Editing Huntsville, Alabama (section)

==Geography==
{{see also|Huntsville metropolitan area}}<!---suburbs belong in [[Huntsville Metropolitan Area]]-->
This city is located at {{Coord|32|31|03|N|87|50|11|W|type:city}} (34.6934098, -86.5607619). According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|225.17|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|223.63|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|1.54|sqmi|km2}}, is water as of 2023.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2023"/> According to the ''City of Huntsville Statistics'', the city has a total area of {{convert|226.62|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|225.09|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|1.54|sqmi|km2}}, is water as of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Huntsville Statistics |url=https://maps.huntsvilleal.gov/HuntsvilleStats/ |access-date=May 31, 2023 |website=maps.huntsvilleal.gov}}</ref>

Huntsville has grown through recent annexations west into [[Limestone County, Alabama|Limestone County]] by {{convert|21.5|mi2|km2 acres|disp=comma}}) in the early 2000s,<ref>{{cite news |last= Haskins |first= Shelly |title= Huntsville council annexes more Limestone land ahead of anti-annexation bill |newspaper= The Huntsville Times |location= Huntsville|date= February 14, 2008 |url= http://blog.al.com/breaking/2008/02/huntsville_council_annexes_mor.html |access-date= January 9, 2010}}</ref> and south into [[Morgan County, Alabama|Morgan County]] with {{convert|1.03|sqmi|km2 acres ha}} in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|title=Madison County|url=http://www.huntsville.org/rocket-city/our-cities/madison-county/|access-date=April 28, 2017}}</ref><ref name="AnnexMorgan">{{cite news |last1=Gattis |first1=Paul |title=Huntsville set to cross Tennessee River, annex part of Morgan County |url=https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2018/02/huntsville_set_to_cross_tennes.html |access-date=October 24, 2018 |work=[[The Huntsville Times]] |date=February 8, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181024122730/https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2018/02/huntsville_set_to_cross_tennes.html |archive-date=October 24, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Huntsville borders [[Marshall County, Alabama|Marshall County]] across the Tennessee River near [[Hobbs Island, Alabama|Hobbs Island]].

Huntsville has the [[List of United States cities by population|29th]] largest land area in the United States for cities with a population over 100,000. Huntsville has borders surrounding both the cities of [[Madison, Alabama|Madison]] and [[Triana, Alabama|Triana]]. Huntsville also borders the cities of [[Decatur, Alabama|Decatur]], [[Athens, Alabama|Athens]], [[Owens Cross Roads, Alabama|Owens Cross Roads]], the town of [[Mooresville, Alabama|Mooresville]] as well as the [[census-designated place]]s of [[Moores Mill, Alabama|Moores Mill]], [[Meridianville, Alabama|Meridianville]], Laceys Spring, and [[Redstone Arsenal]].

Situated in the Tennessee River valley, Huntsville is partially surrounded by several [[plateau]]s, large hills, and mountains. These plateaus are associated with the [[Cumberland Plateau]]. [[Monte Sano Mountain]] (Spanish for "Mountain of Health") is the most notable and is east of the city, along with Round Top (Burritt), Chapman, Huntsville, and Green mountains.<ref>{{cite web |title=Monte Sano State Park |url=http://www.alapark.com/monte-sano-state-park |website=Alabama State Parks |publisher=Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=April 11, 2016}}</ref> Others are Wade Mountain to the north, Rainbow Mountain to the west, and Weeden and Madkin mountains on the [[Redstone Arsenal]] property in the south. [[Brindley Mountain]] is visible in the south across the Tennessee River.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Eric |title=Mountains of Madison County Part One - Huntsville Outdoors |url=https://www.huntsvilleoutdoors.com/history/56-mountains-of-madison-county-part-1 |access-date=December 19, 2022 |website= huntsvilleoutdoors.com |date=July 22, 2016 |language=en-us}}</ref>

As with other areas along the Cumberland Plateau, the land around Huntsville is [[karst]] in nature. The city was founded around the Big Spring, which is a typical karst spring. Many [[cave]]s perforate the [[limestone]] bedrock underneath the surface, as is common in karst areas. The [[National Speleological Society]] is headquartered in Huntsville.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About NSS |url=https://caves.org/about-nss/ |access-date=December 19, 2022 |website=National Speleological Society |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Climate===
Huntsville has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfa''). It experiences hot, humid summers and generally mild winters, with average high temperatures ranging from near {{convert|90|°F|1|abbr=on}} in the summer to {{convert|49|°F|1|abbr=on}} during winter.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Huntsville Climate: Narrative |url=https://www.weather.gov/hun/huntsvilleclimatenarrative |access-date=December 19, 2022 |website= weather.gov|publisher=National Weather Service |language=EN-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate |url=https://hsvchamber.org/about-us/hsvmadison-county/climate/ |access-date=December 19, 2022 |website=Huntsville/Madison County Chamber |language=en-US}}</ref>

Huntsville is near the center of a large area of the U.S. mid-South that has maximum precipitation in the winter and spring, not summer.  The average yearly precipitation is more than 54 inches. On average, the wettest single month is December, but Huntsville has a prolonged wetter season from November to May with, on average, nearly or over 5 or more inches of precipitation most of those months. On average, August to October represent slightly drier months, showing less than {{convert|3.6|inch|mm|0|disp=or}} of precipitation. Droughts can occur, primarily August through October, but usually there is enough rainfall to keep soils moist and vegetation lush. Much of Huntsville's precipitation is delivered by [[thunderstorm]]s.<ref name=":5" /> Thunderstorms are most frequent during the spring, and the most severe storms occur during the spring and late fall.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madison County Tornadoes |url=https://w2.weather.gov/hun/madisontor |access-date=December 19, 2022 |website=weather.gov |language=EN-US |archive-date=December 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219020010/https://w2.weather.gov/hun/madisontor }}</ref> These storms can deliver large [[hail]], damaging straight-line winds, and [[tornado]]es. Huntsville lies in a region colloquially known as [[Dixie Alley]], an area more prone to violent, long-track tornadoes than most other parts of the US.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rice |first=Doyle |date=April 25, 2011 |title=Dixie Alley may see more tornado action than even Tornado Alley |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2011-04-25-tornado-dixie-alley.htm |access-date=January 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229014823/http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2011-04-25-tornado-dixie-alley.htm |archive-date=February 29, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Dixie Alley">{{cite web |last1=Gerard |first1=Alan |last2=Gagan |first2=John |last3=Gordon |first3=John |date=October 17, 2005 |title=A Comparison of Tornado Statistics from Tornado Alley and Dixie Alley |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/media/jan/tor_stats/DixieAlley_17Oct2005pm.ppt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019091458/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/media/jan/tor_stats/DixieAlley_17Oct2005pm.ppt |archive-date=October 19, 2012 |access-date=January 24, 2012 |publisher=National Weather Service |format=PPT}}</ref>

On April 27, 2011, the largest tornado outbreak on record, the [[2011 Super Outbreak]], affected northern Alabama. During this event, [[2011 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado|an EF5 tornado]] that tracked near the [[Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant]] destroyed many transmission towers and caused a multi-day power outage for the majority of North Alabama. That same tornado also resulted in considerable damage to the Anderson Hills subdivision and in [[Harvest, Alabama]]. In total, nine people were killed in Madison County, and many others were injured.<ref>{{cite web |last=Stephens |first=Challen |date=April 29, 2011 |title=Tornadoes now responsible for 9 deaths in Madison County, officials say |url=http://blog.al.com/breaking/2011/04/friay_morning.html |access-date=November 8, 2011 |work=The Huntsville Times |publisher=AL.com}}</ref> Other significant tornado events include the [[1974 Super Outbreak|Super Outbreak in April 1974]], the [[November 1989 tornado outbreak#Huntsville, Alabama|November 1989 tornado]] that killed 21 and injured over 460, and the [[1995 Anderson Hills tornado]] that killed one person and caused extensive damage.<ref name="tn740326">{{cite news|agency=The Associated Press|newspaper=[[Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina)|The Times-News]]|location=Hendersonville, North Carolina|page=19|title=42 Persons Dead in Severe Storms, Tornadoes in Alabama|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NfUZAAAAIBAJ&pg=6088,2888015&dq=national-weather-service+radio+huntsville&hl=en|date=March 25, 1974|access-date=March 20, 2010}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref name="td040403">{{cite news|first=Dennis |last=Sherer|newspaper=[[TimesDaily]]|location=Florence, Alabama|page=B1 |title=Night of April 3, 1974, marked change in severe weather alerts, preparedness |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g_shAAAAIBAJ&pg=1409,304037|date=April 3, 2004|access-date=March 20, 2010}}</ref> On January 21, 2010, an EF2 tornado struck Huntsville, resulting in moderate damage. Because it was not rain-wrapped and was easily photographed, it received extensive media coverage.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/01/huntsville_tornado_measured_ef.html|title=Huntsville tornado measured EF-2 on Fujita scale|date=January 23, 2010|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Huntsville Times}}</ref>

While most winters have some measurable snow, heavy snow is rare in Huntsville.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Huntsville Winter Statistics |url=https://www.weather.gov/hun/winterstatisticsforhuntsvilleandmuscleshoals |access-date=May 25, 2023 |website=weather.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref> However, there have been some unusually heavy snowstorms, like the New Year's Eve 1963 snowstorm, when {{convert|17|in|m|sigfig=2|disp=or}} fell within 24 hours. Likewise, the [[Blizzard of 1993]] and the [[Groundhog Day]] snowstorm in February 1996 were substantial winter events for Huntsville. On Christmas Day 2010, Huntsville recorded over {{convert|4|in|m|sigfig=2|disp=or}} of snow, and on January 9–10, 2011 it received {{convert|8.9|in|m|sigfig=2|disp=or}} at the airport and up to {{convert|10|in|m|sigfig=2|disp=or}} in the suburbs.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://blog.al.com/breaking/2011/01/snowfall_most_since_1988_in_hu.html|title= Snowfall most since 1988 in Huntsville, third-biggest on record|first= Steve|last= Doyle|date=January 10, 2011 |newspaper= [[The Huntsville Times]]|access-date=October 4, 2011}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Huntsville, Alabama ([[Huntsville International Airport]]), 1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1907–present
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 82
|Feb record high F = 83
|Mar record high F = 90
|Apr record high F = 95
|May record high F = 99
|Jun record high F = 108
|Jul record high F = 111
|Aug record high F = 108
|Sep record high F = 108
|Oct record high F = 100
|Nov record high F = 88
|Dec record high F = 81
|year record high F = 111
|Jan avg record high F = 69.3
|Feb avg record high F = 73.6
|Mar avg record high F = 80.7
|Apr avg record high F = 86.0
|May avg record high F = 91.2
|Jun avg record high F = 95.6
|Jul avg record high F = 97.2
|Aug avg record high F = 97.3
|Sep avg record high F = 94.1
|Oct avg record high F = 87.1
|Nov avg record high F = 78.6
|Dec avg record high F = 70.9
|year avg record high F = 99.2
|Jan high F = 52.3
|Feb high F = 57.1
|Mar high F = 65.5
|Apr high F = 74.8
|May high F = 82.5
|Jun high F = 89.1
|Jul high F = 91.5
|Aug high F = 91.3
|Sep high F = 86.5
|Oct high F = 76.0
|Nov high F = 63.9
|Dec high F = 55.0
|year high F = 73.8
|Jan mean F = 42.7
|Feb mean F = 46.7
|Mar mean F = 54.2
|Apr mean F = 62.9
|May mean F = 71.3
|Jun mean F = 78.6
|Jul mean F = 81.3
|Aug mean F = 80.5
|Sep mean F = 74.9
|Oct mean F = 63.9
|Nov mean F = 52.5
|Dec mean F = 45.5
|year mean F = 62.9
|Jan low F = 33.1
|Feb low F = 36.4
|Mar low F = 43.0
|Apr low F = 51.0
|May low F = 60.2
|Jun low F = 68.0
|Jul low F = 71.1
|Aug low F = 69.7
|Sep low F = 63.4
|Oct low F = 51.8
|Nov low F = 41.2
|Dec low F = 35.9
|year low F = 52.1
|Jan avg record low F = 13.9
|Feb avg record low F = 18.8
|Mar avg record low F = 24.7
|Apr avg record low F = 34.2
|May avg record low F = 45.0
|Jun avg record low F = 56.7
|Jul avg record low F = 62.8
|Aug avg record low F = 60.2
|Sep avg record low F = 48.0
|Oct avg record low F = 34.3
|Nov avg record low F = 24.5
|Dec avg record low F = 20.0
|year avg record low F = 11.7
|Jan record low F = −11
|Feb record low F = −8
|Mar record low F = 6
|Apr record low F = 24
|May record low F = 32
|Jun record low F = 42
|Jul record low F = 49
|Aug record low F = 50
|Sep record low F = 37
|Oct record low F = 23
|Nov record low F = 1
|Dec record low F = −3
|year record low F = -11
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 4.99
|Feb precipitation inch = 5.11
|Mar precipitation inch = 5.39
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.86
|May precipitation inch = 4.67
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.06
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.49
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.55
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.49
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.56
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.25
|Dec precipitation inch = 5.87
|year precipitation inch = 54.29
|Jan snow inch = 0.7
|Feb snow inch = 1.0
|Mar snow inch = 0.5
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.0
|Dec snow inch = 0.2
|year snow inch = 2.4
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 10.6
|Feb precipitation days = 11.3
|Mar precipitation days = 11.2
|Apr precipitation days = 10.1
|May precipitation days = 10.0
|Jun precipitation days = 10.1
|Jul precipitation days = 10.8
|Aug precipitation days = 9.2
|Sep precipitation days = 6.8
|Oct precipitation days = 7.7
|Nov precipitation days = 8.8
|Dec precipitation days = 11.0
|year precipitation days = 117.6
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 0.8
|Feb snow days = 0.6
|Mar snow days = 0.3
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.0
|Dec snow days = 0.3
|year snow days = 2.0
|Jan humidity = 72.0
|Feb humidity = 68.5
|Mar humidity = 65.3
|Apr humidity = 63.1
|May humidity = 69.0
|Jun humidity = 70.5
|Jul humidity = 74.0
|Aug humidity = 73.9
|Sep humidity = 73.9
|Oct humidity = 70.1
|Nov humidity = 70.9
|Dec humidity = 72.2
|year humidity = 70.3
|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= NCDC>{{cite web
 |url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=hun
 |title = NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data
 |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
 |access-date = June 6, 2021}}</ref><ref name="NCDC KHSV txt">{{cite web
 |url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00003856&format=pdf
 |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
 |title = Station: Huntsville INTL AP, AL
 |work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
 |access-date = June 6, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url = https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/CCD-2018.pdf
 |title = Comparative Climatic Data For the United States Through 2018
 |publisher = NOAA
 |access-date = July 28, 2020
|archive-date = September 19, 2020
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200919104105/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/CCD-2018.pdf
}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[World Meteorological Organization]] (relative humidity 1961–1990)<ref name=WMOCLINO>{{cite web
 |url = http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=CLINO&f=ElementCode%3a11%3bCountryCode%3aUS%3bStatisticCode%3a94&c=2,5,6,7,10,15,18,19,20,22,24,26,28,30,32,34,36,38,40,42,44,46&s=CountryName:asc,WmoStationNumber:asc,StatisticCode:asc&v=2
 |publisher = World Meteorological Organization
 |title = World Meteorological Organization Standard Normals 1961–1990
 |access-date = June 6, 2021}}</ref>
|date=August 2010}}