Editing Altus, Oklahoma (section)

==Geography==
Altus is located in northeastern Jackson County. It is situated in what used to be Old Greer County, an area with disputed ownership until a [[U.S. Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] decision awarded it to [[Oklahoma Territory]] instead of [[Texas]].<ref name="surv">{{cite report |url=http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/architsurveys/RLSofAltusParts.pdf |title=Reconnaissance Level Survey of Certain Parts of the City of Altus |date=1993 |publisher=[[Oklahoma Historical Society]] |access-date=May 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160721204915/http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/architsurveys/RLSofAltusParts.pdf |archive-date=July 21, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The city lies between the main channel and [[North Fork Red River|North Fork]] of the [[Red River of the South|Red River]].<ref name="surv"/>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city of Altus has a total area of {{convert|48.1|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|47.6|sqkm|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|0.5|sqkm|order=flip|1}}, or 1.08%, are water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4001700| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Altus city, Oklahoma| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| access-date=October 16, 2018| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213111928/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4001700| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Climate===
Altus has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa'') bordering upon a [[semi-arid climate]] (''BSk''). Summers are very hot to sweltering, though occasionally heavy rainfall does occur due to remains of Gulf of Mexico hurricanes moving inland. A record high of {{convert|120|F|C|1|disp=or}} was recorded twice in 1936.<ref>{{cite web|title=Record Highest Temperatures by State (through 2003)|url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/pub/data/special/maxtemps.pdf|work=NOAA.gov|publisher=NOAA|access-date=January 31, 2012}}</ref>

Autumn is brief, with generally very warm afternoons and comfortably cool mornings, while winter is extremely variable. [[Chinook wind]]s can sometimes raise temperatures to uncomfortably hot even in the low winter sun, in the process often drying out vegetation to produce [[wildfire]]s. On the other hand, if a [[block (meteorology)|block]] forms over the [[Gulf of Alaska]] very cold air can be driven into the Plains States from Canada, producing temperatures below {{convert|0|F|C|1|disp=or}} in extreme cases. Such cold temperatures on average occur once every three winters, although on average 78.5 mornings each year fall to or below the freezing point. Snowfall is rare and erratic: the most in a months being {{convert|16.1|in|m|2}} in January 1966, while most rainfall comes during the unsettled spring season, when heavy [[thunderstorm]]s can occur from the convergence of hot and cold air masses to produce very intense short-period rainfall. The wettest month has been May 1980 with {{convert|13.34|in|mm|1}}, whilst zero precipitation has on occasion been recorded in every month except May and June, and the wettest 24 hour period on October 20, 1983, with {{convert|7.10|in|mm|1}}. The wettest calendar year has been 1941 with {{convert|49.30|in|mm|1}} and the driest 1970 with {{convert|10.42|in|mm|1}}.
{{Weather box |location = Altus, Oklahoma (elevation {{convert|1,380|ft|m|-1|disp=or}})
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 88
|Feb record high F = 98
|Mar record high F = 103
|Apr record high F = 105
|May record high F = 112
|Jun record high F = 116
|Jul record high F = 120
|Aug record high F = 120
|Sep record high F = 109
|Oct record high F = 104
|Nov record high F = 92
|Dec record high F = 88
|year record high F= 120
|Jan high F = 53.1
|Feb high F = 58.3
|Mar high F = 67.4
|Apr high F = 76.6
|May high F = 84.3
|Jun high F = 92.8
|Jul high F = 97.5
|Aug high F = 96.6
|Sep high F = 88.4
|Oct high F = 77.8
|Nov high F = 65.0
|Dec high F = 54.4
|year high F= 76.0
|Jan low F = 26.8
|Feb low F = 30.8
|Mar low F = 38.1
|Apr low F = 47.8
|May low F = 57.8
|Jun low F = 66.8
|Jul low F = 70.7
|Aug low F = 69.4
|Sep low F = 62.0
|Oct low F = 50.4
|Nov low F = 38.2
|Dec low F = 29.4
|year low F= 49.0
|Jan record low F = −11
|Feb record low F = -7
|Mar record low F = 6
|Apr record low F = 22
|May record low F = 34
|Jun record low F = 44
|Jul record low F = 55
|Aug record low F = 49
|Sep record low F = 28
|Oct record low F = 17
|Nov record low F = 12
|Dec record low F = -10
|year record low F= −11
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.93
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.01
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.55
|Apr precipitation inch = 2.36
|May precipitation inch = 3.96
|Jun precipitation inch = 3.55
|Jul precipitation inch = 2.05
|Aug precipitation inch = 2.46
|Sep precipitation inch = 2.70
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.84
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.19
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.16
|Jan precipitation days = 4
|Feb precipitation days = 4
|Mar precipitation days = 5
|Apr precipitation days = 6
|May precipitation days = 8
|Jun precipitation days = 7
|Jul precipitation days = 5
|Aug precipitation days = 6
|Sep precipitation days = 6
|Oct precipitation days = 6
|Nov precipitation days = 4
|Dec precipitation days = 4
|year precipitation days = 64
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 inch
|Jan snow inch = 1.8
|Feb snow inch = 1.3
|Mar snow inch = 0.7
|Apr snow inch = 0.1
|May snow inch = 0
|Jun snow inch = 0
|Jul snow inch = 0
|Aug snow inch = 0
|Sep snow inch = 0
|Oct snow inch = 0
|Nov snow inch = 0.3
|Dec snow inch = 0.8
|year snow inch= 4.9
|source 1 = The Western Regional Climate Center<ref name="WRCC">{{cite web
| url =http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ok0179| title =Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information | access-date =November 24, 2013 | publisher =Western Regional Climate Center }}</ref>
|date=November 2013
}}