July 2022 Climate Report for Memphis, TN

Heat was the story in the month of July as the hot and dry pattern from the second half of June blasted right through the calendar change and continued for nearly the entire month. Only four days failed to reach a high of at least 95 and three were the final three days of the month. The century mark was reached or exceeded ten times during the month (third most on record) with a max of 103 on two occasions. The low temperatures remained above 70 degrees for the entire month and only dropped below 74 once, a feat that has only occurred one other time in recorded history (2011). 

In sum, the month ended well above average temperature-wise (second warmest on record behind 1980). The average high temperature was third warmest on record and the average low temperature was second warmest on record. For the period June 1 through July 31, the average temperature in Memphis was the hottest on record at 85.2 degrees.

Drought conditions that began in June worsened considerably through the first few weeks of July with the persistent heat and lack of widespread precipitation, resulting in a large portion of the metro in “severe drought” as we approached the end of the July. When rain did fall, it tended to be fairly localized and heavy, resulting in local relief from dry conditions, but little relief over the entire area until we neared the end of the month. Reflective of the mainly localized nature of the storms, the rain gauge at MWN in northern Shelby County received almost three more inches of rain than the airport. Over 50 percent of the rain that fell for the month at the official observing site occurred in the last three days of the month and much of the rest fell on the 18th. Flood Advisories during those two events were the only weather alerts issued by the National Weather Service for the metro in July.