In July, typical afternoon highs at Beale Street run around 93°F (hot). Mid-afternoon sun stands about 62° high, and the sun is up from 5:57 AM to 8:14 PM. Expect long stretches in open sun, with shade pockets near structures.
See live sun & real shadows here →| January | 46°F |
| February | 56°F |
| March | 68°F |
| April | 76°F |
| May | 77°F |
| June | 88°F |
| July | 93°F |
| August | 89°F |
| September | 87°F |
| October | 76°F |
| November | 64°F |
| December | 54°F |
Expect long stretches in open sun, with shade pockets near structures. See real building shadows over satellite imagery for any time of day: https://isthereshade.com/?anywhere&at=35.1398,-90.0525
Around 8:14 PM local time in mid-July (it shifts through the year). Sunrise is about 5:57 AM.
Beale Street · Memphis, TN. Data: exact sun position; climate normals from historical weather; live forecast on the interactive view.
Beale Street is a walking street, and walking streets live and die by which side of the pavement is in shadow. Memphis's music district runs a compact stretch of bars, clubs, and storefronts, and in the middle of a summer afternoon it can be a genuinely hot place to stroll. The buildings that line it are also the source of nearly all the shade you'll find, so knowing how that shade moves is worth more here than anywhere.
The heat is the real headline. July afternoon highs average about 93°F, the hottest of the year, with August near 89°F and June around 88°F. Add the humidity Memphis is known for and a midday walk down an open street gets sweaty fast. This is a place where timing your visit around the sun genuinely improves the experience.
In July the sun rises around 5:57 AM and sets near 8:14 PM. Beale Street's own rhythm leans toward the evening, the music and the crowds build after dark, which happens to line up perfectly with the cooler, shadier part of the day. At 3 PM the sun stands about 62 degrees up, to the west-southwest, beating down the length of the street with little to block it.
By late afternoon and into the evening, the buildings throw long shadows across the pavement and the temperature finally eases off its afternoon peak. If you want to see the street in daylight without cooking, the last couple of hours before the 8:14 PM sunset are the sweet spot. Late morning is a decent second choice, before the full heat of the day loads up.
As a historic commercial strip, Beale Street's shade is all about building lines. Through the morning, one side of the street sits in the shadow of the buildings opposite; as the sun climbs and then swings west-southwest in the afternoon, that shaded side flips, and by evening the shadows stretch well across the pavement. The practical move is simple: walk on whichever side puts the buildings between you and the sun, which in the afternoon means keeping to the side the sun is coming from so the storefronts shade you.
To check which side will be shaded at the hour you plan to arrive, the satellite shadow view maps how the buildings cast shadow across the street for your date and time.
On a 93-degree, humid July afternoon, take the heat seriously. Drink water before you feel thirsty, since the humidity keeps sweat from cooling you efficiently, and step into an air-conditioned club or shop to reset when you start to wilt. A hat and sunscreen help on the exposed stretches, but the best tool here is timing, save the outdoor walking for the shaded, cooler ends of the day and let the buildings do the work at midday.
Spring and fall are far kinder, with afternoons in the 70s that make the street comfortable at any hour. From June through August, though, plan your Beale Street time for the evening and let Memphis cool down first.