Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Winter nights in Memphis are colder than in 87% of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 87°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in May and the lightest in January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 84% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
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 Nebraska 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 170 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 25 and the first by October 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mead 6s, NE, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Memphis’ center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. 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 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ashland #2, NE, is heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 32 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 81 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 Mead 6s, NE.
Living with Memphis’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 25 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Memphis from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. 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, NE | 14° | 87° | 32" | 22" |
| Ottumwa, IA | 14° | 86° | 37" | 24" |
| Chillicothe, IL | 16° | 86° | 37" | 20" |
| Trenton, MO | 17° | 88° | 39" | 17" |
| Napoleon, OH | 19° | 85° | 36" | 25" |
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 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 70% 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 Nebraska’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 Ashland #2, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 14° | 0.8" | 5.7" | 4 | 11 | 16° – 37° |
| February | 39° | 18° | 1.0" | 6.2" | 5 | 9 | 18° – 38° |
| March | 51° | 29° | 1.8" | 3.2" | 6 | 1 | 33° – 55° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 3.0" | 0.9" | 9 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 51° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| August | 85° | 64° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 79° | 54° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 42° | 2.4" | 0.6" | 6 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 50° | 29° | 1.4" | 0.7" | 4 | 1 | 30° – 50° |
| December | 38° | 19° | 1.3" | 4.8" | 5 | 8 | 15° – 34° |
| Year | 62° | 40° | 31.9" | 22.1" | 81 | 30 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
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: Ashland #2, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mead 6s, NE, 4 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 87°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 64% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Memphis in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 149 nights a year reach 32° or below and 13 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Memphis get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Ashland #2, NE, heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 30 days a year.
How hot does it get in Memphis?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 29 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Mead 6s, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Memphis?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 13, about 170 frost-free days, at Mead 6s, NE.
What growing zone is Memphis in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Memphis?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), 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 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 70% 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.