May is one of the warmer months of the year in Memphis, with average highs near 26.1°C and lows around 15.6°C (mean 20.9°C). It is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 135 mm of rainfall and 78% relative humidity across the period.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Memphis. Across 45 years of records, the warmest May in Memphis was 2018 — when the month averaged 23.9°C — while the coldest were 1983 and 1997 at 18.6°C. Typical May days reach 26.1°C with nights near 15.6°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.3°C per decade.
May is a relatively wet time of year in Memphis, averaging 135 mm of rainfall. The wettest May on record was 2003 with 266 mm, while the driest was 2005 at 22 mm.
Relative humidity in Memphis during May averages 78%. The most humid May was 1991 at 88%, and the least humid was 1988 at 66%.
May receives about 5.9 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Memphis. The sunniest May was 2005 at 6.9 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest were 1990, 1991 and 2025 at 5.
Average wind speed in Memphis during May is 2.5 m/s. The windiest Mays were 1996 and 2000 at 3.2 m/s, while the calmest was 2018 at 1.9 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 20.4°C | 20.7°C | 21.1°C | 21.4°C | 21.0°C | +0.6°C |
| Avg High | 25.8°C | 25.9°C | 26.5°C | 26.4°C | 25.9°C | +0.1°C |
| Avg Low | 14.9°C | 15.4°C | 15.7°C | 16.3°C | 16.2°C | +1.3°C |
| Avg Rain | 148 mm | 119 mm | 139 mm | 140 mm | 131 mm | -17 mm |
May temperatures in Memphis have risen by about 1.7°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
May has ranged from a record low of 1.5°C (2013) to a record high of 34.9°C (1998).
Rainfall in May is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 135 mm, with a wettest year of 266 mm.
Daytime highs and overnight lows have shifted differently — highs rose about 0.1°C per decade while lows rose 0.4°C per decade, narrowing the gap between day and night.
One of the best times to visit Memphis
May is one of the best times to visit Memphis. Expect days averaging 26.1°C and nights around 15.6°C (mean 20.9°C) — warmer than Memphis's yearly average — with higher rainfall (135 mm), so conditions are generally comfortable for sightseeing and outdoor plans.
| Year | Avg High | Avg Temp | Avg Low | Hottest Day | Coldest Day | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 25.3°C | 20.8°C | 16.3°C | 30.0°C | 8.2°C | 214 mm | 83% | 2.4 m/s | 5 |
| 2024 | 27.8°C | 23.3°C | 18.7°C | 30.8°C | 13.1°C | 170 mm | 81% | 2.3 m/s | 5.5 |
| 2023 | 26.4°C | 21.3°C | 16.2°C | 30.9°C | 5.5°C | 68 mm | 78% | 2.1 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2022 | 26.7°C | 21.8°C | 16.8°C | 32.2°C | 10.3°C | 129 mm | 81% | 2.8 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2021 | 24.8°C | 19.6°C | 14.4°C | 29.4°C | 8.1°C | 110 mm | 78% | 2.7 m/s | 5.9 |
| 2020 | 24.3°C | 19.4°C | 14.5°C | 28.5°C | 4.8°C | 97 mm | 81% | 2.5 m/s | 5.9 |
| 2019 | 27.0°C | 22.2°C | 17.4°C | 32.0°C | 10.3°C | 130 mm | 82% | 2.5 m/s | 5.9 |
| 2018 🔥 | 28.5°C | 23.9°C | 19.2°C | 31.4°C | 10.9°C | 90 mm | 80% | 1.9 m/s | 6 |
| 2017 | 26.5°C | 20.8°C | 15.0°C | 30.6°C | 8.2°C | 116 mm | 73% | 2.7 m/s | 6.4 |
| 2016 | 25.0°C | 19.9°C | 14.8°C | 29.8°C | 8.5°C | 112 mm | 78% | 2.5 m/s | 6 |
| 2015 | 25.7°C | 21.1°C | 16.4°C | 29.5°C | 7.4°C | 166 mm | 81% | 2.5 m/s | 5.5 |
| 2014 | 25.9°C | 20.7°C | 15.5°C | 31.3°C | 5.6°C | 113 mm | 78% | 2.8 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2013 | 24.3°C | 19.5°C | 14.8°C | 28.9°C | 1.5°C | 222 mm | 82% | 2.6 m/s | 5.9 |
| 2012 | 29.4°C | 23.5°C | 17.7°C | 34.8°C | 11.8°C | 74 mm | 70% | 2.1 m/s | 6.5 |
| 2011 | 24.8°C | 19.6°C | 14.4°C | 30.8°C | 5.9°C | 170 mm | 81% | 2.9 m/s | 5.7 |
| 2010 | 27.0°C | 22.3°C | 17.5°C | 31.3°C | 8.6°C | 203 mm | 81% | 2.3 m/s | 5.9 |
| 2009 | 24.9°C | 20.3°C | 15.6°C | 30.7°C | 7.0°C | 233 mm | 84% | 2.6 m/s | 5.3 |
| 2008 | 25.6°C | 20.4°C | 15.2°C | 31.0°C | 6.7°C | 180 mm | 80% | 2.6 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2007 | 28.8°C | 22.8°C | 16.8°C | 32.0°C | 8.4°C | 56 mm | 67% | 2 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2006 | 26.7°C | 21.2°C | 15.7°C | 32.2°C | 7.8°C | 105 mm | 77% | 2.4 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2005 | 26.1°C | 20.0°C | 13.8°C | 31.9°C | 4.6°C | 22 mm | 71% | 2.1 m/s | 6.9 |
| 2004 | 26.8°C | 22.1°C | 17.4°C | 30.4°C | 6.3°C | 137 mm | 82% | 2.9 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2003 🌧️ | 26.0°C | 21.1°C | 16.2°C | 29.4°C | 10.8°C | 266 mm | 82% | 2.7 m/s | 5.5 |
| 2002 | 25.2°C | 19.6°C | 14.0°C | 30.5°C | 5.5°C | 149 mm | 79% | 2.8 m/s | 5.6 |
| 2001 | 27.3°C | 21.3°C | 15.4°C | 31.7°C | 9.2°C | 122 mm | 73% | 2.5 m/s | 6.1 |
| 2000 | 27.3°C | 21.9°C | 16.4°C | 33.2°C | 8.8°C | 122 mm | 76% | 3.2 m/s | 5.7 |
| 1999 | 26.1°C | 20.5°C | 14.8°C | 29.5°C | 9.0°C | 106 mm | 77% | 2.5 m/s | 6.2 |
| 1998 | 28.5°C | 22.9°C | 17.2°C | 34.9°C | 8.8°C | 64 mm | 75% | 2.4 m/s | 6.3 |
| 1997 | 24.4°C | 18.6°C | 12.9°C | 29.5°C | 6.3°C | 146 mm | 76% | 2.7 m/s | 6.4 |
| 1996 | 27.9°C | 22.8°C | 17.7°C | 33.8°C | 8.9°C | 115 mm | 76% | 3.2 m/s | 6 |
| 1995 | 26.7°C | 21.3°C | 15.9°C | 31.6°C | 5.3°C | 128 mm | 77% | 2.9 m/s | 5.4 |
| 1994 | 24.8°C | 19.3°C | 13.7°C | 29.8°C | 4.5°C | 91 mm | 77% | 2.3 m/s | 6.2 |
| 1993 | 25.0°C | 19.9°C | 14.7°C | 29.0°C | 9.0°C | 117 mm | 79% | 2.4 m/s | 5.5 |
| 1992 | 25.7°C | 19.9°C | 14.1°C | 30.2°C | 5.2°C | 59 mm | 72% | 2.5 m/s | 6.3 |
| 1991 | 26.1°C | 22.3°C | 18.4°C | 29.5°C | 8.2°C | 200 mm | 88% | 2.2 m/s | 5 |
| 1990 | 24.2°C | 19.2°C | 14.2°C | 28.7°C | 8.0°C | 162 mm | 82% | 2.9 m/s | 5 |
| 1989 | 24.7°C | 19.3°C | 13.9°C | 30.9°C | 4.7°C | 111 mm | 79% | 2.8 m/s | 5.6 |
| 1988 | 27.8°C | 20.7°C | 13.7°C | 34.1°C | 7.3°C | 55 mm | 66% | 2.5 m/s | 6.5 |
| 1987 | 27.6°C | 23.0°C | 18.3°C | 31.6°C | 12.5°C | 112 mm | 80% | 2 m/s | 6.1 |
| 1986 | 27.1°C | 21.8°C | 16.4°C | 31.7°C | 7.0°C | 141 mm | 71% | 2.2 m/s | 5.3 |
| 1985 | 25.6°C | 20.4°C | 15.1°C | 32.2°C | 8.0°C | 103 mm | 78% | 2.6 m/s | 5.6 |
| 1984 | 24.1°C | 18.7°C | 13.2°C | 29.1°C | 7.3°C | 244 mm | 80% | 2.8 m/s | 5.7 |
| 1983 ❄️ | 23.7°C | 18.6°C | 13.6°C | 26.9°C | 6.4°C | 258 mm | 81% | 2.9 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 26.7°C | 21.6°C | 16.5°C | 30.6°C | 8.6°C | 118 mm | 80% | 2.2 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 25.1°C | 19.1°C | 13.1°C | 29.9°C | 6.9°C | 190 mm | 73% | 2.7 m/s | — |
Actual recorded May data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in May is around 26.1°C with lows near 15.6°C (mean 20.9°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
May averages 135 mm of rainfall in Memphis, a relatively wet time of year. The wettest on record was 266 mm in 2003.
The hottest May reached 34.9°C in 1998. The coldest dipped to 1.5°C in 2013.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average May temperatures have risen by about 1.7°C. Daytime highs moved from 25°C to 26.2°C and overnight lows from 14.3°C to 16.5°C over the same span.
May is one of the warmer months of the year in Memphis and a relatively wet time of year, so plan for around 26.1°C daytime highs and 15.6°C at night.
Not quite — May is the 8th coolest month in Memphis, averaging 20.9°C.
For May in Memphis, pack light layers you can adjust through the day, with typical highs of 26.1°C and lows of 15.6°C. Bring an umbrella or light rain jacket too.
Relative humidity in May averages 78% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in May is 2.5 m/s. The windiest May on record averaged 3.2 m/s (1996).
The wettest May on record was 2003 with 266 mm. On average, May sees 135 mm.
All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.
Explore how the weather in Memphis behaves each May, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for May specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.
