Based on weather observations in Bartow, 2014 was one of the driest years in recorded history for Pocahontas County. The annual average precipitation at Bartow is 42.87 inches. With just 32.83 inches of precipitation, last year was the second-driest in at least 23 years for the county. National Weather Service Observer Jason Bauserman has determined that the tri-county area of Pocahontas, Highland and Bath counties receives less rainfall than areas further west. The NWS chart of West Virginia Climate Region 4, which includes most of Eastern West Virginia, minus the Eastern Panhandle, bears out this conclusion. Region 4 receives an average of 49.41 inches of rain annually, 6.54 inches more than Bartow.National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Jason Bauserman checks the rain gauge in Bartow.
