Ol' Man Winter (according to the Farmers' Almanac)

FarmersAlmanac.com ^

[StatesEnemy]

Brrrrrr!

As a Yankee that spent most of my adult life in Dixie (and am now back home), I ain't lookin' forward to the 'ol Man'.

[Catspaw]

And if you were in Green Bay, like I am, you'd quickly realize Old Man Winter is already here--winds are howling, the rain should turn to snow in a couple hours....

GET ME OUTTA HERE!!

[r9etb]

I could sure go for that "snowy" to edge over here to CO....

[cubreporter]

Same here!!!!

[AZLiberty]

The second map is NOAA's long-range prediction for November to February (temperature only). NOAA is predicting above normal temperatures for the brown area, while Farmer's Almanac seems to predict the opposite. "EC" means equal chances of above or below normal, meaning "flip a coin".

[kenth]

All I know is that here in the North Georgia mountains, it's almost the middle of November and we haven't had a frost yet. We normally have one by the end of September or early October.

We've still been mowing, flowers are still blooming and we're under attack by ladybugs, yellowjackets and dandelions. HELP!

[battousai]

woo woo I hope its accurate, I love snow, great to get lots here (Toronto, ON)

Anyone know if last years predictions were accurate?

[electricallady]

Here in La. the temps. were in the 80's today. Would like it just a little cooler.

[CholeraJoe]

Judging from the last three weeks here, it is going to be a bad one. Yesterday during a 90 mile drive I experienced rain, sleet, snow, hail and high winds. We had a white Halloween.

[pankot]

I'm in Western WI. The weather keeps the riff-raff out.

[mewzilla]

Hmmm, according to our local wooly bear population this fall the winter here in Upstate NYS should be mild.

[Falcon4.0]

I wish they would stop using the word "NORMAL" in weather forecasts and say "NEAR AVERAGE". Because that's what "NORMAL" is, an average of combined temperatures.

[Ford Fairlane]

same here in central IL - it was 60 this morning, now its 40 with 35mph winds gusting to 50

Looks like im going to get even further behind on some construction projects

[NYer]

Anyone know if last years predictions were accurate?

Here in the middle of NYS, the best predictor of winter last year was the

Woolly Bear Caterpillar

Folklore, which originated in Europe, tells us that the amount of black on the woolly bear in autumn varies proportionately with the severity of the coming winter in the locality where the caterpillar is found. The longer the woolly bear’s black bands, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. Similarly, the wider the middle brown band, the milder the coming winter. The position of the longest dark bands supposedly indicates which part of winter will be coldest or hardest. If the head end of the caterpillar is dark, the beginning of winter will be severe. If the tail end is dark, the end of winter will be cold.

Woolly bears were described by the New York Herald Tribune in 1955 as “those fuzzy caterpillars whose renowned weather predictions are taken with a pound of salt by scientists, but accepted with hope and charity by thousands of Americans.” Entomologists realize that the segments of young caterpillars have mostly black setae, and with each molt individuals gain more rust colored rings. Some insect specialists have claimed that woolly bears develop uniform black coloration under wet conditions. Scientists believe that variations in caterpillar color patterns are caused by factors other than the severity of the coming winter.

Last winter, local enthusiasts collected and counted the brown and black bands on the woolly bear caterpillars. The prediction? A harsh winter! And, it was. I've encountered 5 of these caterpillars this year, while raking leaves. All of them had multiple brown bands ... indicating a mild winter.

Just in case they're wrong, I have lined up someone to plow my driveway and purchased a new, ergonomically designed snow shovel to take care of what is left behind. ;-D

[drdemars]

We here in Cottonwood, AZ are experiencing our first good rain in a Year and more expected tomorrow. I for one hope it is wet this Winter because we have been in a drought condition for a long time. I do know some Indians in Sedona did a rain dance last weekend and it worked.

[NYer]

I do know some Indians in Sedona did a rain dance last weekend and it worked.

Well then .... keep on dancing! ;-D

At least you don't have to shovel 'rain'. Last year we were hit with 2' of snow on Christmas Eve and another 2' of snow on New Year's Day. I'll take the rain any day over the blight of the white stuff!