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2019 Weather In Review: New River Gorge National River

A view of fall foliage and the New River from a high overlook.

Photo by Dave Smith (CC by 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 New River Gorge National River.

In all, 2019 was extremely warm but had close to normal precipitation. The year ended as the 2nd warmest and 42nd wettest since 1895. Weather data collected from surrounding areas from 1895–2019 show increasing trends in annual average temperature (+0.03 °F per decade) and annual total precipitation (+0.01 inches per decade).

Information in this brief represents county-scale weather data averaged from all of the counties surrounding the national river. These include Fayette, Raleigh, 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 2nd warmest year at the recreation area since 1895, with all seasons being warmer than average (Figure 1). Nine months had higher than normal temperatures, with February, September, and December all being more than 5 °F above normal (Table 1).

Figure 1. Average temperature rankings for Fayette, Raleigh, and Summers counties, WV. The figure shows that the summer and spring were "much above normal," and autumn and winter were "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 | 32.2 | +0.7 |
| February | 40.4 | +6.8 |
| March | 40.6 | -1.4 |
| April | 55.5 | +3.5 |
| May | 65.5 | +4.8 |
| June | 66.7 | -1.1 |
| July | 73.4 | +2.1 |
| August | 71.0 | +0.8 |
| September | 70.6 | +6.1 |
| October | 57.9 | +4.2 |
| November | 39.5 | -3.4 |
| December | 39.4 | +5.4 |
| 2019 | 54.4 | +2.4 |

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 42nd wettest year at the park since 1895, and most seasons were wetter than normal (Figure 2). In contrast, the summer was extremely dry. By the end of the year, the area received 46.5 inches of precipitation, which is 2.5 inches more than the long-term average (Table 2).

Figure 2. Average precipitation ranking for Fayette, Raleigh, and Summers counties, WV. The figure shows that the autumn and winter were "above normal," spring was "near normal," and 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 | 3.7 | +0.2 |
| February | 6.8 | +3.7 |
| March | 2.7 | -1.4 |
| April | 3.6 | 0.0 |
| May | 5.6 | +1.4 |
| June | 4.1 | -0.2 |
| July | 4.3 | -0.6 |
| August | 2.9 | -1.1 |
| September | 0.3 | -2.9 |
| October | 5.6 | +2.8 |
| November | 2.6 | -0.3 |
| December | 4.3 | +0.9 |
| 2019 | 46.5 | +2.5 |

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 Fayette, Raleigh, and Summers counties, WV show increasing trends in annual average temperature (+0.03 °F per decade) and annual total precipitation (+0.01 inches per decade; Figure 3).

Figure 3. Line graph of annual average temperature (°F) and annual total precipitation (in.) for Fayette, Raleigh, and Summers counties, WV from 1895–2019 shows increasing trends in 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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