If you didn’t like the weather last winter, then you’re not going to like the long-range forecast from the Farmer’s Almanac.
The same publication that correctly predicted a hard winter last year is doing so again, which means if you don’t have backup power and emergency supplies, now’s the time to begin preparing.
“For winter 2015 the prediction is ‘bitter and snowy’ which I think is about the worst prediction of any section of the country,” contributor Bob Farmer of the publication told Radio Iowa, referencing the Midwest.
The Plains and the western section of the Midwest states have been given “frigid and flaky” and “bitter and snowy” forecasts, respectively, while the eastern part of the Midwest states have been predicted to have “stinging and normal snowfall.” And the northeast? “Wintery, white and wet.”
“A large zone of very cold temperatures will be found from east of the Continental Divide east to the Appalachians,” the Almanac prediction said. “The most frigid temperatures will be found from the Northern Plains into the Great Lakes.
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“The coldest outbreak of the season will come during the final week of January into the beginning of February, when frigid arctic air drops temperatures across the Northern Plains to perhaps 40 below zero. As the frigid air blows across the Great Lakes, snow showers and squalls will drop heavy amounts of snow to the lee of the Lakes.”
No area of the country will see “prolonged spells of above-normal temperatures.” Only the West and East coasts will see “temperatures average close to normal.”
And if you are making plans for early January or early February, you may want to reconsider.
“We are ‘red flagging’ the first 10 days of January and the first week of February along the Atlantic Seaboard for active wintry weather featuring bouts of heavy precipitation and strong winds,” the Almanac said. “Another red flag timeframe for widespread wintry conditions is the middle part of March from the nation’s midsection to the East Coast.”
The forecast concluded: “All of us at the Farmers’ Almanac suggest you stock up on firewood, sweaters, and hot cocoa. It certainly looks like another long winter of shivery and shovelry is on tap.”
The Almanac was spot-on for its forecast last year, predicting that “with a combination of below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation the stage will be set for the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Central and Northern New England to receive lots of snow.” Those regions received one of the harshest winters in recent decades.
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