Virginia has a four-season climate with occasional snow in winter, and warm, humid summers.
NPS Photo
The park's proximity to the Chesapeake Bay and the Blue Ridge Mountains greatly impacts the climate of the area.
Mean annual temperature is about 55 degrees (F) and ranges from 42 to 65.
The coldest period, when minimum temperatures average 21 degrees, occurs in late January. Snowfall is nearly 24 inches on average, but varies greatly from season to season. Snowfalls of four inches or more occur only twice each winter on average. Late July is the warmest period, when mean maximum temperature may reach 88 degrees.
Annual precipitation ranges from 25-55 inches. Rainfalls of over 10 inches in a 24-hour period have been recorded during the passage of tropical storms. Prevailing winds are from the south except during winter, when they are from the northwest. The highest average wind speed is in March.
While today's temperature and precipitation is weather, the weather over a long span of time is the climate of the region. Scientists track how the climate is changing over time and its effects in the park. For example, we know that average temperatures and sea levels have been rising for many years. In Manassas, scientists have studied the park's waterways and tracked metrics including pH and oxygen levels. Large scale changes have impacts as well as more local changes. Urbanization around the park has many effects, and has measurably impacted sensitive species including fish.
Locations:Antietam National Battlefield,Catoctin Mountain Park,Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park,George Washington Memorial Parkway,Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park,Monocacy National Battlefield,National Capital Parks-East,Prince William Forest Park,Rock Creek Parkmore »
Knowing which natural resources are found in the national parks, and whether they're stable or changing, helps decisionmakers make sound choices. The National Capital Region Network is building that knowledge. After over fifteen years of monitoring, we've learned a lot about park ecosystems, how they're changing, and what they may look like in the days to come. Find out what we’ve learned and how it’s being used to help managers plan for the future.
Locations:Antietam National Battlefield,Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park,George Washington Memorial Parkway,Harpers Ferry National Historical Park,Manassas National Battlefield Park, National Capital Parks-East,Prince William Forest Park,Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Artsmore »
Offices:Urban Ecology Research Learning Alliance
Climate change is an issue of global concern. Urban trees can help mitigate climate change by storing carbon in tree tissue and sequestering atmospheric carbon from the key greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO2).
