As Kansas prepares for the end of winter, many are looking forward to warmer, milder weather.
However, if farmers' forecasts hold true, Kansas residents should prepare for colder temperatures, as well as thunder and blizzards, this spring.
The Almanac, which has been forecasting the weather (with varying accuracy) since 1818, recently released its expanded weather forecast for the coming spring, titled “Spring of the Polar Ship.”
Here's what the Farmers' Almanac has predicted for spring and how it could affect Kansas residents.
What Farmers' Almanac predicts the upcoming spring weather forecast for Kansas?
“Ski lovers rejoice,” writes the calendar. “We are heading into an ‘Arctic Spring.’ The Farmers’ Almanac’s long-range weather forecast calls for cool temperatures for several days.
The 200-year-old mathematical and astronomical formula for the calendar indicates that the Great Plains will see lots of cold temperatures and “occasional bouts of storms,” bringing widespread rain and snow.
The calendar writes that March will bring extreme swings in the thermometer, so Kansas residents should expect March to go out like a lion, with “cold and windy” conditions forecast similar to the majority of the U.S. in the spring.
Over the Easter weekend — Thursday, March 28 to Sunday, March 31 — Kansas and the North Central U.S. region are expected to expect mixed clouds… at least according to the calendar, as well as the possibility of snow in April.
The calendar predicts cold temperatures and storms will continue into May.
Kansas should expect cool, dry weather.
How accurate are farmers' forecasts?
The Farmers' Almanac has issued an expanded weather forecast every year since 1818, using the same forecast format. The calendar states that its readers find its predictions accurate 80% to 85% of the time. However, the Columbus Dispatch found that most analyzes of calendar forecasts indicated an accuracy rate of up to 50%. If so, it's best to flip a coin.
Last year, the Almanac predicted a “cold and windy” winter for Midwestern states in its extended winter weather outlook for the winter of 2023-2024.
Topeka saw 3.1 inches of snow in early January. Snowfall totals were 5.1 inches in McLouth, 5 inches in Ottawa, 4.5 inches in Abilene and 4 inches in Lawrence, said Matt Wolters, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Topeka office.
The snow, followed by high winds, caused Evergy Electric to catch up with the number of power outages it was seeing in northeastern Kansas. More than 2,100 homes and businesses in the Topeka area were affected, and more than 22,000 people were affected in the greater Kansas City area, Evergy said in its online power outage map.
So, while we don't know what March will look like yet, it's safe to say that the calendar's extended winter forecast has been relatively accurate so far.
Where can I find the Farmers' Almanac spring weather forecast?
The Farmers' Almanac's expanded “Polar Coaster Spring” weather forecast for spring 2024 can be found online.
more:That's where last month ranked on the list of Topeka's warmest Februarys on record
Contributing: Claire Reed
