Quick answer
How much rain does Memphis get? NOAA puts the normal at 54.94 inches a year at Memphis International Airport, with April the wettest month at 5.87 inches and March close behind. The bigger test for your gutters is how hard it falls: NOAA says the hardest hour Memphis should expect in a typical year brings 1.42 inches, with five minute bursts near 5 inches an hour, so downspouts and clean outlets matter as much as gutter size. For a free written estimate call (901) 763-8330 or get a free quote.
The numbers
How much rain Memphis gets in a year
Memphis gets a lot of rain, and it is not spread evenly. Most of it lands between late fall and late spring.
NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 climate normals for Memphis International Airport put the yearly average at 54.94 inches of rain. That is the long-term normal, so some years run well above it.
The wet season runs from November through May. Those seven months bring about 35.8 inches, close to two thirds of the year’s rain. April is the wettest month at 5.87 inches, March brings 5.74 and December 5.49. September is the driest at 3.03 inches.
For gutters, that calendar tells you when to have them ready. A system that is clogged going into March is about to face the heaviest stretch of the year.
| Season | Months | Normal rain | What it means for gutters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring storms | March to May | 16.88 in | The heaviest stretch of the year. Outlets and downspouts need to be clear going in. |
| Summer | June to August | 12.18 in | Fewer rainy days, but thunderstorms can dump a lot in minutes. |
| Early fall | September and October | 7.01 in | The driest stretch, and a good window for repairs and new gutters. |
| Leaf season into winter | November to February | 18.87 in | Leaves come down just as the rain picks back up, so this is when gutters clog. |
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991 to 2020 monthly normals for Memphis International Airport.
Hard rain
The bursts are what overflow a gutter
A yearly total does not overflow anything. A gutter spills when rain arrives faster than the outlet can take it, and Memphis storms can do that in minutes.
NOAA Atlas 14 is the federal reference for how hard rain falls. Pulled from the NOAA Precipitation Frequency Data Server for our Shelby Oaks Drive office, it puts the hardest hour you should expect in a typical year at 1.42 inches. Inside that hour, the hardest five minutes fall at about 5 inches an hour. In a 10 year storm, the hardest hour reaches 2.32 inches.
To turn that into water at a downspout, multiply the roof area draining to it by the rainfall rate in inches per hour, then by 0.0104. The answer is gallons per minute.
| Rain in Memphis | Rate | 600 sq ft of roof to one downspout | 1,200 sq ft of roof to one downspout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardest hour in a typical year | 1.42 in/hr | About 9 gal/min | About 18 gal/min |
| Hardest 5 minutes in a typical year | 5.00 in/hr | About 31 gal/min | About 62 gal/min |
| Hardest hour in a 10 year storm | 2.32 in/hr | About 14 gal/min | About 29 gal/min |
| Hardest 5 minutes in a 100 year storm | 9.14 in/hr | About 57 gal/min | About 114 gal/min |
Double the roof area feeding one downspout and you double the water it has to carry. That is why a long run with one outlet at the far end spills first, even when the gutter itself is a good size.
Source: NOAA Atlas 14, Volume 2, precipitation frequency estimates for 5796 Shelby Oaks Drive, pulled October 2026. Roof areas are round examples.
Sizing
5 inch or 6 inch gutters for a Memphis home
Most homes we see do fine with 5 inch gutters and enough downspouts. Some runs need more, and it is worth knowing which ones before replacing anything.
A 5 inch gutter is the standard on most homes in Memphis, Germantown and Cordova. A 6 inch gutter holds noticeably more water and pairs with larger 3×4 downspouts, which have about twice the opening of a 2×3.
| Where on the house | What we usually see | Usual answer |
|---|---|---|
| Long run over the front of the house | The far end spills before water reaches the only downspout | A second downspout, or a 3×4 where there is no room for one |
| Inside corner under a valley | Water from two roof slopes jumps the corner in a storm | An outlet close to the corner |
| Lower roof under a two story wall | The lower gutter carries its own roof plus the upper gutter’s water | 6 inch on that run with its own 3×4 downspout |
| Steep or large roof planes | Water sheets off fast and overshoots the front edge | 6 inch gutters and careful hanger placement |
Check the simple causes first
Before anyone sells you bigger gutters, rule out a clog. A packed elbow or a run that has lost its slope will make any gutter look too small. If the spilling stops after a gutter cleaning and flush, size was never the problem. If a run holds water a day after the rain, it needs gutter repair to fix the pitch.
Timing
Getting your gutters ready for the wet season
The rain calendar and the leaf calendar line up badly in Memphis. Leaves come down right as the wet season starts.
- Clean after the leaves drop.Late November into December is when most of the trees across Memphis, Germantown and Collierville finish shedding. Clearing gutters then gets them through winter rains.
- Check again before spring.A quick look in late February catches seed pods, twigs and anything the winter storms packed into the outlets, before March and April arrive.
- Flush every downspout.Water should run freely from top to bottom. A downspout that trickles while the gutter above spills is clogged.
- Look at the ground.Each downspout should end in an elbow turned away from the house, with water carried well past the foundation.
- Fix repairs in early fall.September and October are the driest months, which makes them the best time for repairs and new seamless gutters.
- Gutters cleaned after leaf drop and checked before spring.
- No run over about 40 feet draining through a single outlet.
- Every downspout flushes clear and ends away from the foundation.
- Seams and corners dry after a rain.
If you are tired of cleaning twice a year, BroGuard micro-mesh gutter guards keep leaves and seed pods out of the trough so the rain has somewhere to go.
Want your gutters ready before the spring storms? Call (901) 763-8330
Get a Free QuoteLocal tip: during the next hard storm, look out the window at the gutter above your front door. If water is sheeting over the front edge right next to a downspout, that downspout is clogged or too small.
Frequently Asked Questions
NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals put Memphis International Airport at 54.94 inches a year. April is the wettest month at 5.87 inches and September the driest at 3.03 inches.
November through May. Those months bring close to two thirds of the year’s rain, with March and April the heaviest. That is why we recommend having gutters clean before spring.
Most homes do fine with 5 inch gutters and enough downspouts. Long runs, lower roofs that catch water from an upper gutter and corners under valleys often do better with 6 inch gutters and 3×4 downspouts.
At least twice a year: once after the leaves finish falling in late fall and again before the spring storms. Homes under big oaks or maples may need more, or gutter guards.
Usually a clogged outlet or downspout, a run that has lost its slope or too few downspouts. NOAA says five minute bursts in Memphis reach about 5 inches an hour in a typical year, which is more than one clogged outlet can handle.
Free estimates
Are your gutters ready for the wet season?
Book a free written estimate with our local crew. We will clean and flush the system, check every downspout and show you where an extra outlet or larger gutter would stop the overflow, before you spend anything.
The Brothers That Just Do Gutters · Central Mid-South · (901) 763-8330 · 5796 Shelby Oaks Dr, Suite 8, Memphis, TN 38134