CLIMATE. Mississippi lies in the semi-tropical climatic belt and its climate is strongly influenced by reason of its proximity to the Gulf. The aver age January temperature is 55° F. in the isl ands off coast, 50' in the southern part of the mainland, and 40° near the northern boundary. The average July temperatures range from S2° to SO°. The average maximum shade tempera ture is 100', while occasional anticyclones of winter bring a minimum temperature of i0° F. to the southern portion, and zero weather reaches below the northern quarter of the State. Such cold weather is, however. very transient. The frost-free growing season lasts seven months in the north and ten months in the south. This is of the very greatest importance to many of the crops, especially cotton. The average annual rainfall for the whole State is over 50 inches. The southern quarter has over 60 inches, this distribution being largely due to the prevailing southwestern winds, and to the influence of the Gulf. The heaviest rains occur
in late winter or early spring, when the warm Gulf winds meet the cold north winds, but on the whole the precipitation is quite evenly distributed through the year. There is a slight snowfall as far south as Natchez. The atmosphere is humid at all seasons, the average annual relative hu midity being not far from 70 per cent. in the northern half of the State and from 70 per cent. to 75 per cent. in the southern half. The average wind velocity for the whole year is seven miles per hour. The prevailing wind for January is north. while it is south for July. The cyclonic belt lies far to the north, and generally does not touch the State.