Five hundred swimmers took a dip in the Delaware during the 2018 Lehigh Valley Polar Plunge on Feb. 17. Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com By Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com OK, look. It's way too soon to start talking about winter. We know that. It's a bazillion degrees outside and it's not even Labor Day. Winter doesn't start until Dec. 21, which is still 112 days away — there's more than a quarter of the year still to go. But The Old Farmer's Almanac and Farmers' Almanac have made predictions for the 2018-19 winter, and you wouldn't be here if you weren't interested. Turns out, they have very different ideas of what’s in store. Don't Edit Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com About the almanacs The Old Farmer’s Almanac is, as its name suggests, the older of the two, having been founded in 1792. The Farmers’ Almanac was started in 1818. Both books say they predict the weather with secret formulas devised by their founders and refined over the years. Don't Edit Snow, rain and wind didn't stop hungry birds from feeding last March in Bethlehem. Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com Old Farmers' Almanac forecast: Warm and wet winter The Old Farmers’ Almanac calls for above-average temperatures and precipitation almost everywhere across the country, though that will mostly be rain. Most areas that get snow will see below-average accumulations. For the region including the Lehigh Valley, the snowiest times will be in mid-December, early January and early February. Don't Edit Micah Marushak, a bellman at Hotel Bethlehem, stands outside the hotel as January snow falls. Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com Farmers' Almanac forecast: Chilly and snowy Next winter is going to be a cold one, the Farmers’ Almanac predicts. The worst of it is expected in mid-February when the almanac predicts a sharp drop in temperature with blustery wind and widespread snow. Much of the country should see above-average snow, though our region will be on the border between snow and rain, resulting in more of a mix throughout the season. Don't Edit A car drives down a snow-dusted Conestoga Street in Bethlehem's Colonial Industrial Quarter last January. Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com What is considered a normal winter? During the meteorological winter from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28, the Lehigh Valley will normally average 32.4 degrees, according to National Weather Service data. Meteorological winter is a grouping of similar months, as opposed to astronomical winter, which runs from the winter solstice in late December to the spring equinox in March. The Lehigh Valley will also get 30.1 inches of snow in an average winter. Don't Edit Don't Edit MORE: Behold snow rollers, a rare weather wonder spotted in the Lehigh Valley Don't Edit A snowplow heads west on Route 22 through the Lehigh Valley during a March snow. Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com Last winter's forecasts Last October, we listed some official seasonal forecasts for the Lehigh Valley ahead of the 2017-18 winter. The Old Farmer's Almanac forecasted a warmer-than-normal season, with more rain and below normal snowfall — which sounds a lot like this year's forecast. AccuWeather called for a colder and snowier winter. WeatherWorks , based in Hackettstown, figured on a warm and active season, with about normal snowfall. The National Weather Service also figured the season would be warmer than average, with no definitive precipitation prediction for our area. Don't Edit A garden gnome in Hanover Township didn't seem to mind springtime snow late last March. Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com So what was last winter actually like? It ended up pretty close to normal in both counts, with an average temperature of 32.4 degrees and 32.8 inches of snow — both just slightly up from the average. However, those figures don't account for the snowstorms that lasted well into spring. So whatever happens this coming winter, we can at least hope it stays contained to its own season this time. Don't Edit MORE: How late can snow go? What 70 years of Lehigh Valley data says Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.<doc-sep>By Ashton Altieri DENVER (CBS4) – According to the Farmers’ Almanac, Colorado should expect a brutal upcoming winter complete with “teeth-chattering cold” and “plentiful snow.” The Almanac bases their long-range forecast on a “mathematical and astronomical formula” first developed in 1818. The specifics of that formula have never been publicized. Alternatively, the other well-known prognostication periodical known as the Old Farmer’s Almanac has an opposite prediction for winter 2018-2019. They say Colorado should plan on warmer than normal temperatures statewide plus less precipitation than usual for Denver and the Eastern Plains. And just like their counterparts at the Farmers’ Almanac, the publishers behind the Old Farmer’s Almanac reply on a secret formula to create their forecast. They have always refused to provide deep insight into their method other than admitting it is related to magnetic storms on the sun’s surface. Meanwhile, the methodology behind NOAA’s official winter outlook is openly shared and includes physics, complex math, fluid dynamics and thermodynamics. In other words; science! Their official forecast calls for a 33 percent chance for warmer-than-average temperatures in Colorado this winter along with a 33 percent chance for above normal snowfall over most of the central and southern mountains. The far southwest corner of the state including the Durango and Cortez areas have a 40 percent chance for above normal precipitation which is encouraging, considering some of the worst drought in Colorado is in that part of the state. Ashton Altieri is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist. Watch him on the CBS4 Morning News weekdays from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. Connect with Ashton on Facebook and on Twitter @AshtonCBS4.<doc-sep>
Stock up on Scotch, firewood, and more Scotch — or whatever you use to combat seasonal affective disorder — because The Farmer’s Almanac predicts a long, cold, and snowy winter for 2018-2019 across America. The 200-year-old weather prediction formula foresees a pretty harsh winter for the entire United States, particularly in mid-February, when rain, sleet, and snow are going to be dumped across the country. Spring won’t be coming for a while, either, according to The Farmer’s Almanac’s winter outlook. The weather forecast predicts lower than normal temperatures are going to persist all the way until mid-March — especially in the northeast — so prepare ahead of time, mental health-wise, so that you’re not walking to lunch on a Tuesday in March, pissed off that it’s still 37 degrees out, and seriously considering lighting everything on fire. The Farmer’s Almanac laid out the forecast for its seven regions of the United States — the Great Lakes, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, New England, the Ohio Valley, the Southeast, and the Southwest — in the infographic below. The winter, in general, is expected to be colder than normal, with parts of every single region of the U.S. hit by snowfall. Above-normal levels of snowfall are predicted for the Great Lakes, Midwest, New England, and Pacific Northwest. The almanac is also red-flagging March 20-23 as potential dates for a big East Coast storm just as things are finally transitioning from winter to spring. One last icy fart from Old Man Winter as he shuffles out the door. So that’s fun! Another long, brutal winter for most of the country, with above-normal snowfall. Again, may we recommend stocking up on things that keep you warm and happy so that you will not totally succumb to seasonal affective disorder by mid-January. Either that or buy some plane tickets to Florida. Sipping a daiquiri while being stalked by an alligator actually seems preferable to getting blasted in the face with withering sleet a week before baseball season starts.