- The 2024 Farmers Almanac predicts a coming winter with more snow and cold temperatures.
- Even before the official start of winter, snowstorms could hit New England, the north-central states, and parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
After last winter's unusual weather, next winter should be more traditional with cold temperatures, snow and wet conditions, according to the Farmers' Almanac.
In its 207th edition, out now, the Farmers' Almanac forecasts a “brrr return” with “more snow and lower temperatures nationwide,” editor Pete Geiger wrote in a statement accompanying the expanded forecast.
“After a strange and warm winter last year, this winter should please cold weather lovers, especially those living in the Great Lakes, Midwest and northern New England regions,” he said.
Early winter blizzards will begin in December, according to the calendar forecast, with northern New England, the north-central states, and northern and central areas of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Arkansas likely to experience blizzard conditions.
Hurricane Hillary:Potential flood risks in Zion, Joshua Tree, and Death Valley National Parks
Did the Farmers' Almanac get its winter predictions right last year?
Not exactly, although we could cut the port a bit due to the severe weather across the country. Last year, the calendar predicted a cold, snowy winter in the east and dry conditions in the west.
But California had nine atmospheric rivers. Tornadoes were seen in Illinois and Iowa in January, while the Northeast recorded record warm temperatures during that month. Despite a mild February forecast for the East, New Hampshire's Mount Washington recorded the coldest wind chill ever seen in the country.
The end of La Niña, a weather phenomenon that leads to increased cold and snow in the Northwest and dry conditions in the South, “is one reason we believe last year's winter was warmer than usual,” Almanac managing editor Sandy Duncan wrote in his article. a permit.
The almanac had been forecasting a third La Niña winter, but “by February, the situation had virtually collapsed. The West became wet, and the contiguous United States ended up having the 17th warmest winter on record,” the Farmers' Almanac said.
The Farmers' Almanac, which originated in 1818, says its longtime fans claim the publication's weather forecasts are accurate about 80-85% of the time. It uses a “top-secret mathematical and astronomical formula, taking into account sunspot activity, tidal motion, the planet's position, and many other factors,” the calendar says.
For the winter of 2023-2024, the calendar takes into account the strength of El Niño, which should bring more moisture and storms to the southern United States, its editors said.
El Niño is back, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):Will this help fuel Earth's hottest year on record?
Graphical explanation of the El Niño phenomenon:It is possible that he will return in 2023; What does this mean for the world's weather?
Should you trust the Farmers Almanac? Good …
Weather forecasters annually brace for media requests about the accuracy of calendars, including the Old Farmer's Almanac, which was founded in 1792 and plans to release its winter forecast on Aug. 29.
“They get attention and get people talking about it,” Ross Schumacher, a professor and climate scientist at Colorado State University, told The Coloradoan last year. “But often, what they do is use general statements that are true more often than not in any given year.”
“What does 'glaciers and snow' mean for our region? Do we get a few days of really cold weather and some snow? This happens almost every winter.”
A 2010 study by the University of Illinois, cited by Popular Mechanics in an October 2022 article, found that The Old Farmer's Almanac is only about 52% accurate over the years, “essentially random chance,” the news site wrote.
This doesn't make the Farmers' Almanac any less interesting. Here's a closer look at the regional winter forecast.
Farmers' Almanac Forecast for the Northeast and New England
- Forecast for Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, D.C.: Those living along the East Coast “who saw a lack of winter precipitation last winter … should experience just the opposite, with heavy rain, sleet and blizzards,” according to the calendar forecast. She predicted the second week in January would be “windy, snowy and wet for both the Pacific Coast and eastern states.” Then, during the second week of February, “an East Coast storm affecting the Northeastern and New England states will bring snow, cold rain and then frigid temperatures.” In the first week of March, the Almanac predicts that “another East Coast storm will bring wintry chaos to this region.” Come spring, during the third week of April, “possible late-season snowfall” is expected “over the higher terrain of New England.”
The Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and Midwest
- Forecasts for Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin: January and February are expected to see below-average temperatures and plenty of “blizzards, sleet, ice (and) rain” around the Great Lakes region and Midwest, according to the calendar forecast.
southeast
- Forecasts for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia: Florida and the rest of the Southeast will see “a wetter-than-normal winter, with generally average winter temperatures, but a little frost may send a lot of shivers down snowbirds trying to avoid the cold and snow back home,” the almanac predicts. In mid-February, the Southeast will experience “unseasonably cold temperatures,” and during the first week of March, “another East Coast storm will bring wintry chaos to this region.”
North Central
- Weather forecast for Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming: This winter, the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains can expect “lots of cold temperatures and occasional bouts of storms, resulting in widespread rain and snow,” according to the calendar forecast. The study predicts that during the first week of March, “potential snow storms will remind people in the north-central states that winter is not over yet.”
South Central
- Forecast for Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas: The calendar predicts that the south-central states will see “lots of cold temperatures and some storms” during mid-January. Texas can expect “unseasonably cold weather” during January and February, “with a major winter storm possible in mid-January.”
North West
- Forecast for Idaho, Oregon and Washington: An “unusually snowy and wet winter” is expected in the region, according to the calendar. Heavy mountain snow is expected in the first week of February in the west, including mountains on the Pacific coast.
Southwest
- Forecasts for Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah: El Niño could bring “heavy amounts of rain and snow across the Southwest,” according to the calendar forecast. The Pacific Coast is expected to see a “windy, snowy and rainy” second week of January, followed in the first week of February by “heavy mountain snow” that will cover the western United States, according to the forecast.
Follow Mike Snyder on X and Threads: @mikesnider &com.micegsnider.
What is everyone talking about? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest news today
