Geography of Memphis, Tennessee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The City of Memphis is located in southwestern Tennessee and sits on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River. It is the regional hub for a tri-state area of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Shelby County is located over four natural aquifers, one of which is recognized as the "Memphis sand aquifer" or simply as the "Memphis aquifer." This particular water source is stated to contain more than 100 trillion gallons (380 km³) of water.
Memphis has a humid subtropical climate, with four distinct seasons. The summer months are persistently hot and humid due to moisture encroaching from the Gulf of Mexico.
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[edit] Geography
Memphis is located in southwestern Tennessee at .[1] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 313.8 sq mi (763.4 km²), of which 302.3 sq mi (723.4 km²) is land and 15.4 sq mi (40.0 km²), or 5.24%, is water.
[edit] Cityscape
The city of Memphis is located in southwestern Tennessee and sits on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River. It is the regional hub for a tri-state area of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Interstate 40 (I-40) enters the city from the northeast, and loops above the central part of the city, exiting across the Mississippi River and travelling to the west. Interstate 55 approaches the city from the south and connects with Interstate 240, which completes the loop around central Memphis with I-40, and also leaves to the west.
U.S. Highway 72 leaves the city traveling to the southeast. The west end of U.S. Highway 78 begins in Memphis on Linden Avenue at the intersection of 2nd Street. As it leaves Memphis, US 78 follows Lamar Avenue, historically known as Pidgeon Roost Road for the nestings of passenger pigeons formerly in the vicinity. The east end of U.S. Highway 78 terminates in Charleston, South Carolina.
[edit] Tallest buildings
| Name | Stories | Height (in ft) | Height (in m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Beale (proposed) | 30 | 435 | 133 |
| 100 North Main | 37 | 430 | 131 |
| Morgan Keegan Tower | 23 | 403 | 123 |
| Clark Tower Executive Suites | 32 | 400 | 122 |
| One Commerce Square | 31 | 396 | 121 |
| Sterick Building | 31 | 365 | 111 |
[edit] Sections and suburbs
- See also: Memphis metropolitan area
The core of Memphis is marked by five major districts, with smaller districts lying within their borders. These are Downtown, Midtown, North Memphis, South Memphis, and East Memphis. In recent decades the city has expanded further by annexing adjacent territories, so these names can be somewhat misleading to those who are unfamiliar to the area.
Sections and neighborhoods:
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[edit] Aquifer
Shelby County is located over four natural aquifers, one of which is recognized as the "Memphis sand aquifer" or simply as the "Memphis aquifer". This particular water source, located some 350 to 1100 ft (100 - 330 m) underground, is stated to contain more than 100 trillion gallons (380 km³) of water by Memphis Light, Gas, and Water, which draws, verifies the cleanliness of, and distributes the water to over 250,000 customers.[3]
Furthermore, in the time since the tapping of the well in 1887, the aquifer has only descended 125 ft (38 m), suggesting a reliable water source in Memphis for years to come.[4]
Most Memphians recognize this as their primary water source, and take great regional pride in their possession of the aquifer. Memphis water is notably soft, low in mineral content, and free of toxic substances.[5]
[edit] Climate
Memphis has a humid subtropical climate, with four distinct seasons. Historically, April is the month with the highest frequency of tornadoes, though tornadoes have occurred every month of the year. Memphis is sunny approximately 64% of the time.
[edit] Spring
Spring often begins in late February or early March, following the onset of a sharp warmup. This season is also known as "severe weather season" due to the higher frequency of tornadoes, hail, and thunderstorms producing winds greater than 58 mph (93 km/h). Average rainfall is slightly higher during the spring months (except November) than the rest of the year, but not to any noticeable extent.
[edit] Summer
The summer months (late May to late September) are dominated by temperatures between 68 °F (20 °C) and 95 °F (35 °C), and humidity due to moisture encroaching from the Gulf of Mexico. Afternoon thunderstorms are frequent during some summers, but usually brief, lasting no longer than an hour.
[edit] Autumn
Early Autumn is pleasantly drier and mild, but can remain hot until late October. Abrupt but short-lived cold snaps are common. Late Autumn is rainy and colder, December being the third rainiest month of the year. Fall foliage becomes especially vibrant after the first frost, typically November, and lasts until early December.
[edit] Winter
Winters are mild, but cold snaps can occur. The official all-time record low temperature was -13.0 °F (-25.0 °C), which occurred on December 24, 1963. Mild spells are sometimes warm with temperatures as high as 75 °F (23 °C) during January and February. Snowfall is not abundant but does occur during most winters, with an annual average of 5.7 in (14.4 cm) at the airport. The most significant snow in many years fell on March 8, 2008 when 7 inches blanketed the city. While severe weather is more common in Spring, notable severe weather has occurred in winter. On February 5, 2008 a tornado killed 3 in Memphis during the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak
[edit] Temperatures
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec High °F | 79 | 81 | 87 | 94 | 99 | 104 | 108 | 107 | 103 | 95 | 86 | 81 |
| Norm High °F | 49 | 55 | 63 | 72 | 80 | 89 | 92 | 91 | 85 | 75 | 62 | 52 |
| Norm Low °F | 31 | 36 | 44 | 52 | 61 | 69 | 73 | 71 | 64 | 52 | 43 | 34 |
| Rec Low °F | -8 | -11 | 12 | 27 | 38 | 48 | 52 | 48 | 36 | 25 | 9 | -13 |
| Precip (in) | 4.24 | 4.31 | 5.58 | 5.79 | 5.15 | 4.30 | 4.22 | 3.00 | 3.31 | 3.31 | 5.76 | 5.68 |
| Source: USTravelWeather.com [1] | ||||||||||||
[edit] Rainfall
- Non-metric source
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 49 | 54 | 62 | 73 | 81 | 89 | 92 | 90 | 84 | 74 | 62 | 52 | 72 |
| Avg low (°F) | 32 | 35 | 43 | 52 | 61 | 69 | 73 | 71 | 64 | 52 | 42 | 35 | 53 |
| Rainfall (in) | 4.7 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 52.4 |
- Metric source
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 9 | 12 | 16 | 22 | 27 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 28 | 23 | 16 | 11 | 22 |
| Avg low (°C) | 0 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
| Rainfall (mm) | 110 | 110 | 130 | 140 | 120 | 90 | 90 | 80 | 80 | 70 | 120 | 130 | 1330 |
[edit] Sister cities
Memphis has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
[edit] Geo-Locations
- Hernando de Soto Bridge (I-40)
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
- 100 North Main Street, Tallest Building in Memphis
- Beale Street Visitors Center
- National Ornamental Metal Museum
- Graceland Mansion
[edit] References
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ The Village Memphis Website
- ^ Memphis Light, Gas, and Water Website - About Our Services
- ^ L. Yu Lin, Ph.D., P.E, Drinking Water from Wells, Not From the River, <http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/environmentalscience/casestudies/case9.mhtml>
- ^ MLGW - 2005 Water Quality Table
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