Farmers’ Almanac Forecasts a “Polar Coaster” this Winter???

The Farmers’ Almanac has locked in its forecast for the 2019-2020 winter season, and they predict, and I quote, a “Polar Coaster winter ahead.” What does that mean, anyway? It means, they expect frigid temperatures and average-to-heavy precipitation this year, but, more importantly, they also expect some big temperature swings this winter.

Weather map from the Farmers’ Almanac 2020 addition

What we love is the very precise language that gets used on their forecast page. Speaking of the Eastern HALF of the US, they make the prediction,

January 4–7 and 12–15 could, depending on where you live, mean copious amounts of snow, rain, sleet, and ice.

Considering that it is usually snowing somewhere in that HALF of the contiguous United States during the first half of January, and since “copious” is not a specific measurement, I am 75% certain their prediction will come true! I am also 75% certain there will be a traffic jam somewhere in California this week.

Now, in the almanac’s defense, to get the almanac printed in the fall, they have to get their weather predictions locked in somewhere in the spring, so, I would be a little ambiguous with my weather predictions too. By the time December 2020 rolls around, their weather forecast will be somewhere around 18 months old.

So, should you buy the Farmers’ Almanac this year? Eh, there is some fun stuff in any almanac, and I think their predictions are likely better than those of Nostradamus. You can also mess with people and cherry-pick forecasts that were lucky enough to be accurate and let them know, “My Almanac said so!”

So, what is the weather supposed to be like this year? Currently, the NOAA is calling for average to above-average temperatures for December – February, depending on where you live (see the chart below).

NOAA weather map for December 2019 through February 2020 showing expected temperatures. — NOAA weather map dated August 15, 2019, for December 2019 through February 2020 showing expected temperature variation.

It also looks like we should expect normal winter precipitation for most of the US except for Alaska, the upper Midwest, and the Great Lake states, which should expect greater than average precipitation.

But, alas, you know that forecast is going to change, so know you can come to Snow Plow News for a weekly weather update or you can connect with one of our weather partners, such as NeoWeather, to get your very own personalized forecast throughout the winter months.