With fall just around the corner, it’s almost time to start thinking about getting ready for the winter weather.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac has just come out with its forecast for winter and told WTOP what the D.C. area can expect.
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“We’re calling for the coldest times to be in mid to late December and early and late January,” said Carol Connare, editor of the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
So does the new forecast say this is the year of the blizzard? The short answer is — no.
“We’re calling for above normal temperatures this winter and precipitation, meaning snowfall and rainfall, below normal,” Connare said.
Overall, the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts a milder and drier winter for the D.C. region with most snow falling around the holidays and in late winter.
The temperatures are expected to be above normal with fewer snow days this year.
That’s carrying forward a warm pattern from this summer, which Connare said lined up with the almanac’s forecast.
“We did predict warm for your area,” she said. “We’re just seeing warmer temperatures overall.”
The Old Farmer’s Almanac started in 1792 and is the only almanac that’s been continuously published. The almanac makes its predictions by “comparing solar patterns and historical weather conditions with current solar activity,” according to its website. They uses three disciplines: solar science, climatology and meteorology.
This winter, Connare said the warmer months this winter will be February and March. They’re forecasting the temperature to be five degrees warmer on average in February and three degrees warmer in March.
She said the region will see more slushy snow without much accumulation.
“We’re seeing the snowiest times for your region will be late December and early January, during those cold snaps, and then late February,” she said.
If you want to see and experience blizzard-like snow, where should you go this winter if it’s not going to happen in the D.C. area?
“We are predicting snow, certainly in the Ohio Valley, we’re saying that the eastern Ohio Valley will have more above normal snowfall,” she said. “Also the Carolinas, which we know also happened last year, pretty far south, there was snow. And the southern Appalachians are going to have more snow than normal.”
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