Editing Fort Payne, Alabama (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Fort Payne Alabama (50427083516).jpg|thumb|right|Aerial view of Fort Payne]]
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|144.6|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|143.7|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.9|sqkm|order=flip}}, or 0.64%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US0127616| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Fort Payne city, Alabama| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=October 5, 2015}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The city center lies in a narrow valley on Big Wills Creek in the [[Cumberland Plateau|Cumberland Plateau region]] immediately west of [[Lookout Mountain]], with [[Sand Mountain (Alabama)|Sand Mountain]] at a distance to the west. The city limits reach to the east and south so that more than half of the city's area is now located on Lookout Mountain. Drainage is through Big Wills Creek to the [[Coosa River]].

A magnitude 4.9 [[Fort Payne Earthquake|earthquake]] occurred here in 2003.<ref>[ftp://hazards.cr.usgs.gov/maps/sigeqs/20030429/20030429.pdf U.S. Geological Survey: Fort Payne, Alabama Earthquake of 29 April 2003]</ref>

===Climate===
Fort Payne is notable for a subtropical climate. Winters usually feature measurable, though infrequent, snow. Cloudmont Ski Resort on Lookout Mountain generates man-made snow as winter temperatures permit. The area is subject to occasional tornadoes. The city's northern side was struck by [[Tornado outbreak of Leap Day 1952|F3]] and F4 tornadoes [[Tornado outbreak of Leap Day 1952|February 29, 1952]] and May 19, 1973, respectively, both of which caused considerable damage.<ref name="CDNS">{{cite web |title=Climatological Data National Summary Publication {{!}} IPS {{!}} National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/IPS/cdns/cdns.html |website=www.ncdc.noaa.gov |access-date=August 19, 2020}}</ref><ref name="HUNReport">{{cite web |last1=US Department of Commerce |first1=NOAA |title=February 29th, 1952 Fayetteville Tornado Weather Setup |url=https://www.weather.gov/hun/hunsur_1952-02-29 |website=www.weather.gov |access-date=August 30, 2020 |language=EN-US}}</ref><ref name="Minvale1">{{cite web |title=Alabama F3 |url=http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/19520229.1.5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017011658/http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/19520229.1.5 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=October 17, 2014 |website=Tornado History Project |publisher=Storm Prediction Center |access-date=August 30, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Minvale2">{{cite report |title=Alabama Event Report: F3 Tornado |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=9979435 |website=National Weather Service |publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information |access-date=August 31, 2020}}</ref><ref>[http://www.weather.gov/hun/?n=dekalbtor Huntsville Tornado Database], National Weather Service</ref> Exactly ten years later, a tornado struck the city again. In the [[Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1994]], an F3 tornado passed just west of the city<ref>"DeKalb Assessing Tornado Damage," ''The Huntsville Times'', March 29, 1994, p. B1</ref>

Occasionally, a hurricane that has made landfall in the Gulf of Mexico will reach Fort Payne as a tropical storm or tropical depression.  However, in 1995 the eye of [[Hurricane Opal]] reached Fort Payne with hurricane-force winds.<ref>"Area Escapes Storm's Worst," ''The Huntsville Times'', October 5, 1995, p. A1</ref>  The 1993 [[Storm of the Century (1993)|Storm of the Century]] dumped more than {{convert|20|in|cm}} of snow on Fort Payne, immobilizing the city and the surrounding area for days. The [[Köppen Climate Classification]] subtype for this climate is "Cfa". (Humid Subtropical Climate).<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=340310&cityname=Fort+Payne%2C+Alabama%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Fort Payne]</ref>

{{Weather box   <!-- Infobox begins -->
| single line = Y
| location    = Fort Payne, Alabama, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 2001&ndash;present

|Jan record high F = 76
|Feb record high F = 81
|Mar record high F = 87
|Apr record high F = 89
|May record high F = 94
|Jun record high F = 102
|Jul record high F = 104
|Aug record high F = 103
|Sep record high F = 100
|Oct record high F = 102
|Nov record high F = 89
|Dec record high F = 77

|Jan avg record high F = 70.0
|Feb avg record high F = 73.1
|Mar avg record high F = 80.6
|Apr avg record high F = 85.1
|May avg record high F = 90.5
|Jun avg record high F = 95.8
|Jul avg record high F = 97.3
|Aug avg record high F = 97.3
|Sep avg record high F = 93.9
|Oct avg record high F = 88.1
|Nov avg record high F = 77.8
|Dec avg record high F = 71.9
|year avg record high F = 98.9

<!-- Average high temperatures -->
| Jan high F  =52.2
| Feb high F  =56.7
| Mar high F  =65.1
| Apr high F  =73.5
| May high F  =81.0
| Jun high F  =87.7
| Jul high F  =90.8
| Aug high F  =90.2
| Sep high F  =85.8
| Oct high F  =76.1
| Nov high F  =64.1
| Dec high F  =55.4
<!-- Mean daily temperature -->
| Jan mean F  =41.8
| Feb mean F  =46.2
| Mar mean F  =53.7
| Apr mean F  =61.5
| May mean F  =69.7
| Jun mean F  =77.1
| Jul mean F  =80.4
| Aug mean F  =79.7
| Sep mean F  =74.7
| Oct mean F  =63.9
| Nov mean F  =52.6
| Dec mean F  =45.1
<!-- Average low temperatures -->
| Jan low F  =31.5
| Feb low F  =35.6
| Mar low F  =42.4
| Apr low F  =49.5
| May low F  =58.4
| Jun low F  =66.6
| Jul low F  =70.0
| Aug low F  =69.2
| Sep low F  =63.7
| Oct low F  =51.8
| Nov low F  =41.2
| Dec low F  =34.9

|Jan avg record low F = 13.1
|Feb avg record low F = 19.5
|Mar avg record low F = 24.8
|Apr avg record low F = 33.8
|May avg record low F = 42.5
|Jun avg record low F = 57.1
|Jul avg record low F = 62.2
|Aug avg record low F = 61.6
|Sep avg record low F = 52.2
|Oct avg record low F = 34.7
|Nov avg record low F = 23.8
|Dec avg record low F = 19.9
|year avg record low F = 11.7

|Jan record low F = 1
|Feb record low F = 8
|Mar record low F = 18
|Apr record low F = 27
|May record low F = 38
|Jun record low F = 52
|Jul record low F = 55
|Aug record low F = 51
|Sep record low F = 40
|Oct record low F = 28
|Nov record low F = 15
|Dec record low F = 6

<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
| precipitation colour    =  green
| Jan precipitation inch  =5.27
| Feb precipitation inch  =5.39
| Mar precipitation inch  =5.28
| Apr precipitation inch  =5.07
| May precipitation inch  =5.01
| Jun precipitation inch  =4.60
| Jul precipitation inch  =5.38
| Aug precipitation inch  =3.86
| Sep precipitation inch  =4.42
| Oct precipitation inch  =3.60
| Nov precipitation inch  =4.53
| Dec precipitation inch  =5.62

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 8.3
|Feb precipitation days = 9.2
|Mar precipitation days = 8.6
|Apr precipitation days = 8.8
|May precipitation days = 9.1
|Jun precipitation days = 9.1
|Jul precipitation days = 10.4
|Aug precipitation days = 7.8
|Sep precipitation days = 6.2
|Oct precipitation days = 6.5
|Nov precipitation days = 8.0
|Dec precipitation days = 9.0
|year precipitation days = 101.0

|source 1 = NOAA (precip days 1981&ndash;2010)<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00013043&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: FT Payne, AL (1991&ndash;2020)
|access-date = March 4, 2023
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly&stations=USC00013043&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Fort Payne, AL
|access-date = March 4, 2023
}}
</ref>
|source 2 = National Weather Service (mean maxima/minima 2006&ndash;2020)<ref name = NOWData>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=hun
|publisher = National Weather Service
|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Huntsville
|access-date = March 4, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}