Editing New Madrid, Missouri (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|4.53|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|4.49|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.04|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref>{{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=8 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archive-date=25 January 2012}}</ref>

===Climate===
New Madrid has a [[humid subtropical climate]] (Köppen ''Cfa'') with hot, humid summers and chilly, though not severe winters. Winter weather can vary from very mild and rainy when air masses from the [[Gulf of Mexico]] predominate, to very cold, dry and windy with northerly or northwesterly airflows as in the famous cold month of January 1977. On average there are 82 nights which fall to or below {{convert|32|F|C|disp=or}}, whilst one night falls to or below {{convert|0|F|C|1|disp=or}}, and the coldest temperature ever has been {{convert|&minus;14|F|C|1|disp=or}} on January 17, 1982. The hottest has been {{convert|107|F|C|1|disp=or}} record on August 4, 1964, whilst an average of 2.9 days exceed {{convert|100|F|C|1|disp=or}}.

Rainfall is fairly heavy throughout the year due to moist air from the Gulf being advected on the western side of the [[Bermuda High]], plus occasional remnant depressions from hurricanes passing up the Mississippi Valley. Between 1963 and 2012, the wettest calendar year was 1990 with {{convert|71.24|in|mm|1|disp=or}} and the driest 2005 with {{convert|32.36|in|mm|1|disp=or}}. The wettest day was September 23, 2006 with {{convert|11.38|in|mm|1}} in one day, and September 2006 was also the wettest month with {{convert|15.27|in|mm|1}}, whilst no precipitation fell during October 1964.

Snowfall is very rare, as it is normally too dry to snow when cold air masses reach the [[Missouri Bootheel|Bootheel]], so that the median is only {{convert|0.4|in|m|3|disp=or}} per year and the mean just {{convert|5.7|in|m|2|disp=or}}. The most snow in one month was in January 1977 with {{convert|13.1|in|m|2|disp=or}}, whilst the snowiest season was from July 1966 to June 1967 with {{convert|19.3|in|m|2|disp=or}}.

{{Weather box
|location = New Madrid, Missouri (1971-2000; extremes 1963 to 2012)
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high F = 71
|Feb record high F = 77
|Mar record high F = 84
|Apr record high F = 94
|May record high F = 94
|Jun record high F = 104
|Jul record high F = 106
|Aug record high F = 107
|Sep record high F = 101
|Oct record high F = 92
|Nov record high F = 85
|Dec record high F = 74
|year record high F = 107
|Jan high F = 41.5
|Feb high F = 47.5
|Mar high F = 57.6
|Apr high F = 68.6
|May high F = 78.0
|Jun high F = 86.9
|Jul high F = 91.1
|Aug high F = 89.4
|Sep high F = 82.6
|Oct high F = 71.7
|Nov high F = 57.4
|Dec high F = 46.0
|year high F = 68.2
|Jan low F = 26
|Feb low F = 29
|Mar low F = 38
|Apr low F = 48
|May low F = 58
|Jun low F = 66
|Jul low F = 70
|Aug low F = 68
|Sep low F = 60
|Oct low F = 48
|Nov low F = 39
|Dec low F = 29
|year low F = 48
|Jan record low F = &minus;14
|Feb record low F = &minus;4
|Mar record low F = 8
|Apr record low F = 25
|May record low F = 35
|Jun record low F = 47
|Jul record low F = 52
|Aug record low F = 42
|Sep record low F = 35
|Oct record low F = 25
|Nov record low F = 12
|Dec record low F = &minus;11
|year record low F = &minus;14
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.34
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.72
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.72
|Apr precipitation inch = 5.23
|May precipitation inch = 5.06
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.21
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.05
|Aug precipitation inch = 2.62
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.47
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.65
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.67
|Dec precipitation inch = 4.69
|Jan precipitation days = 9.5
|Feb precipitation days = 8.1
|Mar precipitation days = 10.8
|Apr precipitation days = 10.1
|May precipitation days = 10.9
|Jun precipitation days = 8.8
|Jul precipitation days = 8.2
|Aug precipitation days = 6.2
|Sep precipitation days = 7.1
|Oct precipitation days = 7.5
|Nov precipitation days = 9.4
|Dec precipitation days = 9.9
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 inch
|Jan snow inch = 2.6
|Feb snow inch = 2.1
|Mar snow inch = 0.4
|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 = trace
|Dec snow inch = 0.6
|year snow inch = 5.7
|Jan snow days = 1.4
|Feb snow days = 1.1
|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 = 0.4
|unit snow days = 0.1 inch
|source 1 = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20/mo/236045.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002025339/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20/mo/236045.pdf|archive-date=2 October 2016|url-status=live|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|title=Climatography of the United States No. 20, 1971-2000: New Madrid, MO|year=2004}}
Retrieved on September 29, 2016.</ref>
|date=September 2016
|source 2 = National Weather Service Paducah<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=pah|publisher=National Weather Service Paducah Forecast Office|title=NOW Data: NOAA Online Weather Data|year=2016}}Retrieved on September 29, 2016.</ref>}}

=== Coal pollution ===
The New Madrid coal plant owned by Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. was identified as one of 17 "deadliest coal plants in the US" by the [[Sierra Club]], citing emissions and regional haze affecting neighboring communities. [[Sulfur dioxide]] pollution in the Bootheel has been found to exceed [[National Ambient Air Quality Standards]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kite |first=Allison |date=2023-05-25 |title=Sierra Club calls on EPA to enforce coal plant rules, highlighting Missouri facilities • Missouri Independent |url=https://missouriindependent.com/2023/05/25/sierra-club-calls-on-epa-to-enforce-coal-plant-rules-highlighting-missouri-facilities/ |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=Missouri Independent |language=en-US}}</ref> The plant was reopened in 2018 following the application of the [[first Trump tariffs]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Tim |date=2020-06-02 |title=Trade war tradeoff: How a Missouri town got America's dirtiest air |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/business/environment/trade-war-tradeoff-how-a-missouri-town-got-americas-dirtiest-air-idUSKBN2391GK/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |work=Reuters}}</ref>

=== Seismic zone ===
{{See also|New Madrid Seismic Zone}}
The city is located in a web of cracks at the center of the North American Plate dating from the [[Rodinian]]. New Madrid was the epicenter of the powerful 3-month 2,000-earthquake [[1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes]]. In 2003, the [[United States Geological Survey|U.S. Geological Survey]] predicted that another major earthquake will happen in New Madrid within the next 50 years,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Kiona N. |title=The New Madrid Earthquake Struck 206 Years Ago |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kionasmith/2018/02/07/the-new-madrid-earthquake-struck-206-years-ago/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> a theory that was rejected by the geophysicist [[Seth Stein]] in his 2010 book ''Disaster deferred: how new science is changing our view of earthquake hazards in the Midwest''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Pellissier |first=Pauline |date=2012-02-27 |title="The big one" : la mystérieuse faille sismique de New Madrid, Missouri |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2012/02/27/the-big-one-la-mysterieuse-faille-de-new-madrid-missouri_1647820_3210.html |access-date=2024-09-25 |language=fr}}</ref>

The city was hit by an earthquake on 28 February 2012 at 3:58&nbsp;a.m. CST, measuring 4.0.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Muskal |first=Michael |date=2012-02-21 |title=New Madrid zone earthquake felt in Missouri, 8 other states |url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-xpm-2012-feb-21-la-na-nn-missouri-earthquake-20120221-story.html |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> However, the tremors created a media scare as the web made it easy for everyone to search the city's seismic history, and discover the 1811-1812 earthquakes and the city's sensitive seismic situation.<ref name=":0" />