Downing House · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Memphis has colder winter nights than 81% of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 86°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 61% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.6° higher. The outdoor season runs from April to June and September to October, with highs of 63–82°.
A year in Memphis at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Memphis’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Memphis’ place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Memphis feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Memphis, MO, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Memphis’ center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 19 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Memphis, MO, is heaviest from January through February, about 7 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Memphis
87% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Memphis, MO.
Living with Memphis’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
176 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 23 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Heat waves are 53% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Memphis from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Memphis and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Memphis yet.
Climates most like Memphis’, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis, MO | 16° | 86° | 40" | 19" |
| Clinton, IL | 18° | 85° | 39" | 19" |
| Clarinda, IA | 14° | 86° | 36" | 23" |
| Logansport, IN | 18° | 84° | 41" | 19" |
| Van Wert, OH | 19° | 84° | 39" | 17" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Memphis averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Memphis compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Memphis’ place among Missouri’s.
Memphis weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Memphis’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Memphis, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 16° | 1.4" | 6.6" | 5 | 10 | 18° – 37° |
| February | 38° | 20° | 1.8" | 6.8" | 5 | 8 | 16° – 39° |
| March | 51° | 30° | 2.6" | 1.2" | 7 | 2 | 33° – 54° |
| April | 63° | 40° | 3.7" | 0.4" | 9 | 0 | 43° – 58° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 57° – 70° |
| June | 82° | 61° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 75° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 43° | 3.1" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 50° | 31° | 2.5" | 0.7" | 6 | 1 | 33° – 51° |
| December | 38° | 21° | 1.8" | 3.4" | 6 | 6 | 15° – 39° |
| Year | 62° | 41° | 39.8" | 19.3" | 82 | 26 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 15° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Memphis’ numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Memphis’ center.
- Snow: Memphis, MO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Memphis, MO, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Memphis’ climate
What is the weather like in Memphis?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 81% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Memphis in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 130 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Memphis get?
About 19 inches in a normal winter at Memphis, MO, heaviest from January through February, about 7 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 26 days a year.
How hot does it get in Memphis?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 25 days a year reach 90° (Memphis, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Memphis?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 176 frost-free days, at Memphis, MO.
What growing zone is Memphis in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Memphis?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Memphis getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Memphis.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.