Geography and Climate
Meridian is located in the North Central Hills region of Mississippi in Lauderdale County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.9 sq mi (119 km2), of which 45.1 sq mi (117 km2) is land and 0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2) is water. Along major highways, the city is 93 mi (150 km) east of Jackson, Mississippi; 154 mi (248 km) west of Birmingham, Alabama; 202 mi (325 km) northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana; 231 mi (372 km) southeast of Memphis, Tennessee; and 297 mi (478 km) west of Atlanta, Georgia. The area surrounding the city is covered with cotton and corn fields along with oak and pine forests, and its topography consists of clay hills and the bottom lands of the head waters of the Chickasawhay River.
The natural terrain of the area has been modified in the urban core of the city by grading, but it maintains its gentle rolling character in the outlying areas. Numerous small creeks are found throughout the city and small lakes and woodlands lie in the northern and southern portions of the city. Sowashee Creek runs through the southern portion of the city and branches off into Gallagher's Creek, which flows through the center of the city. Loper's Creek runs through the far-western part of the city while smaller creeks including Shearer's Branch, Magnolia Creek, and Robbins Creek are dispersed throughout the city.
Meridian is in the humid subtropical climate zone. The average high temperature during summer (June through August) is around 90 °F (32 °C) and the average low is around 70 °F (21 °C). In winter (December through February) the average maximum is around 60 °F (16 °C) and minimum 35 °F (2 °C). The warmest month is July, with an average high of 92.9 °F (33.8 °C), and the coldest month of the year is January with an average low of 34.7 °F (1.5 °C).
The average annual precipitation in the city is 58.65 in (1,490 mm). Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, and the wettest month of the year is March, in which an average of 6.93 in (176 mm) of rain falls. The Meridian area can sometimes experience severe thunderstorms which produce strong winds, large hail and sometimes tornadoes.
| Climate data for Meridian, Mississippi | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 83 (28) |
85 (29) |
90 (32) |
95 (35) |
99 (37) |
104 (40) |
107 (42) |
106 (41) |
105 (41) |
97 (36) |
87 (31) |
84 (29) |
107 (42) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 57 (14) |
63 (17) |
70 (21) |
77 (25) |
84 (29) |
90 (32) |
93 (34) |
93 (34) |
88 (31) |
78 (26) |
69 (21) |
61 (16) |
76.9 (25.0) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 35 (2) |
38 (3) |
44 (7) |
50 (10) |
60 (16) |
67 (19) |
71 (22) |
70 (21) |
64 (18) |
51 (11) |
43 (6) |
37 (3) |
52.5 (11.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 0 (−18) |
8 (−13) |
15 (−9) |
28 (−2) |
38 (3) |
42 (6) |
54 (12) |
51 (11) |
34 (1) |
24 (−4) |
16 (−9) |
2 (−17) |
0 (−18) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 5.92 (150.4) |
5.35 (135.9) |
6.93 (176) |
5.62 (142.7) |
4.87 (123.7) |
3.99 (101.3) |
5.45 (138.4) |
3.34 (84.8) |
3.64 (92.5) |
3.28 (83.3) |
4.95 (125.7) |
5.31 (134.9) |
58.65 (1,489.7) |
| Source: The Weather Channel | |||||||||||||
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