In 2022 the counties around the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River had their 18th warmest year since records began in 1895. Nine months were warmer than normal, and August ran 4.8°F above its long-term average. Precipitation, by contrast, was close to normal — though April was drenched and July and August dry.
Credit: National Park Service.
Weather vs. climate
The National Park Service's Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network tracks weather and climate as a "vital sign" of park health. Weather is what's happening now, over minutes to months; climate is what we expect based on patterns of 30 years or more — climate is the hot summer you expect, weather the warm rainy day you get. These figures average NOAA county data for Pike and Wayne counties in Pennsylvania and Delaware, Orange and Sullivan counties in New York, compared with 1895–2021 averages.
Temperature: 18th warmest
| Average (°F) | Departure from normal (°F) | |
|---|---|---|
| January | 19.4 | −3.0 |
| February | 26.5 | +3.0 |
| March | 35.7 | +3.0 |
| April | 44.7 | +0.2 |
| May | 58.7 | +3.3 |
| June | 63.2 | −0.7 |
| July | 70.8 | +2.3 |
| August | 71.3 | +4.8 |
| September | 61.1 | +1.5 |
| October | 48.9 | 0.0 |
| November | 40.9 | +3.2 |
| December | 29.0 | +2.2 |
| Year | 47.5 | +1.6 |
February, March, May, August and November were each at least 3°F above average; most seasons were well above normal.
Precipitation: 49th wettest
In all, 46.36 inches fell, 1.71 inches above average, making 2022 the 49th wettest year on record. Spring was very wet.
| Total (in.) | Departure (in.) | |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1.95 | −1.11 |
| February | 3.86 | +1.03 |
| March | 2.80 | −0.63 |
| April | 6.86 | +3.12 |
| May | 3.90 | −0.10 |
| June | 4.56 | +0.33 |
| July | 2.03 | −2.34 |
| August | 2.70 | −1.57 |
| September | 6.22 | +2.22 |
| October | 4.38 | +0.61 |
| November | 3.10 | −0.43 |
| December | 4.01 | +0.57 |
| Year | 46.36 | +1.71 |
The long view
Since 1895, the area's average annual temperature has risen about 0.2°F per decade and annual precipitation about 0.47 inches per decade. Park Service models project that by 2100 average annual temperature at the park will rise another 3.2–9.5°F, from the best case to the worst, and annual precipitation 7–14%. Rapid climate change is already altering wildlife migrations, disrupting habitat and bringing more destructive storms that threaten cultural resources and park facilities.
Sources
Based on "2022 Weather in Review: Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River," National Park Service Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network; a work of the United States government in the public domain. Data from NOAA's Climate at a Glance program and NClimDiv dataset; projections from Gonzalez et al. (2018).
In these publicationsUpper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.nps.gov
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