PENNSYLVANIA — The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting a cold and snowy winter for the region.
On Monday, the Farmers’ Almanac released its prediction for winter 2018.
“Our winter outlook is a tradition that, for two centuries, has been celebrated with cheers and jeers, depending on what type of winter activity you enjoy,” editor Peter Geiger, said. “Many people are hoping they’ll need their shovels, but others are content to wear their shorts all year-long.”
The Farmers’ Almanac, which bases its long-range forecast on a specific and reliable set of rules that were developed in 1818 by astronomer and mathematician David Young, offers 16 months of weather predictions in each edition, but the winter outlook is the one that readers think of first and foremost.
According to the Farmers’ Almanac’s 200-year-old formula, this winter is expected to be a bit more normal as far as the temperatures are concerned, especially in the eastern and central parts of the country — chiefly those areas to the east of the Rocky Mountains — with many locations experiencing above-normal precipitation.
This means that Pennsylvania will experience above-normal precipitation and the region will have a cold and snowy winter.
Of particular note, the Almanac is “red-flagging the dates of January 20-23, February 4-7 and 16-19, and March 1-3 and 20-23, 2018, along the Atlantic Seaboard for some heavy winter precipitation.”
This is good news for skiers and snow enthusiasts, but not so good news for those looking to wear their shorts all year-long.
“Being in the business of predicting long-range weather forecasts is exciting, worrisome and rewarding,” managing editor Sandi Duncan said. “Many of our readers rejoice when we predict cold and snowy conditions while others complain that it’s too cold and wet. Yet, we have to stick by our predictions no matter what Mother Nature may throw at us. We do believe that we provide an invaluable, long-range outlook that helps people plan ahead.”
Testing the Farmers’ Almanac’s Formula
The 2018 Farmers’ Almanac makes note of the fact that last year’s winter weather threw a slight curve ball into its overall winter weather outlook; however, its predictions for “stormy and wet” were spot on, especially for readers in California. However, both its editors and elusive weather prognosticator, Caleb Weatherbee, like to remind readers that predicting the weather, especially two years in advance, is an “inexact science” and “even other sources that predict tomorrow’s weather aren’t always 100 percent accurate.”
“The weather truly is something that remains mysterious in this day and age of high-tech, instant news,” shares Duncan, “reminding us that nature is even more in control than any of us.”
This year’s edition of the Almanac goes on to state “while last-minute weather conditions sometimes come into play and throw an unexpected warm front into our long-range weather outlook, our predictions over time have been 80-85% accurate and continue to be a valuable planning tool for the year ahead.”
