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Memphis weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Memphis sits above the Mississippi, and its weather can swing hard between Gulf heat and a cold snap blown down from the north. Memphis weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+1.5°Fhigh near average

73° / 45°Today
71° / 51°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+2.3°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4936frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 48 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 48 in the 1940s95days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 80 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 80 in the 1940s+2.3°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 4.0 incheshigh 49°low 33°February, rain 4.2 incheshigh 53°low 36°March, rain 5.3 incheshigh 62°low 44°April, rain 5.0 incheshigh 72°low 53°May, rain 4.6 incheshigh 80°low 62°June, rain 3.2 incheshigh 87°low 70°July, rain 3.2 incheshigh 90°low 74°August, rain 2.7 incheshigh 89°low 72°September, rain 3.0 incheshigh 84°low 65°October, rain 3.2 incheshigh 74°low 54°November, rain 4.0 incheshigh 61°low 44°December, rain 4.7 incheshigh 52°low 36°wettest month March, 5.3 inches · 47.1 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

47.7°

45°feels like
86%humidity
44°dew point
3 mphfrom E
UV index0.3
sunrise07:10sunset18:20day length11h 10m
TodayClear73°45°
TueOvercast76°47°
WedClear81°60°
ThuClear82°60°
FriClear82°61°
SatClear80°62°
SunOvercast76°61°

On this date: October 19

Today (forecast)
73° / 45°
Average for October 19
71° / 51°

High near average · +1.5°F

  • Highest since 1940: 88.4° · 2016
  • Lowest since 1940: 32.7° · 2022
  • One year ago: 78° / 59°

Every October 19 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 19 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Memphis is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 35.15°N, 90.05°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
35.15°N, 90.05°W
Time zone
America/Chicago
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

26 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +5.4°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Memphis occupies the bluffs above the Mississippi River in the southwest corner of Tennessee, with a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Its weather is a tug-of-war between air masses: cold, dry air sliding down from the Great Plains against warm, wet air pushing up from the Gulf of Mexico, which together can send temperatures tumbling or climbing sharply. Summers are hot and thick with humidity; winters are mild to chilly, the cold arriving in sharp bursts rather than settling in.

Spring is the dangerous season, when those clashing air masses breed severe thunderstorms and sometimes tornadoes. Winter carries a quieter menace in ice storms and freezing rain, which coat trees and can bring limbs down on power lines. The cold waves of 1985 and December 1989 showed just how bitter the season can briefly turn this far south.

July brings the year's peak warmth, with afternoons typically reaching 89.8°F and nights around 73.6°F. In a typical recent year, around 95 days reach 86°F or more. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 48.8°F and typical overnight lows of 32.7°F. Around 35 days a year dip below freezing.

In total, Memphis averages about 47.1 inches of precipitation a year; March is usually the wettest month (5.3 inches) and August the driest (2.7 inches).

Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Memphis has risen by 2.3°F between its first decade and its last. Recent years have brought more rain as well. The last decade sits roughly 15% over the long-term average.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comweather.gov

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 42°F. Wettest month: March (~5.3 in). Whole year averages ~47.1 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 93 rainy days a year: most in March (~10), fewest in October (~6).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Memphis month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January48.8°32.7°4.0 in89.9 h78.0° (1950)−9.0° (1985)
February53.5°36.1°4.2 in810.7 h79.8° (1962)−3.9° (1951)
March62.4°43.9°5.3 in1011.7 h83.6° (1982)4.8° (2015)
April72.2°53.1°5.0 in912.9 h90.8° (2006)25.9° (2007)
May79.8°62.0°4.6 in913.8 h95.5° (1977)37.3° (2013)
June87.1°70.1°3.2 in714.4 h102.5° (2012)50.5° (1966)
July89.8°73.6°3.2 in814.1 h103.7° (1952)56.5° (1972)
August89.2°71.9°2.7 in713.3 h105.1° (2011)52.6° (1986)
September83.6°65.1°3.0 in612.2 h102.0° (1954)37.9° (1967)
October73.8°53.8°3.2 in611.1 h94.6° (2019)28.1° (1952)
November61.3°43.7°4.0 in710.1 h83.8° (2016)9.3° (1950)
December52.1°36.4°4.7 in89.6 h78.3° (1982)−6.1° (1963)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +2.3°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.25°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Mar–May is warming fastest: +0.40°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 79.6 early in the record → 94.9 recently. Frost days: 48 → 36.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 2011, coldest in 1985: 105.1°F / −9.0°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~47.1 in/year on average. Last decade: +15% vs that average. Long-term trend: +1.29 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Memphis

Which is the warmest month in Memphis?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Memphis is July (mean daily temperature of about 81.2°F) and the coolest is January (about 39.5°F).
How does today's temperature in Memphis compare to the historical average?
On October 19, 2026, Memphis is forecast to reach a high of 72.9°F and a low of 44.8°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 71.4°F and a low of 51.1°F, so today's high is 1.5°F warmer than that average.
How much has Memphis warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Memphis is about 2.3°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Memphis?
Memphis receives about 47.1 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with March typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Memphis?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Memphis is about 61.5°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Memphis by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Memphis (°F, full record since 1940): January 49°/33°, February 53°/36°, March 62°/44°, April 72°/53°, May 80°/62°, June 87°/70°, July 90°/74°, August 89°/72°, September 84°/65°, October 74°/54°, November 61°/44°, December 52°/36°.
What is the weather like in Memphis in summer?
In summer, June through August, Memphis is hot. Expect 87–90°F by day and 70–74°F at night, with July the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 3.0 inches a month, spread over roughly 7 days.
What is the weather like in Memphis in winter?
December to February is winter in Memphis, and it is wet and on the cool side. Daytime highs sit at 49–53°F and nights at 33–36°F; January is the coldest month. Rain falls on about 8 days a month, adding up to around 4.3 inches.
What is the weather like in Memphis in spring?
In spring, March through May, Memphis is wet and mild. March is still 62°F in the afternoon and 44°F at night, May already 80°F and 62°F. Rain is steady at around 5.0 inches a month, spread over roughly 9 days.
What is the weather like in Memphis in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Memphis, and it is pleasantly warm. September is still 84°F by day and 65°F at night; by November it is down to 61°F and 44°F. Rain falls on about 6 days a month, adding up to around 3.4 inches.
How many days a year does it rain in Memphis?
On long-term average, Memphis has about 93 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 47.1 inches.

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