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2019 Weather In Review: Bluestone National Scenic River

A bend in the Bluestone River as it curves into the distance through some trees.
Bluestone River (NPS / Dave Bieri)

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 Bluestone National Scenic River.

In all, 2019 was very warm and wet with temperatures and precipitation both well above normal. The year ended as the 6th warmest and 35th wettest since 1895. Weather data collected from surrounding areas from 1895–2019 show an increasing trend in annual average temperature (+0.03 °F per decade) and a declining trend in annual total precipitation (-0.13 inches per decade).

Information in this brief represents county-scale weather data averaged from all of the counties surrounding the park. These counties include Mercer and Summers counties, West Virginia. 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 6th warmest year at the park since 1895. In particular, summer and spring were much warmer than normal (Figure 1). Nine months had higher than average temperatures, with February, May, September, and December all being more than 4 °F above normal (Table 1).

Figure 1. Average temperature rankings for Mercer and Summers counties, WV. Figure shows that the spring and summer were "much above normal" and that autumn and winter were "near normal." In total, the year was "much above normal" in terms of temperature.
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 32.4 +0.5
February 40.5 +6.6
March 40.4 -1.8
April 54.6 +3.0
May 65.2 +4.6
June 66.1 -1.7
July 72.7 +1.5
August 70.2 +0.2
September 69.8 +5.5
October 57.4 +3.8
November 39.4 -3.4
December 39.2 +5.0
2019 54.0 +2.0

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 wetter than normal with a total of 44.2 inches of precipitation — 3.3 inches more than the long-term average (Table 2). In contrast to other seasons, the summer was extremely dry (Figure 2). When compared to the historical record, it was the 35th wettest year since 1895 (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Average precipitation ranking for Mercer and Summers counties, WV. The figure shows that the autumn, winter, and spring had total precipitation that was between "above normal" and "much above normal." The summer was "much below 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 3.2 0.0
February 7.0 +4.0
March 2.4 -1.4
April 4.1 +0.7
May 5.2 +1.3
June 4.1 +0.2
July 4.0 -0.4
August 2.7 -1.1
September 0.4 +2.6
October 5.4 +2.7
November 2.3 -0.4
December 3.4 +0.3
2019 44.2 +3.3
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 Mercer and Summers counties, West Virginia show an increasing trend in annual average temperature (+0.03 °F per decade) and a declining trend in annual total precipitation (-0.13 inches per decade).
Figure Figure 3. Line graph of annual average temperature (°F) and annual total precipitation (in.) for Mercer and Summers counties, WV shows an increasing trend in temperature and a decreasing trend in precipitation.
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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Bluestone National Scenic River

Last updated: March 2, 2020