Strap yourself in for a "Snow-Filled" winter with snow, rain, and mush.
*Originally published on August 28, 2019
Updated on August 26, 2022:
The Farmers' Almanac is at it again, unleashing its 2022-2023 winter predictions on us all.
To sum it up in one word: yikes.
"Got flannel? Hot chocolate? Snowshoes? It’s time to stock up! According to our extended forecasts, this winter season will have plenty of snow, rain, and mush—as well as some record-breaking cold temperatures! We are warning readers to get ready to 'Shake, shiver, and shovel!'" relates the Almanac website.
It looks like a majority of the country, Colorado included, will be trapped in Old Man Winter's grip this year, with some extreme weather expected. The Almanac predicts the "unreasonably cold" temperatures in the northern plains to the Great Lakes region. Only the farthest west states will see near-normal temperatures. Colorado doesn't fall in that near-normal category.
Here in the Centennial State, the prediction is for cold temperatures and an above-average snowpack, which should play out well for our ski industry. The coldest temperatures are expected from Mid-December to early January and late January to mid-February, which is fairly standard for the state. Though the Almanac is saying that the worst of the bitterly cold conditions will be areas east of the Rockies to the Appalachians, so the eastern plains may be in for it.
So, how accurate is the Farmers' Almanac? Using a hush-hush astronomical and mathematical formula that "relies on sunspot activity, tidal actions, planetary position, and many other factors," it was fairly spot-on for the 2021-2022 winter, especially for the midwest and eastern states.
"Last year, the Almanac predicted many of the 2021-2022 winter storms, most notably: the early-season nor’easter in the end of October, and the unusual blizzard in the last week of April (in parts of Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas)," writes the Alamanac.
The publication has been predicting the weather since 1819, so it's probably safe to say that if it tells you to stock up on firewood, rev your space heaters, and get the snowplow ready, you should just do it.