Editing Alexandria, Louisiana (section)

== Geography and climate ==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|27.0|sqmi|km2|1}}, of which 26.4 square miles (68.4&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is land and 0.6 square mile (1.5&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) (2.15%) is water.

[[File:Bayou Rapides in Alexandria, LA IMG 1082.JPG|thumb|200px|right|Trees are reflected in Bayou Rapides east of MacArthur Drive in Alexandria]]
[[File:AlexandriaRitaDamage.jpg|thumb|200px|Alexandria gas station awning damaged by [[Hurricane Rita]]]]
Alexandria is on a level plain in the center of the Louisiana [[Longleaf Pine]] [[forest]]s, in which pine is interspersed with various [[hardwood]]s. A number of small [[bayou]]s, such as Bayou Rapides, Bayou Robert, and Hynson Bayou, meander throughout the city. In the immediate vicinity of the city, [[cotton]], [[sugar]], [[alfalfa]], and garden vegetables are cultivated.

The climate is [[humid subtropical]] with some continental influence in the winter. Summers are consistently hot and humid, whereas winters are mild, with occasional cold snaps. On average, the first freeze occurs in early to mid November and the last freeze occurs in early to mid March. The area receives plentiful rainfall year-round, with thunderstorms possible throughout the year. Some storms can be severe, especially during the spring months. According to 'Cities Ranked and Rated' (Bert Sperling and Peter Sander), Alexandria reports an average of 69 days per year with thunder reported, which is nearly double the national average. Snowfall is rare, with measurable snow having occurred 27 times since 1895. The heaviest snowfall event took place February 12–13, 1960, when 9.1" of snow fell.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/?n=climate| title = Reference |website=Srh.noaa.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/?n=snowclimo| title = Reference |website=Srh.noaa.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/?n=e0124-2814| title = Reference |website=Srh.noaa.gov}}</ref>

Tropical storms and hurricanes affect Alexandria from time to time, but rarely cause severe damage, unlike areas closer to the coast. In September 2005, [[Hurricane Rita]] moved inland and affected Alexandria and surrounding areas, causing widespread power outages and damaging the roofs of some structures. The most recent hurricane, [[Hurricane Gustav|Gustav]] in 2008, caused widespread flooding, knocked over trees and power lines leading to power outages, and damaged structures. Some low-lying Alexandria neighborhoods had substantial flooding from Gustav, leaving several feet of water in houses.

{{Weather box 
| width = auto
| location = Alexandria, Louisiana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1892–present)
| single line = Y
| collapsed = Y
| Jan record high F = 87
| Feb record high F = 88
| Mar record high F = 93
| Apr record high F = 98
| May record high F = 99
| Jun record high F = 106
| Jul record high F = 109
| Aug record high F = 110
| Sep record high F = 109
| Oct record high F = 98
| Nov record high F = 89
| Dec record high F = 85
| year record high F = 110

|Jan avg record high F = 75.9
|Feb avg record high F = 78.9
|Mar avg record high F = 83.7
|Apr avg record high F = 86.9
|May avg record high F = 91.9
|Jun avg record high F = 96.4
|Jul avg record high F = 98.9
|Aug avg record high F = 99.6
|Sep avg record high F = 96.8
|Oct avg record high F = 90.6
|Nov avg record high F = 83.4
|Dec avg record high F = 78.4
|year avg record high F = 100.6

| Jan high F = 58.5
| Feb high F = 62.6
| Mar high F = 69.6
| Apr high F = 76.3
| May high F = 83.3
| Jun high F = 89.3
| Jul high F = 91.7
| Aug high F = 92.4
| Sep high F = 88.1
| Oct high F = 79.0
| Nov high F = 68.2
| Dec high F = 60.5
| year high F = 76.6
| Jan mean F = 48.5
| Feb mean F = 52.2
| Mar mean F = 59.2
| Apr mean F = 65.8
| May mean F = 73.8
| Jun mean F = 80.2
| Jul mean F = 82.6
| Aug mean F = 82.7
| Sep mean F = 78.1
| Oct mean F = 67.8
| Nov mean F = 57.3
| Dec mean F = 50.5
| year mean F = 66.6
| Jan low F = 38.5
| Feb low F = 41.8
| Mar low F = 48.8
| Apr low F = 55.4
| May low F = 64.3
| Jun low F = 71.0
| Jul low F = 73.6
| Aug low F = 73.1
| Sep low F = 68.0
| Oct low F = 56.6
| Nov low F = 46.4
| Dec low F = 40.4
| year low F = 56.5

|Jan avg record low F = 24.5
|Feb avg record low F = 28.9
|Mar avg record low F = 33.0
|Apr avg record low F = 41.5
|May avg record low F = 52.3
|Jun avg record low F = 63.2
|Jul avg record low F = 69.0
|Aug avg record low F = 67.2
|Sep avg record low F = 55.5
|Oct avg record low F = 41.6
|Nov avg record low F = 31.8
|Dec avg record low F = 27.0
|year avg record low F = 21.9

| Jan record low F = 4
| Feb record low F = 3
| Mar record low F = 22
| Apr record low F = 31
| May record low F = 38
| Jun record low F = 50
| Jul record low F = 57
| Aug record low F = 55
| Sep record low F = 40
| Oct record low F = 27
| Nov record low F = 20
| Dec record low F = 7
| year record low F = 3
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 6.13
| Feb precipitation inch = 5.13
| Mar precipitation inch = 5.18
| Apr precipitation inch = 5.44
| May precipitation inch = 4.58
| Jun precipitation inch = 5.29
| Jul precipitation inch = 4.55
| Aug precipitation inch = 4.30
| Sep precipitation inch = 3.98
| Oct precipitation inch = 4.89
| Nov precipitation inch = 5.45
| Dec precipitation inch = 5.98
| year precipitation inch = 60.90
| Jan snow inch = 0.0
| Feb snow inch = 0.1
| Mar snow inch = 0.0
| 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 = 0.3
| Dec snow inch = 0.0
| year snow inch = 0.4
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 9.4
| Feb precipitation days = 8.4
| Mar precipitation days = 8.0
| Apr precipitation days = 6.6
| May precipitation days = 7.2
| Jun precipitation days = 9.4
| Jul precipitation days = 8.7
| Aug precipitation days = 8.2
| Sep precipitation days = 6.3
| Oct precipitation days = 6.0
| Nov precipitation days = 6.9
| Dec precipitation days = 8.8
| year precipitation days = 93.9
|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= NOAA >
{{cite web
| url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=lch
| title = NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = August 27, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>
{{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=USC00160098&format=pdf
| title = Station: Alexandria, LA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = August 27, 2021}}</ref>
}}