🎵 Memphis Weather

Hot, humid Delta weather

Memphis sits on a bluff above the Mississippi River at the edge of the Delta, and its humid subtropical climate runs to extremes of heat and humidity. Long, sweltering summers dominate the year, while the city's position in the mid-South leaves it exposed to both violent spring storms and the occasional crippling winter ice.

Sweltering summers

From June through September, Memphis bakes. July highs sit in the low 90s°F (around 33°C), but the thick Delta humidity routinely pushes the heat index past 105°F (41°C). The air is heavy and still, with afternoon and evening thunderstorms offering only brief relief before the mugginess returns.

Storms and ice

Spring brings severe weather, as Memphis sits within the active Dixie Alley storm corridor that produces damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes. Winters are mild overall, with January highs around 51°F (11°C), but the city's standout cold hazard is ice storms — freezing rain that can knock out power across the region for days.

Memphis averages about 54 inches (1,370 mm) of rain a year, among the wettest of the inland South, with a spring peak. The nearby Mississippi also makes the region watchful of major river flooding.

Where the Mississippi meets Dixie Alley

Perched on the bluffs above the Mississippi River, Memphis endures long, oppressive summers with heat indices well past 100°F (38°C) thanks to Gulf moisture funneling up the valley. The river adds humidity but little relief.

The city sits inside 'Dixie Alley,' the Southeast's tornado-prone corridor, where the peak isn't spring but a secondary autumn season and a dangerous share of overnight twisters. Winter brings occasional ice storms and rare snow, while spring can deliver flooding as the vast Mississippi basin drains past the city.