Editing Beckley, West Virginia (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|9.50|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|9.49|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.01|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 25, 2012 }}</ref>

=== Geology and topography ===
The city sits atop the [[Allegheny Plateau]], with the more steeply eroded Logan Plateau bordering to the west and the highland [[Allegheny Mountains]] lying to the east.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=The Logan Plateau, a Young Physiographic Region in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee|url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1620/report.pdf|journal=U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1620}}</ref> Neighboring ridgelines include Flat Top Mountain to the south, Scott Ridge of Shady Spring Mountain to the southeast, Batoff Mountain to the northeast, and Lilly Mountain to the west.<ref>{{cite web|title=Raleigh County Mountains|url=https://peakvisor.com/adm/raleigh-county.html|access-date=February 16, 2021|website=PeakVisor|language=en}}</ref>

=== Water ===
Beckley is mostly contained in the Piney Creek watershed, which flows into the [[New River (Kanawha River tributary)|New River]] National Park and Reserve. The city is roughly bordered by Piney Creek to the east, and to the south by its tributary [[Whitestick Creek]]. Cranberry Creek and its southern tributary Little Whitestick Creek flow through the northern part of the city. The northwestern corner of the city, around Tamarack, includes the headwaters of [[Paint Creek (West Virginia)|Paint Creek]], another New River tributary. Neighboring watersheds include Glade Creek to the east, headwaters of the Coal River to the west, and headwaters of the Guyandotte River to the southwest.<ref>{{cite web|title=West Virginia Watersheds - WV DEP|url=https://dep.wv.gov/WWE/getinvolved/sos/Pages/Watersheds.aspx|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122105725/http://www.dep.wv.gov:80/WWE/getinvolved/sos/Pages/Watersheds.aspx |archive-date=November 22, 2011 }}</ref>

=== Climate ===
Due to its elevation, the climate of Beckley is [[humid subtropical climate|humid subtropical]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa'') bordering on both an [[oceanic climate|oceanic]] (Köppen ''Cfb'') and [[humid continental climate|humid continental]] (Köppen ''Dfa/Dfb''), and the city straddles the border between [[Hardiness zone|USDA Plant Hardiness Zone]]s 6B and 7A.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arborday.org/treeinfo/ZoneInfo.cfm?ZipCode=25801&submit=Look+it+up%21 |title=facebook-circle |publisher=Arborday.org |access-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref> Summers are warm and humid, usually a few degrees cooler than lower-elevation places within the state, with an average of only 1.3 days of a maximum at or above {{convert|90|°F|0}} annually. Winters are generally cold and snowy with occasional intervening milder periods and an average of 1.4 nights annually with a minimum of {{convert|0|°F|0}} or lower.<ref name = "NOWData NWS Charleston, WV (RLX)"/> Normal monthly daily mean temperatures range from {{convert|32.2|°F|1}} in January to {{convert|71.6|°F|1}} in July.<ref name = "NOWData NWS Charleston, WV (RLX)"/> Snowfall varies with an average of {{convert|55.9|in|cm|0}}<ref name = "NOWData NWS Charleston, WV (RLX)"/> per season and mostly occurs from December to March with an occasional snowfall in November of (usually) {{convert|2-3|in|cm|0}}. Record temperatures range from {{convert|-22|°F|0}} on [[January 1985 Arctic outbreak|January 21, 1985]], up to {{convert|103|°F|0}} on July 21 and August 11, 1926;<ref name = "NOWData NWS Charleston, WV (RLX)"/> the extreme coldest daily maximum was {{convert|-3|°F|0}} on [[Great Blizzard of 1899|February 13, 1899]], while, conversely, the extreme warmest daily minimum was {{convert|79|°F|0}} on July 7, 1924, and August 22, 1926.<ref name = "NOWData NWS Charleston, WV (RLX)"/> On average, the first and last occurrences of freezing temperatures in the cooler season are October 13 and April 30, respectively, allowing for a growing season of 165&nbsp;days.<ref name = "NOWData NWS Charleston, WV (RLX)"/>

{{Weather box
|location = Beckley, West Virginia ([[Raleigh County 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 1896–present
|single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 74
| Feb record high F = 77
| Mar record high F = 85
| Apr record high F = 87
| May record high F = 92
| Jun record high F = 100
| Jul record high F = 103
| Aug record high F = 103
| Sep record high F = 97
| Oct record high F = 91
| Nov record high F = 80
| Dec record high F = 75
| year record high F = 103
| Jan avg record high F = 62.3
| Feb avg record high F = 64.5
| Mar avg record high F = 72.8
| Apr avg record high F = 80.8
| May avg record high F = 83.1
| Jun avg record high F = 86.1
| Jul avg record high F = 87.5
| Aug avg record high F = 86.5
| Sep avg record high F = 84.6
| Oct avg record high F = 78.5
| Nov avg record high F = 71.3
| Dec avg record high F = 63.6
| year avg record high F = 88.8
| Jan high F = 40.5
| Feb high F = 44.2
| Mar high F = 52.5
| Apr high F = 64.4
| May high F = 71.5
| Jun high F = 77.8
| Jul high F = 80.7
| Aug high F = 79.9
| Sep high F = 74.4
| Oct high F = 64.3
| Nov high F = 53.2
| Dec high F = 43.9
| year high F = 62.3
| Jan mean F = 32.2
| Feb mean F = 35.4
| Mar mean F = 42.8
| Apr mean F = 53.5
| May mean F = 61.3
| Jun mean F = 68.2
| Jul mean F = 71.6
| Aug mean F = 70.5
| Sep mean F = 64.7
| Oct mean F = 54.3
| Nov mean F = 44.0
| Dec mean F = 36.0
| year mean F = 52.9
| Jan low F = 24.0
| Feb low F = 26.6
| Mar low F = 33.1
| Apr low F = 42.6
| May low F = 51.1
| Jun low F = 58.7
| Jul low F = 62.4
| Aug low F = 61.1
| Sep low F = 55.0
| Oct low F = 44.2
| Nov low F = 34.7
| Dec low F = 28.0
| year low F = 43.5
| Jan avg record low F = 2.0
| Feb avg record low F = 6.5
| Mar avg record low F = 12.2
| Apr avg record low F = 24.7
| May avg record low F = 34.9
| Jun avg record low F = 45.5
| Jul avg record low F = 52.3
| Aug avg record low F = 50.8
| Sep avg record low F = 40.2
| Oct avg record low F = 27.5
| Nov avg record low F = 17.0
| Dec avg record low F = 9.1
| year avg record low F = -1.0
| Jan record low F = −22
| Feb record low F = −20
| Mar record low F = −7
| Apr record low F = 8
| May record low F = 21
| Jun record low F = 32
| Jul record low F = 38
| Aug record low F = 33
| Sep record low F = 23
| Oct record low F = 9
| Nov record low F = -1
| Dec record low F = −20
| year record low F = -22
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 3.13
| Feb precipitation inch = 3.12
| Mar precipitation inch = 4.03
| Apr precipitation inch = 3.58
| May precipitation inch = 4.68
| Jun precipitation inch = 4.30
| Jul precipitation inch = 5.00
| Aug precipitation inch = 3.68
| Sep precipitation inch = 3.20
| Oct precipitation inch = 2.73
| Nov precipitation inch = 2.80
| Dec precipitation inch = 3.29
| year precipitation inch = 43.54
| Jan snow inch = 15.5
| Feb snow inch = 15.2
| Mar snow inch = 8.9
| Apr snow inch = 1.5
| 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 = 1.4
| Nov snow inch = 2.3
| Dec snow inch = 11.1
| year snow inch = 55.9
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 15.0
| Feb precipitation days = 14.4
| Mar precipitation days = 16.2
| Apr precipitation days = 14.1
| May precipitation days = 15.0
| Jun precipitation days = 13.7
| Jul precipitation days = 13.5
| Aug precipitation days = 11.5
| Sep precipitation days = 10.0
| Oct precipitation days = 10.7
| Nov precipitation days = 11.8
| Dec precipitation days = 14.6
| year precipitation days = 160.5
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 8.5
| Feb snow days = 7.2
| Mar snow days = 5.6
| Apr snow days = 1.5
| 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 = 0.3
| Nov snow days = 2.8
| Dec snow days = 6.6
| year snow days = 32.5
| Jan humidity = 74
| Feb humidity = 71
| Mar humidity = 67
| Apr humidity = 62
| May humidity = 70
| Jun humidity = 76
| Jul humidity = 78
| Aug humidity = 79
| Sep humidity = 79
| Oct humidity = 73
| Nov humidity = 70
| Dec humidity = 74
| year humidity = 73
|source 1 = [[NOAA]] (humidity 1981–2010)<ref name="NOWData NWS Charleston, WV (RLX)">{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=rlx
| title = NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 13, 2021}}</ref><ref name = "NCDC txt KBKW">{{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=USW00003872&format=pdf
| title = Station: Beckley Raleigh CO AP, WV
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 13, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210705140542/https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/lcd/annual/2018/01201813BKW.pdf
| archive-date = July 5, 2021
| url = https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/lcd/annual/2018/01201813BKW.pdf
| title = Local Climatological Data Annual Summary with Comparative Data for Beckley, West Virginia (KBKW)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = July 5, 2021}}</ref>
}}