Winter Weather 2018: Farmer's Almanac Predicts Conditions Across US

Every year the Farmer’s Almanac releases predictions for the type of weather the coming year will bring to the United States and the winter results are out. Depending on where you’ll be spending most of your winter the results might be good, or not so good.

For those in the Northeast, the 2018 winter outlook says a cold snowy winter is in store, one that involves more precipitation than usual. This is good news for snow enthusiasts, skiers and snowboarders but less so for those who prefer a mild winter. Other parts of the country won’t have it so bad though. The Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Midwest can expect a cold winter accompanied by average snowfall. While the southeast can expect the winter to be chilly and wet with a little more snow in the northern part of the region.

In the north central part of the U.S. the Almanac has forecasted a cold winter with moderate snowfall but forecast that the winter will not be as harsh as usual. The south central region can expect a “mild, soggy” winter with the western part of the region seeing “wild temperature and precipitation swings.”

Off along the western part of the country the conditions will be quite different. In the north west part of the U.S. conditions will be brisk and drier than normal, which won’t help create conditions less conducive to the fierce wildfires burning in those states. Just south of there, the winter is expected to be mild with average amounts of precipitation.

Additionally, along the Atlantic Seaboard the Almanac is predicting heavy precipitation events through January, February and March. This could mean heavy snowstorms if the temperature is right.

The predictions are based on factors that are part of a “ specific and reliable set of rules,” like solar activity, the tidal action of the moon, where the planets are in their orbit . Those rules were developed almost 200 years ago by the first editor of the Farmer’s Almanac, David Young.

No satellite data or computer programs are used to predict the weather for the year. Only the editor of the almanac knows the exact formula used to determine the forecasts. However the Almanac’s site says, “...the Farmers’ Almanac editors like to remind everyone that this formula has been time-tested, challenged, and approved for nearly two centuries. The Farmers’ Almanac is the oldest source of consecutively published weather forecasts, even longer than the National Weather Service.”

Additionally, keep in mind that the Farmer’s Almanac and the Old Farmer’s Almanac are two different publications. The Old Farmer’s Almanac does actually incorporate modern technology like satellite data into its forecasting. The two have difference accuracy rates and predict for different regions within the U.S.