Editing Palmdale, California (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Palmdale CA and Antelope Valley and Environs Landsat7.jpg|thumb|left|Satellite image showing the Antelope Valley area in relation to Los Angeles with the San Gabriel Mountains separating them.]]
Palmdale is located in [[Los Angeles County]], and the urbanized centers of Palmdale and Los Angeles are separated by the San Gabriel mountain range, which is about {{convert|40|mi|km}} wide. This range forms the southern edge of the Antelope Valley portion of the [[Mojave Desert]]. Palmdale is the second-most populous city in the Antelope Valley, and fifth overall in the Mojave Desert, after [[Las Vegas]], [[Henderson, Nevada|Henderson]], [[North Las Vegas, Nevada]]; and [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]]. Palmdale is part of a [[twin cities (geographical proximity)|twin-city]] complex with its northern neighbor [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]] and together they are the principal cities within the Antelope Valley region and California's [[High Desert (California)|High Desert]].

Downtown Palmdale is located at {{Coord|34|34|46|N|118|07|00|W|type:city_region:US-CA}},<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990|archive-date=July 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716004148/https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|url-status=live}}</ref> at an elevation of {{convert|2655|ft|m|0}} above sea level.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]] the city has a total area of {{convert|106.2|sqmi|km2}}, of which, {{convert|106.0|sqmi|km2}} of it is land and {{convert|0.3|sqmi|km2}} of it is water (including man-made Lake Palmdale, the most visible and scenic part of the municipal water supply system). The total area is 0.24% water.

The city lies in proximity to the [[San Andreas Fault]], making it prone to severe earthquakes. This [[Fault (geology)|fault]] cuts across the [[Antelope Valley Freeway]] just north of the Avenue S off-ramp; running westward along the old Butterfield Stage Line (now Elizabeth Lake Road) into Leona Valley.

[[File:Palmdale snow w.jpg|thumb|right|Looking south from the hills near Tierra Subida Avenue, January snow can be seen at the higher elevations.]]

===Climate===
Typical of the [[High Desert (California)|High Desert]], Palmdale has a [[desert climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''BWk''), and it is part of [[Hardiness zone|USDA Plant Hardiness Zone]] 8b.<ref>{{cite web|title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map|url=http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/#|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227032333/http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/|archive-date=February 27, 2014|access-date=February 24, 2014|publisher=Agricultural Research Center, PRISM Climate Group Oregon State University}}</ref> Winters are cool to mild, with daily normal minimum temperatures at or just below freezing from late November until late January, and the coolest month, December, having a normal mean temperature of {{convert|44.4|°F}}.<ref name="NOWData NWS Oxnard, CA (LOX) - PMDthr"/> Summers are hot and nearly rainless, with July and August, tied for the hottest month, having a normal mean temperature of {{convert|81.2|°F}}.<ref name="NOWData NWS Oxnard, CA (LOX) - PMDthr"/> On average, annually there are 52 mornings with a minimum at or below freezing, and 35 afternoons with a maximum at or above {{convert|100|°F|1}}.<ref name="NOWData NWS Oxnard, CA (LOX) - PMDthr"/> The normal annual rainfall is {{convert|5.90|in|mm|0|sp=us}},<ref name="NOWData NWS Oxnard, CA (LOX) - PMDthr"/> occurring on an average of only 27 days.<ref name="NCDC txt Palmdale COOP">{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/1981-2010/products/station/USC00046624.normals.txt |publisher=NOAA |title=Station Name: CA PALMDALE |access-date=August 8, 2020}}</ref>

Record temperatures range from {{convert|3|°F|1}} on January 13, 1963, to {{convert|126|°F|1}} on July 28, 1995.<ref name="NOWData NWS Oxnard, CA (LOX) - PMDthr"/> The "rain year" from July 1940 to June 1941 had the highest annual precipitation on record, at {{convert|18.41|in|mm|1}}, whilst the most precipitation in a calendar month was in December 1943 at {{convert|7.55|in|mm|1}}, as well as the most in one calendar day on December 11, 1943, at {{convert|3.43|in|mm|1}};<ref name="NOWData NWS Oxnard, CA (LOX) - PMDthr"/> conversely, the lowest annual precipitation was {{convert|1.15|in|mm|1}} from July 2012 to June 2013.<ref name="NOWData NWS Oxnard, CA (LOX) - PMDthr"/>

{{Weather box
|location = [[Palmdale Regional Airport]], California (1991&ndash;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 1931&ndash;present)
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F =  85
|Feb record high F =  85
|Mar record high F =  91
|Apr record high F =  98
|May record high F = 106
|Jun record high F = 113
|Jul record high F = 126
|Aug record high F = 118
|Sep record high F = 111
|Oct record high F = 105
|Nov record high F =  88
|Dec record high F =  85
| Jan avg record high F  =  72.3
| Feb avg record high F  =  75.1
| Mar avg record high F  =  81.8
| Apr avg record high F  =  90.3
| May avg record high F  =  97.1
| Jun avg record high F  = 104.2
| Jul avg record high F  = 107.5
| Aug avg record high F  = 106.4
| Sep avg record high F  = 102.7
| Oct avg record high F  =  93.0
| Nov avg record high F  =  81.6
| Dec avg record high F  =  72.3
| year avg record high F = 109.1
|Jan high F = 58.9
|Feb high F = 61.8
|Mar high F = 67.5
|Apr high F = 73.4
|May high F = 82.0
|Jun high F = 91.0
|Jul high F = 97.6
|Aug high F = 97.7
|Sep high F = 91.6
|Oct high F = 79.7
|Nov high F = 67.3
|Dec high F = 57.7
|year high F= 77.2
|Jan mean F = 45.9
|Feb mean F = 48.9
|Mar mean F = 53.8
|Apr mean F = 59.3
|May mean F = 67.4
|Jun mean F = 75.4
|Jul mean F = 82.5
|Aug mean F = 81.8
|Sep mean F = 75.2
|Oct mean F = 64.1
|Nov mean F = 52.5
|Dec mean F = 44.7
|year mean F= 62.6
|Jan low F = 32.8
|Feb low F = 36.1
|Mar low F = 40.2
|Apr low F = 45.2
|May low F = 52.8
|Jun low F = 59.9
|Jul low F = 67.4
|Aug low F = 66.0
|Sep low F = 58.8
|Oct low F = 48.6
|Nov low F = 37.7
|Dec low F = 31.6
|year low F= 48.1
| Jan avg record low F  = 23.0
| Feb avg record low F  = 25.4
| Mar avg record low F  = 29.4
| Apr avg record low F  = 34.5
| May avg record low F  = 42.4
| Jun avg record low F  = 48.1
| Jul avg record low F  = 56.3
| Aug avg record low F  = 55.7
| Sep avg record low F  = 48.5
| Oct avg record low F  = 37.0
| Nov avg record low F  = 26.0
| Dec avg record low F  = 21.3
| year avg record low F = 19.5
|Jan record low F =  3
|Feb record low F = 11
|Mar record low F = 16
|Apr record low F = 26
|May record low F = 28
|Jun record low F = 30
|Jul record low F = 44
|Aug record low F = 41
|Sep record low F = 32
|Oct record low F = 18
|Nov record low F =  4
|Dec record low F =  6
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.98
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.49
|Mar precipitation inch = 0.87
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.26
|May precipitation inch = 0.13
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.02
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.11
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.03
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.16
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.47
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.36
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.02
|year precipitation inch= 5.90
|precipitation colour = green
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 4.4
| Feb precipitation days = 5.2
| Mar precipitation days = 3.7
| Apr precipitation days = 2.2
| May precipitation days = 1.0
| Jun precipitation days = 0.3
| Jul precipitation days = 0.8
| Aug precipitation days = 0.6
| Sep precipitation days = 0.7
| Oct precipitation days = 1.3
| Nov precipitation days = 2.3
| Dec precipitation days = 4.3
|source 1 = NOAA<ref name="NOWData NWS Oxnard, CA (LOX) - PMDthr">{{cite web |url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=lox |title=NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data |access-date=August 8, 2020 |publisher=NOAA |quote=Select "Palmdale Area" for all fields |archive-date=July 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711032124/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=lox |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NCDC txt KPMD">{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USW00023182&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL|publisher=NOAA |title=Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020 |access-date=August 20, 2022}}</ref>
}}

''Notes'': {{notelist}}

===Flora and fauna===
Plants native to Palmdale are [[big berry manzanita]], [[fremont cottonwood]], California aster, [[White Sage]], [[Giant wildrye]], [[Deerbrush]], [[California buckwheat]], [[Black Sage]], [[California Goldfields]], [[Antelope Bitterbrush]], [[Golden Yarrow]], [[Desert Globemallow]] and more.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://calscape.org/loc-Palmdale,CA/cat-All-Plants/ord-popular/np-1/vw-list?|title=Home > All plants for Palmdale, CA|access-date=February 6, 2019|archive-date=February 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207020454/https://calscape.org/loc-Palmdale,|url-status=live}}</ref> Animals in the area are golden mantled ground squirrel, [[Beechey ground squirrel]], [[red-tailed hawk]], [[Cooper's hawk]], [[Stellar's jay]], [[leopard frog]] and [[rattlesnake]]. [[Coyotes]] are found throughout Palmdale.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://trails.lacounty.gov/Trail/45/palmdale-hills-trail/WhatYouMightSee/1075/coyote|title=Trails - Department of Parks and Recreation|website=trails.lacounty.gov|access-date=September 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Antelope-Valley-WA|title=Antelope Valley Wildlife Area|website=www.wildlife.ca.gov|access-date=September 11, 2019|archive-date=August 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831145112/https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Antelope-Valley-WA|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[California condor]], a rare species of bird occupies Palmdale.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kus0AQAAMAAJ&q=california+condor+palmdale&pg=PA253 | title=Palmdale International Airport, New Airport: Environmental Impact Statement| year=1982}}</ref> Palmdale was a [[juniper berry]] processing area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/sg052205-indians.htm|title=SCVHistory.com {{!}} Tataviam Culture {{!}} DNA Links Ancient, Modern Indians|website=www.scvhistory.com|access-date=September 11, 2019|archive-date=November 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119142751/https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/sg052205-indians.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Eschscholzia californica|California poppies]] are grown near Palmdale.