For more than 2 centuries, the Old Farmers’ Almanac has given North American residents a glimpse at the season ahead with its annual weather predictions.
So what’s in store for the weeks and months ahead? Prepare for a season of shivers, the Almanac predicts.
“This winter will be punctuated by positively bone-chilling, below-average temperatures across the United States,” editors summarized in a release, which notes an 80 percent accuracy rate over the 230 years of predictions.
For those who enjoy the cold, or thrive on winter sports, this is good news. For those who long for sunshine and the days of summer, prepare to hunker down for a long haul in the coming months.
“This coming winter could well be one of the longest and coldest we’ve seen in years,” editor Janice Stillman said.
Whether that means snow, sleet, or rain depends on the location, but the prediction doesn’t appear to spare any part of the country.
Lots of snow is in the forecast for areas of New England, throughout the Ohio Valley, in portions of the Deep South, and even in southeast New Mexico.
While temperatures won’t be as extreme, above-average snow is also predicted in the Dakotas, eastern Montana, and down into Colorado.
“Snowfall will be abundant, with several storms predicted throughout the winter,” the Almanac predicts.
And while snow and rain will be low in other parts of the country, temperatures will be colder than normal, with the exception of the Pacific Coast and the Southwest.
Canadians will also be in for a long, cold winter.
“This coming winter won’t be remarkable in terms of temperature, but for our Canadian friends who will end up just wanting to dry out, it will be a long season indeed,” Stillman said.
How wet and snowy it will get will depend on location, but no part of Canada looks to be spared.
The folks at the Old Farmers’ Almanac have been predicting the weather for 230 years, putting out the first edition when George Washington was president. The methods they use are kept secret, although solar patterns, historical weather conditions, tides, and current solar activity play a role in the forecasts.
A heavy snow season could be beneficial to areas of the country suffering through drought conditions due to several years of below-average rainfall and snowfall and warmer conditions.
According to the forecasts, January is the month to be most concerned about. Although it will start out mild, the middle to later part of the month is when things should happen, especially along the Atlantic Seaboard.
“The Great Lakes, Midwest, and Ohio Valley will have more than their fair share of cold and flaky weather in January,” the Almanac predicts. “The Northern Plains and Rockies will also experience old man winter’s wrath with stormy weather culminating to a possible blizzard later this month.”
February will be more normal for most of the country, but March will come in like a lion.
“From start to finish, the month will be full of stretches of uneventful weather, but when it turns stormy, the precipitation will come in big doses,” the forecast says for March. That includes a nor’easter toward the end of the month.
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