Last updated: January 27, 2022
Article
2021 Weather In Review: Petersburg National Battlefield
In order to better understand ecosystem health in national parks, the Mid-Atlantic Inventory and Monitoring Network measures ecosystem "vital signs" across the Mid-Atlantic region. One of those vital signs is weather and climate. Below is a summary of 2021 weather conditions at Petersburg National Battlefield.
This brief provides county-scale weather data averaged from all of the counties surrounding the park, including data from 1895–2021 (i.e. period of record). These include Dinwiddie, Hopewell, and Prince George counties, VA. Data and analyses herein are courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Climate at a Glance Program.
Weather vs. Climate
First of all, what is the difference between weather and climate? Weather consists of the short-term (minutes to months) changes in the atmosphere. Weather is what is happening outside at this very moment, be it rain, snow, or just a warm sunny day. Climate is what you expect to see based on long-term patterns of over 30 years or more. An easy way to remember the difference is that climate is what you might expect, like a hot summer, and weather is what you get, like a warm rainy day.
The following information includes a discussion of 2021 weather placed in the context of long-term climate (i.e. how did 2021 compare to a "normal" year?).
2021 Summary
In all, 2021 was much warmer than average but had near-normal precipitation. It was the 10th warmest year recorded in the park’s three counties. It was also the 51st wettest year on record.
Data indicate that over the long term, annual average temperature and annual total precipitation have both increased (+0.11 °F per decade and +0.43 inches per decade, respectively).
Temperature
In total, 2021 was the 10th warmest year ever recorded at the park with a particularly warm autumn season (Figure 1). Nine months had higher than normal temperatures with October and December both being more than 6.0 °F above long-term averages (Table 1).
Table 1. Monthly and annual average temperature and departure from long-term averages. Departures from average show how different 2021 was compared to relevant averages from 1895-2020.
| Month/Year | Average temperature (°F) | Departure from long-term average (°F) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 39.0 | +0.8 |
| February | 39.5 | -0.6 |
| March | 50.5 | +2.5 |
| April | 58.5 | +1.2 |
| May | 65.4 | -1.0 |
| June | 75.2 | +0.9 |
| July | 78.7 | +0.6 |
| August | 79.2 | +2.7 |
| September | 71.5 | +1.0 |
| October | 65.2 | +6.1 |
| November | 48.0 | -0.9 |
| December | 47.8 | +7.3 |
| 2021 | 59.9 | +1.8 |
Precipitation
It was a near-normal year for total park precipitation (i.e. 51st wettest year on record), though the winter and summer were wet and the spring and autumn were dry (Figure 2). In all, 46 inches of precipitation fell, about 1.7 inches more than the long-term average (Table 2).
| Month/Year | Total precipitation (in.) | Departure from long-term average (in.) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 3.38 | +0.04 |
| February | 6.21 | +3.13 |
| March | 4.22 | +0.44 |
| April | 2.21 | -1.15 |
| May | 2.22 | -1.75 |
| June | 3.94 | -0.22 |
| July | 8.13 | +3.18 |
| August | 7.11 | +2.47 |
| September | 3.26 | -0.60 |
| October | 3.45 | +0.28 |
| November | 0.58 | -2.21 |
| December | 1.31 | -1.96 |
| 2021 | 46.04 | +1.66 |
Temperature and Precipitation Trends
(1895-2021)
Data for counties surrounding the park indicate that annual average temperature has increased approximately +0.11 °F per decade and annual total precipitation has increased approximately +0.43 inches per decade since 1895 (Figure 3).
National Park Service scientists have forecast future changes in climate too. Models estimate that by 2100, annual average temperature at the park will increase by 2.7–8.3 °F (from a best-case to worst-case scenario, respectively). Annual total precipitation is expected to increase by 8–13% (see Gonzalez et al., 2018 for details).
Climate Change
Today's rapid climate change challenges national parks in ways we've never seen before. Wildlife migrations are altered, increasingly destructive storms threaten cultural resources and park facilities, habitat is disrupted—the list goes on. Go to the NPS Climate Change site to discover how climate change is affecting our nation's treasures, what the National Park Service is doing about it, and how you can help.A summary of the Mid-Atlantic Network's weather and climate monitoring program can be found here. For more information, contact Mid-Atlantic Network Biologist, Jeb Wofford.
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