Farmers' Almanac Releases Its Winter Outlook.
“Depending on where you live and how much cold and snow you like, we have bad news and we have good news. . . .”– Editor Peter Geiger, Philom.
According to the Farmers’ Almanac, the winter of 2015–2016 is looking like a repeat of last winter, at least in terms of temperatures with unseasonably cold conditions over the Atlantic Seaboard, eastern portions of the Great Lakes, and the lower peninsula of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, most of the Tennessee and Mississippi Valley, as well as much of the Gulf Coast.
New Englanders will once again experience a very frigid (shivery) winter (Déjà vu).
Much of the central United States will see near-normal winter temperatures. This includes the western and central Great Lakes, the upper peninsula of Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and most of the Great Plains.
In these areas, Ms. Nature will mix intervals of unseasonably mild temperatures with occasional shots of bitter cold; average it out and it comes out–average!
Texas and the other South Central States will see a cool to cold winter, but nothing too extreme.
Farther west, over the Rockies, the Colorado Plateau, Pacific Northwest, and the Southwest States, milder than normal temperatures are expected.
“It’s like Winter Déjà vu,” states Geiger, adding “last year our bitterly cold, shivery forecasts came true in many states including the 23 eastern states that experienced one of their top-ten coldest Februarys on record. This year many of these same states may want to get a jump start now and stock up on lots of winter survival gear: sweaters, long johns, and plenty of firewood.”
Precipitation-wise, if you like snow, then you should head out to the northern and central Great Plains (most of the North Central States), the Great Lakes, New England (sorry Boston!), and parts of the Ohio Valley where snowier-than-normal conditions are forecast.
Over the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States, the winter will be stormy with a good amount of snow. We are “red-flagging” the second week of January and the second week of February for possible heavy winter weather with a long, drawn out spell of stormy weather extending through much of the first half of March. So sharpen those skis and boards, because the eastern slopes look like the ideal places to carve some turns.
An active storm track will bring above-normal precipitation to the Southeast States, as well as the Mississippi Valley, Southern Great Plains, the Gulf Coast, and along the Atlantic Seaboard.
Another area of above-normal precipitation (thanks to incoming storms from the Pacific) will cover much of the Pacific Northwest.
Near-to-below normal winter precipitation will cover the rest of the country, which includes much of the drought-stricken areas in the Southwest. (See our map for more detail as well as our monthly regional forecasts starting on page 125.)
“If you think this winter forecast is bad” states Sandi Duncan, Philom., Managing Editor, “be sure to read our article on The Year Without a Summer (1816). Fortunately for all of us our summer forecast for 2016 is much better than the summer that caught many off guard 200 years ago.”
In addition to the weather, the 199th edition of the Farmers’ Almanac contains many entertaining and informative articles ranging from intriguing, quirky and unique, to historical and informative. Did you know that drinking tea can improve your memory? Or that a cucumber is really a fruit?
This year’s new edition of the Farmers’ Almanac is packed with valuable advice on ways to live a more natural and healthier lifestyle. It shares a look at five historical droughts (including one current one), unusual muffin recipes, a new recipe contest, best days in 2016 to buy a house, quit smoking or wean your toddler, life hacks, natural ways to combat garden pests, weird places you’ve got to see to believe, plus annual favorites such as gardening, Moon, fishing, and eclipse calendars.
“The Farmers’ Almanac is a slice of everyday life topped with the 'hacks' you need to do things better and more easily, plus wit and wisdom, including a very timely Thought of the Year: ‘All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.’”– Managing Editor Sandi Duncan, Philom.
