Editing Brownsville, Texas (section)

==Geography and climate==
[[File:2009 ISS Brownsville, Texas.jpg|thumb|View from the [[International Space Station]], with the photo centered on east Brownsville]]
Brownsville is one of the southernmost cities in the [[contiguous United States]];<ref>{{cite news |last1=Botsford End |first1=Rae |title=Space Florida Prepares as SpaceX Plans Partial Move to Texas |url=https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/space-exploration-technologies/space-florida-prepares-spacex-plans-partial-move-to-texas/ |access-date=January 2, 2019 |work=Space Flight Insider |date=July 18, 2014 |archive-date=July 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721040258/https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/space-exploration-technologies/space-florida-prepares-spacex-plans-partial-move-to-texas/ |url-status=live}}</ref> only a handful of municipalities in [[Florida]]'s [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Miami-Dade]] and [[Monroe County, Florida|Monroe]] Counties (plus [[Everglades City, Florida|Everglades City]], [[Collier County, Florida|Collier County]]) are located farther south than Brownsville. The city has a total area of {{convert|84.867|sqmi|km2|0|abbr=on}}, of which {{convert|81.528|sqmi|km2|0|abbr=on}} are land and {{convert|3.339|sqmi|km2|0|abbr=on}} are water, according to the United States Census Bureau of 2017.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2017_Gazetteer/2017_gaz_counties_48.txt |title=State-Based Places Gazetteer Files – Texas |website=2017 U.S. Gazetteer Files |publisher=United States Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce |access-date=May 25, 2018 |archive-date=May 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523161122/https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2017_Gazetteer/2017_gaz_counties_48.txt |url-status=live}}</ref>

Brownsville is situated at the intersection of several different [[climate]]s zones, such as the [[subtropics]], the [[Chihuahuan Desert]], the [[Gulf Coastal Plain]], and the southern reach of the American [[Great Plains]], thus attracting high numbers of migratory birds, and creating a unique [[biome]] for many species of plants and animals. Its idiosyncratic network of ''resacas'' (English: [[oxbow lake]]s), [[distributaries]] of the [[Rio Grande]], provide habitat for numerous nesting and breeding birds, typically during the spring and fall migrations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://smn.cna.gob.mx/tools/RESOURCES/Normales5110/NORMAL25116.TXT|title=Normales Climatológicas 1951–2010|publisher=[[Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (Mexico)|Servicio Meteorológico Nacional]]|access-date=December 11, 2018|archive-date=March 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307123957/http://smn.cna.gob.mx/tools/RESOURCES/Normales5110/NORMAL25116.TXT|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/UE/41184.TXT |title=Ras Al Khaimah Climate Normals |work=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20170525062259/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/UE/41184.TXT |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Brownsville's vegetation is classified as [[grassland]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brush |first1=Timothy |title=Nesting Birds of a Tropical Frontier: The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas |date=2005 |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=978-1585444908 |page=19 |edition=First |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x0UceuNvfPMC |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=October 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001041805/https://books.google.com/books?id=x0UceuNvfPMC |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Metropolitan area===
{{Main|Brownsville–Harlingen metropolitan area}}

Brownsville is in one metropolitan statistical area as defined by the United States Census Bureau. The [[Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville CSA|Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville]] combined statistical area consists of Cameron County and [[Willacy County, Texas|Willacy County]]. It includes the Brownsville metropolitan area and the micropolitan area of Raymondville. The city of Raymondville is the county seat of Willacy County. The Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville combined statistical area is home to 445,309 people (2017 estimated), making it the [[Combined statistical area|106th-largest combined statistical area]] in the United States.<ref name=PopEstCSA>{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2017/GCTPEPANNR.US41PR |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2017 - United States -- Combined Statistical Area; and for Puerto Rico |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |date=March 2018 |access-date=March 31, 2018}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> Based on the [[Uniform Crime Reports|Uniform Crime Report]] conducted by the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] in 2013, the Brownsville metropolitan area ranked last on its list of the "Most Dangerous Cities" in Texas, with "240 incidents of violent crime per 100,000 people" and a murder rate of 1.4. Robbery crimes make up 25% of overall crime in the city, with a rate of 58.1 per 100,000 residents.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Solomon |first1=Dan |title=The FBI's List of the Most Dangerous Cities in Texas |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/the-fbis-list-of-the-most-dangerous-cities-in-texas/ |access-date=January 21, 2019 |work=[[Texas Monthly]] |date=January 22, 2015 |archive-date=January 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121064602/https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/the-fbis-list-of-the-most-dangerous-cities-in-texas/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2011, Brownsville became one of the first cities in the United States to require stores to charge a fee for single-use plastic shopping bags. The ordinance was enacted to reduce pollution and litter around the city.<ref>Baskette, Aisha (February 1, 2016). "[http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/article_ea998838-c7cf-11e5-b532-eff60b9449fa.html City's bag ban carries onward]{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}". ''The Brownsville Herald''. Retrieved August 30, 2017.</ref> The city repealed the ordinance in 2018 after it was ruled illegal by the [[Supreme Court of Texas]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sanchez |first1=Jesus |title=Brownsville repeals plastic bag ordinance |url=https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/brownsville-repeals-plastic-bag-ordinance/article_c3b5e6cb-7e43-5149-9b41-2a4baf7a285e.html |access-date=January 14, 2019 |work=The Brownsville Herald |date=July 30, 2018 |archive-date=July 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731060827/https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/brownsville-repeals-plastic-bag-ordinance/article_c3b5e6cb-7e43-5149-9b41-2a4baf7a285e.html |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Forbes]]'' identified Brownsville as one of 12 metropolitan areas in the United States with the cleanest air.<ref>"[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/37740278 America's Cleanest Cities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001041807/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna37740278 |date=October 1, 2021}}". ''MSNBC''. Retrieved February 25, 2011.</ref> In 2018, the Brownsville–Harlingen area was among the "Cleanest U.S. Cities for Ozone Air Pollution" in the [[American Lung Association]]'s "State of the Air" in 2018.<ref>"[https://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/healthy-air/sota/city-rankings/cleanest-cities.html Cleanest Cities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202232905/https://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/healthy-air/sota/city-rankings/cleanest-cities.html |date=December 2, 2018}}". ''American Lung Association''. Retrieved December 31, 2018.</ref>

===Flora and soil===
[[File:Sabal mexicana 1.jpg|thumb|160px|The ''[[Sabal mexicana]]'' (Texas sabal palm) is a native plant species in Brownsville.]]

Broadleaf evergreen plants, including [[Arecaceae|palms]], dominate Brownsville neighborhoods to a greater degree than other locations in Texas, including nearby cities such as [[Harlingen, Texas|Harlingen]] and [[McAllen, Texas|McAllen]]. Brownsville is home to the ''[[Sabal mexicana]]'',<ref name="flora"/> the only species of [[palmetto palm]] native to Texas with a significant trunk (''[[Sabal minor]]'', also native to Texas, is nearly trunkless).<ref>{{cite news |last1=McLeod |first1=Gerald |title=Day Trips: Sabal Palm Sanctuary, Brownsville |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2018-11-30/day-trips-sabal-palm-sanctuary-brownsville/ |access-date=January 1, 2019 |work=[[The Austin Chronicle]] |date=November 30, 2018 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103004907/https://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2018-11-30/day-trips-sabal-palm-sanctuary-brownsville/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Though it used to cover a large portion of the land next to the Rio Grande, the city contains one of the last native stands of ''S. mexicana''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gaskill |first1=Melissa |title=3 Days In The Field |url=https://tpwmagazine.com/archive/2015/jun/threedays_brownsville/ |access-date=January 1, 2019 |work=Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine |date=June 2015 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103005019/https://tpwmagazine.com/archive/2015/jun/threedays_brownsville/ |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Citharexylum berlandieri]]'' (Tamaulipan fiddlewood),<ref name="flora">{{cite news |title=South Texas Treasures |url=http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/eedition/a/5e/a5e1d32b-b189-5508-9fbb-b4d706ca6231/508248fac1951.pdf.pdf |access-date=January 1, 2019 |work=The Brownsville Herald |date=October 20, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=November 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> ''[[Rivina humilis]]'' (pigeonberry), and ''[[Leucophyllum frutescens]]'' (Texas sage) are also native flora.<ref name="flora"/>

Soils are mostly of clay to silty clay loam texture, moderately alkaline ([[soil pH|pH]]&nbsp;8.2) to strongly alkaline (pH&nbsp;8.5) and with a significant degree of [[soil salinity|salinity]] in many places;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx|title=Web Soil Survey|publisher=Websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov|access-date=September 21, 2013|archive-date=March 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302004416/http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> other types of soils present around the city include Cameron clay and sporadic amounts of Laredo silt loam. Due to Brownsville's proximity to the coast, Lomalta clay is common around the swamp areas of the vicinity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Soil map, Texas, Brownsville sheet |url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth19741/m1/1/ |website=[[University of North Texas]] |date=August 22, 1908 |access-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103004834/https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth19741/m1/1/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Several parts of the city have a high risk of localized flooding because of flat topography, ubiquitous low-[[Permeability (earth sciences)|permeability]] clay soils, and inadequate infrastructure funding.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baskette |first1=Aisha |title=City drainage report assess flood risks |url=https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/city-drainage-report-assess-flood-risks/article_24214b92-c576-11e5-8d8d-2711f7f4fa69.html |access-date=January 5, 2019 |work=The Brownsville Herald |date=January 27, 2016}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Geological Survey]], Brownsville's soils are primarily [[alluvium]] and windblown deposits.<ref name="usgs">{{cite web |title=Title: Geologic atlas of Texas, McAllen-Brownsville sheet |url=https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_16427.htm |website=National Geologic Map Database |publisher=United States Geological Survey |access-date=March 12, 2019 |archive-date=August 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810221333/https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_16427.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> The majority of the city's soil is made of floodplain deposits from the Rio Grande; it consists of clay, sand, silt, gravel, and organic matter. Windblown deposits are made up of "active dunes and dune complexes" that contain mostly clay and silt near the coastal region and combination of clay, sand, and silt inland.<ref name="usgs"/>

===Climate===

Brownsville has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa''). Winters are warm, and summers are hot and humid.<ref name="koppen">Peel, M. C., Finlayson, B. L., and McMahon, T. A.: [//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Americas_K%C3%B6ppen_Map_original_colors.png Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification], ''Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.'', 11, 1633–1644, 2007.</ref> Due to its location on the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]] about 2.49° north of the [[Tropic of Cancer]], the climate closely borders a [[tropical savanna climate]]. Due to its proximity to the deserts of Chihuahua and [[Gulf Coastal Plain]]s, Brownsville's geographic location lies near the boundary of a hot [[semi-arid climate]].<ref name="koppen"/> Snow is a very rare event in Brownsville. Its [[wet season]] is concentrated during the late summer and early fall, peaking in September, when the threat from [[tropical cyclone]]s is greatest. In most years, November through April is the [[dry season]]. As such, Brownsville receives modest annual rainfall, averaging about {{convert|26.78|in|abbr=on}} annually based on records between 1991 and 2020.<ref name=NWS/>

The monthly daily average temperature ranges from {{convert|62.9|°F|1}} in January to {{convert|87|°F|1}} in August. Heat waves during the summer have caused 141 days of high temperatures over {{convert|90|°F|1}} and fewer than five days of temperatures above {{convert|100|°F|1}}. The city is located along the boundary of [[hardiness zone|USDA hardiness zones]] 9b and 10a.<ref>"[https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106190232/https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ |date=November 6, 2018}}". ''Agricultural Research Service''. [[United States Department of Agriculture]]. Retrieved December 31, 2018.</ref> The hottest temperature on record in Brownsville occurred on March 27, 1984, and August 28, 2023, when the city reached {{convert|106|°F|0}}. On the other extreme, freezing temperatures occur once or twice a year typically.<ref name=NWS /> On December 25, 2004, Brownsville recorded its first instance of measurable snow in 109 years with {{convert|1.5|in|cm|abbr=on}}, and the first recorded [[White Christmas (weather)|White Christmas]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.weather.gov/bro/2004event_christmasreport |title=White Christmas Dream Becomes Reality for the Lower RGV, 2004! |website=[[National Weather Service]] |access-date=January 25, 2019 |archive-date=January 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126062919/https://www.weather.gov/bro/2004event_christmasreport |url-status=live}}</ref> Brownsville's lowest temperature on record occurred on [[Great Blizzard of 1899|February 13, 1899]], when the city reached {{convert|12|F|C|0}}.<ref>"[http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?month=2&location=USTX0166 Brownsville Historic Weather Averages in Texas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114044507/http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?month=2&location=USTX0166 |date=January 14, 2019}}". ''Intellicast''. Retrieved January 13, 2019.</ref> Based on 30-year averages obtained from the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]'s [[National Climatic Data Center]] weather records, ''24/7 Wall St.'' ranked Brownsville the fifth-hottest city in America in 2016.<ref>Stebbins, Samuel (June 25, 2016). "[https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/06/25/hottest-cities-america/86210426/  The hottest cities in America] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103013305/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/06/25/hottest-cities-america/86210426/ |date=January 3, 2019}}". ''USA Today''. Retrieved December 31, 2018.</ref>

{{Weather box |collapsed = Y
|location = [[Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport]], Texas (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 1878−present)
|single line = Y
|Jan high F = 72.6
|Feb high F = 76.2
|Mar high F = 80.6
|Apr high F = 85.7
|May high F = 90.3
|Jun high F = 94.0
|Jul high F = 95.0
|Aug high F = 96.3
|Sep high F = 92.2
|Oct high F = 87.3
|Nov high F = 80.3
|Dec high F = 74.2
|year high F= 85.4
|Jan mean F = 62.9
|Feb mean F = 66.5
|Mar mean F = 71.3
|Apr mean F = 76.7
|May mean F = 82.0
|Jun mean F = 85.6
|Jul mean F = 86.4
|Aug mean F = 87.0
|Sep mean F = 83.4
|Oct mean F = 77.9
|Nov mean F = 70.5
|Dec mean F = 64.4
|year mean F =
|Jan low F = 53.1
|Feb low F = 56.9
|Mar low F = 62.0
|Apr low F = 67.7
|May low F = 73.7
|Jun low F = 77.2
|Jul low F = 77.8
|Aug low F = 77.8
|Sep low F = 74.7
|Oct low F = 68.6
|Nov low F = 60.8
|Dec low F = 54.7
|year low F= 67.1
| Jan avg record high F  = 83.9
| Feb avg record high F  = 87.1
| Mar avg record high F  = 91.4
| Apr avg record high F  = 94.8
| May avg record high F  = 95.3
| Jun avg record high F  = 97.2
| Jul avg record high F  = 98.0
| Aug avg record high F  = 99.1
| Sep avg record high F  = 97.2
| Oct avg record high F  = 93.1
| Nov avg record high F  = 88.7
| Dec avg record high F  = 85.3
| year avg record high F = 100.7
| Jan avg record low F  = 36.4
| Feb avg record low F  = 40.1
| Mar avg record low F  = 43.8
| Apr avg record low F  = 50.9
| May avg record low F  = 60.9
| Jun avg record low F  = 70.4
| Jul avg record low F  = 72.8
| Aug avg record low F  = 72.7
| Sep avg record low F  = 64.7
| Oct avg record low F  = 51.9
| Nov avg record low F  = 42.5
| Dec avg record low F  = 36.5
| year avg record low F = 33.7
|Jan record high F =  95
|Feb record high F =  94
|Mar record high F = 106
|Apr record high F = 104
|May record high F = 104
|Jun record high F = 104
|Jul record high F = 104
|Aug record high F = 106
|Sep record high F = 105
|Oct record high F =  99
|Nov record high F =  98
|Dec record high F =  94

|Jan record low F = 18
|Feb record low F = 12
|Mar record low F = 28
|Apr record low F = 37
|May record low F = 41
|Jun record low F = 56
|Jul record low F = 58
|Aug record low F = 63
|Sep record low F = 51
|Oct record low F = 35
|Nov record low F = 27
|Dec record low F = 16
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.08
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.03
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.45
|Apr precipitation inch = 1.47
|May precipitation inch = 2.22
|Jun precipitation inch = 2.86
|Jul precipitation inch = 1.98
|Aug precipitation inch = 2.16
|Sep precipitation inch = 5.73
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.83
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.76
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.21
|year precipitation inch= 26.78
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days =  7.0
|Feb precipitation days =  5.3
|Mar precipitation days =  5.3
|Apr precipitation days =  4.5
|May precipitation days =  4.8
|Jun precipitation days =  5.8
|Jul precipitation days =  4.8
|Aug precipitation days =  6.1
|Sep precipitation days = 11.1
|Oct precipitation days =  7.6
|Nov precipitation days =  7.0
|Dec precipitation days =  7.5

|Jan humidity = 79.3
|Feb humidity = 77.4
|Mar humidity = 74.6
|Apr humidity = 75.1
|May humidity = 76.5
|Jun humidity = 75.0
|Jul humidity = 73.2
|Aug humidity = 73.8
|Sep humidity = 76.3
|Oct humidity = 75.3
|Nov humidity = 76.1
|Dec humidity = 78.2

|Jan sun = 130.6
|Feb sun = 151.3
|Mar sun = 206.8
|Apr sun = 232.7
|May sun = 266.4
|Jun sun = 306.5
|Jul sun = 334.4
|Aug sun = 306.4
|Sep sun = 252.0
|Oct sun = 228.3
|Nov sun = 166.2
|Dec sun = 130.7
|year sun=
|Jan percentsun = 39
|Feb percentsun = 48
|Mar percentsun = 56
|Apr percentsun = 61
|May percentsun = 64
|Jun percentsun = 74
|Jul percentsun = 79
|Aug percentsun = 76
|Sep percentsun = 68
|Oct percentsun = 64
|Nov percentsun = 51
|Dec percentsun = 40
|year percentsun= 61

|source 1= NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961−1990)<ref name=NWS>{{cite web|url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=bro|title=NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data|publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-date=July 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702163500/http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=bro|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{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=USW00024230&format=pdf
| title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991&ndash;2020
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| accessdate = January 6, 2024
}}</ref><ref name=NOAA2>{{cite web|url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP3/72250.TXT|title=WMO climate normals for Brownsville/INTL, TX 1961−1990|publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]|access-date=September 17, 2020}}</ref>
}}