Memphis weather in August

In August, Memphis sees average daytime highs of 89°F and overnight lows near 72°F, with 3.0 in of rain across 8.5 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 89°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in August, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Memphis's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Memphis's year-round climate.

Daytime high
89°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
72°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.0 in
8.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:24 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
49%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Memphis is city in and county seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, United States.

Density
754/km²
people per km²
Founded
1819

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 89°F through the month.

A typical August day in Memphis reaches about 89°F in the afternoon and slips back to 72°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 82°F and 95°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 5°F warmer than September.

60°70°80°90°100°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18973
28973
38973
48973
58973
68973
78973
88973
98973
108973
118973
128972
138972
148972
158972
168972
178972
188972
198972
208972
218972
228971
238971
248971
258871
268871
278871
288871
298871
308870
318870

How August really feels in Memphis

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 31 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in August is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Memphis weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 33°3.99.60.99.92.1
Feb53° / 36°4.19.20.910.73.1
Mar62° / 44°5.011.40.511.75.2
Apr71° / 53°4.810012.96.6
May80° / 62°4.611.1013.86.4
Jun87° / 71°3.49.7014.34.8
Jul89° / 74°3.710.4014.14.1
Aug89° / 72°3.08.5013.34.5
Sep83° / 65°2.97.4012.26.2
Oct73° / 53°4.07.4011.17.3
Nov61° / 43°4.08.50.110.25.3
Dec52° / 36°5.09.80.49.72.7

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 37%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26238
36238
46139
56238
66139
76139
86238
96139
106139
116139
126139
136139
146139
156238
166238
176238
186337
196337
206337
216436
226436
236436
246436
256436
266535
276535
286535
296634
306634
316634

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Memphis gets around 3.0 in of rain over 8.5 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 28% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
431
531
631
730
830
930
1030
1130
1230
1329
1429
1528
1628
1727
1827
1926
2026
2126
2226
2326
2426
2526
2626
2727
2827
2927
3027
3127

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the oppressive band about 45% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 79% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
10312265010
2031127509
3131127499
4131127499
5131227489
6131227489
7141227489
8141227478
9241227478
10241326478
11241326468
12251326468
13251426468
14351426458
15351426458
16351526457
17351526447
18351527446
19251527446
20261528445
21261429445
22261430444
23261430444
24261431434
25261432433
26271432423
27271532422
28271533412
29281633402
30381633381
31391634371

Wind in August

Winds average 5 mph in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 60 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:13 AM to 5:36 AM, and sunset from 7:00 PM to 6:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:137:00
213.85:136:59
313.75:146:58
413.75:156:57
513.75:166:56
613.65:166:55
713.65:176:54
813.65:186:53
913.65:196:52
1013.55:206:51
1113.55:206:50
1213.55:216:49
1313.45:226:48
1413.45:236:47
1513.45:236:45
1613.35:246:44
1713.35:256:43
1813.35:266:42
1913.25:276:41
2013.25:276:39
2113.25:286:38
2213.15:296:37
2313.15:306:36
2413.15:306:34
2513.05:316:33
2613.05:326:32
2713.05:336:30
2812.95:346:29
2912.95:346:27
3012.85:356:26
3112.85:366:25

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.47 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 5.87 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.0Bright
106.0Bright
116.0Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Memphis

In seasonPeak

In August, Memphis sits inside its atlantic hurricane season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Memphis sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Memphis?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.5
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Memphis for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Memphis in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Memphis sees daytime highs around 89°F and nights near 72°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Memphis in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Memphis peaks around June 20 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 10Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Memphis in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Memphis is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1419 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr10Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Memphis?

Memphis sits at 35.1°N, 90.0°W, 256 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is New South Memphis, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Memphis

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Memphis.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Memphis has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 ft around an average of 243 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 682 ft.

The land around Memphis is covered by artificial surfaces (44%), trees (21%) and water (20%) within 2 miles, trees (50%) within 10 miles, and trees (44%) and cropland (43%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
154 ft
10 miles
253 ft
50 miles
682 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: New South Memphis 4.3 mi · West Memphis 7.5 mi · Bartlett 11 mi · Southaven 11 mi · Horn Lake 14 mi · Ellendale 14 mi · Germantown 14 mi · Cordova 16 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Memphis (35.1495°, -90.049°, elevation 256 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).