Anytime is a great time in Natchez

There is a definite summer, fall, winter and spring pattern in the area.

But winter is short and mild, and to some summer can bring extreme heat.

June, July and August have average temperatures of 90 and above, and May ranges in the mid to high 80s, as does September.

Oh, but wait for October. The clear blue skies come with mild temperatures that may rise into the 80s but are generally in the 70s.

First frost can come as early as November, but real wintry weather is most likely in January and February, as a rule. January is the coldest month, with high temperatures hovering at about 60.

Miss-Lou winters are influenced by the Gulf of Mexico to the south, the continental land mass and the prevailing southerly wind, to be technical about it.

The southerly winds provide a moist semitropical climate that makes afternoon thunderstorms likely -- and numerous.

Although the days of high humidity from May well into the fall occasionally are uncomfortable, the afternoon rains are a relief.

In April, the average high temperature is about 78 degrees as compared to 92 in August. The average April low is about 55 as compared to 70 in August.

In the summertime, maximum average temperatures are in the 80s and 90s. In the winter, frequent warm tropical fronts break the spell of cold.

Cold spells rarely last longer than a few days, and hard freezes are not frequent.

Because of the area's humidity and average temperatures, snowfall rarely accumulates at more than an inch and often melts off the same day.

By late March, flowering trees and shrubs generally are in full bloom.