LEWISTON, Maine — Meteorologists may not pay much heed to them but both the Farmers’ Almanac and the Old Farmers’ Almanac are calling for a cold and snowy winter.
The Farmers’ Almanac based in Maine, comes out with its 200th edition this month. The almanac’s long-term weather forecast calls for a teeth-chattering winter for the eastern two-thirds of the nation.
“We’re calling it the return of the old-fashioned winter. The ice cold winter is back,” said Sandi Duncan, managing editor.
Janice Stillman, editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, said the coldest, snowiest conditions will be along the Canadian border, down through southern New England and the Appalachians. Published in New Hampshire, the almanac marks its 225th anniversary with tributes from President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, among articles on mangrove forests and presidential beer preferences. Both have special anniversary sections with articles from the past.
“The almanacs have been an institutions for over 200 years, and back in the day, they were the source for predicting weather. Since then, fortunately, modern technology has given us the tools to be much better forecasters. Does that make the almanacs wrong? No. Does it make them outdated? Yes. Read them with a grain of salt,” said FOX 61 Meteorologist Matt Scott.
In Maine, Editor Peter Geiger blames an El Nino dubbed Godzilla by NASA for wrecking last year’s prediction with unexpected warmth. This winter, he says, there’s no El Nino to foul up the weather prognostication. The Old Farmer’s Almanac also acknowledged an incorrect interpretation of El Nino.
Hundreds of almanacs served a nation of farmers over two centuries ago. These days, only a handful of them remain.
