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2019 Weather In Review: Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site

A railroad extending into the distance through an engine house.
J. Stephen Conn (CC by-NC 2.0)

In order to better understand ecosystem health in national parks, the Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network measures ecosystem "vital signs" in select national parks in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. One of those vital signs is weather and climate. Below is a summary of 2019 weather conditions at Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site.

In all, 2019 was warm and wet. The year ended as the 19th warmest and 22nd wettest since 1895. Weather data collected from surrounding areas from 1895–2019 show increasing trends in annual average temperature (+0.09 °F per decade) and annual total precipitation (+0.47 inches per decade).

Information in this brief represents county-scale weather data averaged from all of the counties surrounding the park. These counties include Blair and Cambria counties, Pennsylvania. Individual weather station data may vary from what is reported here. Data are available from the National Climate Data Center.

Temperature

In total, 2019 was the 19th warmest year at the park since 1895. In particular, spring and summer were much warmer than average (Figure 1). Eight months had higher than normal temperatures, with February, April, and May all being more than 3 °F above normal (Table 1).

Figure 1. Average temperature rankings for Blair and Cambria counties, PA. Figure shows that the summer and spring were "much above normal." The autumn and winter were between "near normal" and "above normal." In total, the year was "much above normal."
Figure 1. Seasonal and annual temperature rankings for counties surrounding the park. An arrow at the top of the figure would represent the warmest year/season on record (since 1895); at the bottom, the coldest year/season on record.
Month/Year Average temperature (°F) Departure from
long-term average (°F)
January 24.6 -0.6
February 30.0 +3.5
March 33.8 -1.7
April 49.6 +3.0
May 60.7 +3.2
June 65.1 -0.4
July 71.6 +2.0
August 68.4 +0.5
September 64.2 +2.9
October 52.5 +2.2
November 36.1 -3.1
December 31.8 +2.6
2019 49.0 +1.2

Table 1. Monthly and annual average temperature and departure from long-term averages. Departures from average show how different 2019 was compared to relevant averages from 1895-2018.

Precipitation

In total, 2019 was the 22nd wettest year since 1895 (Figure 2). Most seasons had above-normal precipitation. By the end of the year, the area received 46.8 inches of precipitation — 5.0 inches more than the long-term average (Table 2).

Figure 2. Average precipitation ranking for Blair and Cambria counties, PA. The figure shows that the spring had total precipitation that was "much above normal." Winter, autumn, and summer were "above normal" or "near normal."
Figure 2. Seasonal and annual precipitation rankings for counties surrounding the park. An arrow at the top of the figure would represent the wettest year/season on record (since 1895); at the bottom, the driest year/season on record.
Month/Year Total precipitation (in.) Departure from
long-term average (in.)
January 3.7 +0.7
February 4.6 +2.0
March 2.0 -1.6
April 4.0 +0.4
May 7.4 +3.3
June 4.3 0.0
July 4.1 -0.1
August 4.6 +0.9
September 2.2 +1.3
October 4.4 +1.3
November 1.6 -1.5
December 3.9 +0.9
2019 46.8 +5.0
Table 2. Monthly and annual total precipitation and departure from long-term averages. Departures from average show how different 2019 was compared to relevant averages from 1895-2018.

Temperature and Precipitation Trends
(1895-2019)


Data from 1895–2019 for Blair and Cambria counties, Pennsylvania show increasing trends in annual average temperature (+0.09 °F per decade) and annual total precipitation (+0.47 inches per decade; Figure 3).
Figure 3. Line graph of annual average temperature (°F) and annual total precipitation (in.) for Blair and Cambria counties, PA from 1895–2018 showing increasing trends for both parameters.
Figure 3. Annual average temperature (°F) and annual total precipitation (in.) for counties surrounding the park from 1895–2019. Dashed lines represent linear trends.

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. Click here 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.

For more information, contact Mid-Atlantic Network Biologist, Jeb Wofford or Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network Program Manager, Matt Marshall.

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Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site

Last updated: February 9, 2021