| Philadelphia
Geography
Topography
A simulated-color satellite image of Philadelphia taken on
NASA's Landsat 7 satellite. The Delaware River is visible
in this shot.Philadelphia is located at 40° 00' north
latitude and 75° 09' west longitude. According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
142.6 square miles (369.4 km²), of which 135.1 square
miles (349.9 km²) is land and 7.6 square miles (19.6
km², 5.29%) is water. Bodies of water include the Delaware
and Schuylkill Rivers, and Cobbs, Wissahickon, and Pennypack
Creeks.
The lowest
point is sea level, while the highest point is in Chestnut
Hill, at approximately 445 feet (136 m) above sea level (near
the intersection of Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike).
Philadelphia
is located on the Fall Line separating the Atlantic Coastal
Plain from the Piedmont.The rapids on the Schuylkill River
at East Falls disappeared after the completion of the Fairmount
Dam.
The city
is the seat of its own county. The adjacent counties are Montgomery
to the north; Bucks to the northeast; Burlington County, New
Jersey to the east; Camden County, New Jersey to the southeast;
Gloucester County, New Jersey to the south; and Delaware County
to the west.
Climate
Philadelphia
falls in the humid subtropical climate zone. Summers are typically
hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter
is cold. Snowfall is variable, with some winters bringing
moderate snow and others bringing some significant snowstorms.
Annual snowfall averages 21 inches (534 mm). Precipitation
is generally spread throughout the year, with eight to eleven
wet days per month, at an average annual rate of 42 inches
(1068 mm).
January
lows average 23 °F (-5 °C) and highs average 38 °F
(3 °C). The lowest officially recorded temperature was
-11 °F (-24 °C) on February 9, 1934, but temperatures
below 0 °F (-18 °C) occur only a few times a decade.
July lows average 67 °F (20 °C) and highs average
86 °F (30 °C), although heat waves are frequent with
highs above 95 °F (35 °C) and the heat index running
as high as 110 °F (43 °C). The highest recorded temperature
was 106 °F (41 °C) on August 7, 1918. Early fall and
late winter are generally driest, with February being the
driest month, averaging only 2.74 inches (69.8 mm) of precipitation.
Source
of Article:
Wikipedia.
(2008). Philadelphia. Retrieved May 15, 2008 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia#Geography |
