E	United States	Record daily precipitation	114.3 mm (4.5 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Greenville	United States	Record daily precipitation	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Arkabutla Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	85.9 mm (3.4 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Holly Springs 4 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	76.2 mm (3.0 in)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Todd River	Australia	Record daily precipitation	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	48 of 100 (Notable)
Tempe Downs	Australia	Record daily precipitation	79.5 mm (3.1 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Waupaca	United States	Record daily precipitation	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	46 of 100 (Notable)
Paradise Valley 1 NW	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-6.7 C (19.9 F)	45 of 100 (Notable)
Haleyville	United States	Record daily precipitation	68.3 mm (2.7 in)	44 of 100 (Notable)
Paradise	United States	Record daily precipitation	35.6 mm (1.4 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Sierra City	United States	Record daily precipitation	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Areyonga	Australia	Record daily precipitation	33.2 mm (1.3 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Challenge Rs	United States	Record daily precipitation	57.2 mm (2.3 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Wellston Tippy Dam	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.4 mm (1.7 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Beaver Dam Wwtp	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.9 C (48.0 F)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Tuscaloosa AP ASOS	United States	Record daily precipitation	88.9 mm (3.5 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Cape Riche	Australia	Record daily precipitation	27.8 mm (1.1 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Qian Gorlos	China	Record daily precipitation	25.2 mm (1.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Tulbagh (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Glenwood 4 NNE	United States	Record daily precipitation	210.8 mm (8.3 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Bowman Dam	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Senatobia	United States	Record daily precipitation	57.4 mm (2.3 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Malmesbury	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	48.0 mm (1.9 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Charles City	United States	Record low maximum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Loeriesfontein (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	30.0 mm (1.2 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Vastervik	Sweden	Record low minimum temperature	-1.0 C (30.2 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Healdsburg	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.9 mm (1.0 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Middletown	United States	Record daily precipitation	33.3 mm (1.3 in)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Oconomowoc Wwtp	United States	Record low maximum temperature	9.4 C (48.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
West Bend	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	39 of 100 (Notable)
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskij	Russia	Record high minimum temperature	7.0 C (44.6 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Worcester	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.5 mm (1.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Reedsburg Wwtp	United States	Record low maximum temperature	8.3 C (46.9 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
De Sabla	United States	Record daily precipitation	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Marshalltown	United States	Record low maximum temperature	12.2 C (54.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
O'Neill	United States	Record low maximum temperature	10.0 C (50.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Sugar Land	United States	Record high minimum temperature	24.4 C (75.9 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Antigo	United States	Record low maximum temperature	7.2 C (45.0 F)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Piketberg (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	33.5 mm (1.3 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Leola	United States	Record daily precipitation	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Strawberry Valley 2	United States	Record daily precipitation	53.8 mm (2.1 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Presa la Esperanza	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	27.4 mm (1.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Saint Charles	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Searcy	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.5 mm (2.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Pleasant Hill	United States	Record daily precipitation	104.6 mm (4.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Tunica 2 N	United States	Record daily precipitation	135.9 mm (5.4 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Pearl	United States	Record high minimum temperature	18.9 C (66.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Brownsville	United States	Record daily precipitation	34.3 mm (1.4 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)

Counts by Type and Timescale

722 records

Records set or tied on 20 May 1990 by type: Highest daily maximum 79, Lowest daily maximum 137, Highest daily minimum 177, Lowest daily minimum 47, Heaviest daily rainfall 279, Heaviest daily snowfall 3.

Records on 20 May 1990 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	79
Lowest daily maximum	137
Highest daily minimum	177
Lowest daily minimum	47
Heaviest daily rainfall	279
Heaviest daily snowfall	3
Deepest snow cover	0

Records on 20 May 1990 by timescale: all-time 1, monthly 19, daily 702.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

579 broken records

Margins by which the 579 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 108.9. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

20 May 1990

Top 20 records on 20 May 1990 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
20 May 1990	Hot Springs 1 NNE, US	all-time rain	329.4 mm (13.0 in)	100.5 mm (4.0 in)	67 years	90 of 100 (Exceptional)
20 May 1990	Owen Springs, AU	daily rain	28.8 mm (1.1 in)	23.7 mm (0.9 in)	89 years	68 of 100 (Major)
20 May 1990	Benton, US	daily rain	104.1 mm (4.1 in)	77.7 mm (3.1 in)	44 years	61 of 100 (Major)
20 May 1990	Kentfield, US	daily rain	57.9 mm (2.3 in)	40.1 mm (1.6 in)	77 years	60 of 100 (Major)
20 May 1990	Moscow, US	daily rain	97.8 mm (3.9 in)	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	47 years	60 of 100 (Major)
20 May 1990	Amity, US	daily rain	160.0 mm (6.3 in)	108.9 mm (4.3 in)	23 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Whitewater Wwtp, US	daily rain	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	47 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Occidental, US	daily rain	71.1 mm (2.8 in)	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	32 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Ringwood, AU	daily rain	49.2 mm (1.9 in)	41.3 mm (1.6 in)	31 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Malvern, US	daily rain	77.7 mm (3.1 in)	40.9 mm (1.6 in)	63 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Curtin Springs, AU	daily rain	52.0 mm (2.0 in)	42.3 mm (1.7 in)	23 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Marianna 2 S, US	daily rain	72.1 mm (2.8 in)	50.3 mm (2.0 in)	33 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Owensville 3E, US	daily rain	114.3 mm (4.5 in)	68.6 mm (2.7 in)	29 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Greenville, US	daily rain	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	11.9 mm (0.5 in)	77 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Arkabutla Dam, US	daily rain	85.9 mm (3.4 in)	60.5 mm (2.4 in)	33 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Holly Springs 4 N, US	daily rain	76.2 mm (3.0 in)	64.5 mm (2.5 in)	16 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Todd River, AU	daily rain	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	32.8 mm (1.3 in)	32 years	48 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Tempe Downs, AU	monthly rain	79.5 mm (3.1 in)	13.2 mm (0.5 in)	47 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Waupaca, US	daily rain	38.6 mm (1.5 in)	17.8 mm (0.7 in)	75 years	46 of 100 (Notable)
20 May 1990	Paradise Valley 1 NW, US	daily low min	-6.7 C (19.9 F)	3.4 C (6.1 F)	93 years	45 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 1990

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1802 to 1990. 1990 had 722 records.

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

Records on 05-20 in each year
Year	Records
1802	1
1803	1
1804	1
1815	1
1825	1
1837	1
1844	1
1845	3
1847	1
1854	1
1858	3
1861	1
1862	1
1865	1
1867	1
1868	2
1870	3
1871	2
1876	2
1877	3
1879	1
1880	2
1884	2
1885	1
1887	2
1889	3
1890	3
1891	5
1892	3
1893	1
1894	6
1895	3
1896	3
1897	3
1898	4
1899	4
1900	1
1901	5
1902	11
1903	19
1904	4
1905	4
1906	22
1907	35
1908	23
1909	10
1910	20
1911	82
1912	20
1913	10
1914	16
1915	42
1916	29
1917	46
1918	92
1919	56
1920	44
1921	234
1922	40
1923	125
1924	189
1925	251
1926	128
1927	118
1928	138
1929	323
1930	129
1931	451
1932	689
1933	449
1934	582
1935	259
1936	207
1937	270
1938	331
1939	266
1940	337
1941	378
1942	337
1943	802
1944	315
1945	498
1946	339
1947	358
1948	514
1949	586
1950	327
1951	288
1952	615
1953	518
1954	822
1955	421
1956	565
1957	728
1958	378
1959	785
1960	612
1961	333
1962	773
1963	732
1964	517
1965	200
1966	416
1967	587
1968	743
1969	885
1970	310
1971	653
1972	612
1973	419
1974	893
1975	1,332
1976	837
1977	553
1978	534
1979	683
1980	751
1981	1,540
1982	554
1983	1,307
1984	867
1985	426
1986	790
1987	1,036
1988	805
1989	764
1990	722
1991	925
1992	1,200
1993	1,208
1994	778
1995	734
1996	1,749
1997	1,106
1998	1,124
1999	673
2000	991
2001	847
2002	2,299
2003	1,201
2004	746
2005	929
2006	1,006
2007	565
2008	999
2009	1,529
2010	1,011
2011	1,117
2012	604
2013	919
2014	629
2015	1,001
2016	692
2017	1,214
2018	460
2019	1,483
2020	784
2021	904
2022	1,643
2023	1,106
2024	478
2025	969
2026	696

Download the Data

Data for records on 1990-05-20: 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 20	526
20 to 40	37
40 to 60	8
60 to 80	6
80 to 100	0
100 to 120	2