The Barrens: Central Pennsylvania's Year-Round Deep Freeze

Abstract

The Centre County Barrens is a region of anomalous temperature regimes in central Pennsylvania, which, under the proper weather conditions, can produce a month of subzero (°F less than ?18°C) minimum temperatures per year and frost in midsummer. The results of a 12-month study of this frost pocket are presented. A standard National Weather Service instrument shelter with an extension beneath it was used to house a hygrothermograph and five maximum-minimum thermometers to acquire continuous temperature and relative humidity data and also to determine the maximum-minimum temperature gradient (envelope) of the lowest 1.5 m (5 ft). The data were then compared to those recorded at The Pennsylvania State University weather observatory. The temperature data were analyzed to compute monthly and yearly means. Diurnal and seasonal temperature cycles were examined to establish the similarities and differences between these two locations.