The Park Service's Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network tracks ecosystem "vital signs" — including weather and climate — in national parks in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. This summary covers 2022 at Bluestone National Scenic River, using county-level data for Mercer and Summers counties, West Virginia, from NOAA's Climate at a Glance program, with records back to 1895.
Weather is what the atmosphere is doing over minutes to months; climate is what to expect from patterns over 30 years or more — climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.
Enjoying the Bluestone River. NPS photo/Eve West.
2022 at a glance
| 2022 | Compared with 1895–2021 | Rank since 1895 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature | 52.3°F | +0.2°F — near normal | 50th warmest |
| Total precipitation | 46.41 in | +5.32 in — much wetter | 23rd wettest |
Temperature
Every season was close to normal. Seven months were warmer than average, but January and October were very cold.
| Month | Average (°F) | Departure (°F) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 28.2 | −3.7 |
| February | 37.0 | +3.0 |
| March | 45.5 | +3.4 |
| April | 51.5 | −0.1 |
| May | 62.2 | +1.6 |
| June | 67.6 | −0.1 |
| July | 72.3 | +1.1 |
| August | 71.2 | +1.1 |
| September | 63.2 | −1.0 |
| October | 49.8 | −3.8 |
| November | 44.8 | +2.0 |
| December | 34.4 | +0.1 |
Seasonal and annual temperature rankings for the park's counties; an arrow at the top would mark the warmest on record. NPS.
Precipitation
| Month | Total (in) | Departure (in) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 4.83 | +1.61 |
| February | 3.66 | +0.60 |
| March | 2.16 | −1.67 |
| April | 2.46 | −0.98 |
| May | 5.71 | +1.76 |
| June | 3.09 | −0.85 |
| July | 6.29 | +1.87 |
| August | 4.80 | +1.04 |
| September | 2.96 | −0.04 |
| October | 3.66 | +0.90 |
| November | 3.99 | +1.36 |
| December | 2.79 | −0.30 |
Seasonal and annual precipitation rankings for the park's counties; an arrow at the top would mark the wettest on record. NPS.
Long-term trends and the future
Since 1895, the park's counties have seen annual average temperature rise about 0.04°F per decade and annual precipitation fall about 0.06 inches per decade.
Annual average temperature and total precipitation, 1895–2022; dashed lines show linear trends. NPS.
Park Service scientists project that by 2100, the park's annual average temperature will rise 2.9–8.6°F, from best- to worst-case scenarios, and annual precipitation will increase 6%–11% (Gonzalez and others, 2018). Rapid climate change is already challenging parks — altering wildlife migrations, threatening cultural resources and facilities with more destructive storms, and disrupting habitat.
Sources
Based on "2022 Weather in Review: Bluestone National Scenic River," Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network, National Park Service, using NOAA NClimDiv data; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
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