Old Farmer's Almanac Predicting Colder, Drier Winter Ahead

You might not need the shovels as much this winter – the almanac forecasts less snow than usual.

Posted by Carisa Giardino (Editor), December 20, 2012 at 11:46 pm

Winter began at 6:12 a.m. today – but what lies ahead for us after a year filled with downpours, a hurricane and an early snowstorm?

According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, the 2012-2013 winter season for Long Island and the rest of the Atlantic Corridor will be bone-chillingly cold and drier than average winters.

The almanac predicts the coldest days this winter are coming rather quickly – from Christmas through early January and early to mid-February. The go-to-guide also suggests the snowiest periods this year would be around mid-December, around Christmas and in February 2013.

On the whole, the almanac suggests our area will see about 3.5 inches less precipitation (in rainfall) than a normal winter and temperatures will drop from anywhere to between 1° to 5° below the norm.

The almanac is, of course, not always correct – last winter, it called for a cold and very snow season ahead. The 2011-2012 winter, however, only produced a few snowstorms, with the most occurring way before the season started in October 2011

In the short-term, National Weather Service forecasts are calling for a cold period starting tonight that coincides with The Almanac's prediction. Other forecasters are already seeing the development of a potential snowstorm right after Christmas and another around New Year's Eve.

However, forecasts, especially those over 5 days out, can change in the blink of an eye.

According to a blog on Weather Underground, a Weather Channel-owned forecasting website, the Old Farmer's Almanac has about an 80 percent success rate on its long-term forecasts.