Memphis, on the Mississippi River, receives around 1,340 mm (about 53 inches) of rain a year, among the wetter major U.S. cities, with a fairly even seasonal spread and a spring peak in severe thunderstorm activity typical of the mid-South. The Mississippi itself has a gradual, well-monitored flood cycle tied to rainfall across its enormous watershed, a very different and slower risk than the fast-developing local thunderstorms, sometimes producing tornadoes, that affect the city more routinely each spring. Because these two hazards operate so differently, radar is most useful for tracking the faster local storms. NWS Doppler radar KNQA (Memphis) covers the region.
Learn more: How Does Rain Radar Work? · Open the full Rain Map