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The publication has been predicting the weather since 1818,
using information from the moon, tidal action and sunspot
activity, among several other factors.
Winter officially starts on Dec. 21, but according to the
Farmers’ Almanac, winter weather will begin before then.
Managing Editor Sandi Duncan said for Illinois this winter, look
for the “burrrr to be back.”
“We are seeing that there is going to be more of a chance of
some cold conditions with a lot of storms predicted,” Duncan
told The Center Square. “We aren’t calling for too many
blizzards or anything to that effect but we are seeing that it
is going to be cold and stormy.”
The publication attributes the coming cold and snow to El Nino,
a phenomenon that causes the Pacific jet stream to move south of
its neutral location and is typically associated with warmer
temperatures. This winter will be the first time in four years
that El Niño will be making its return.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently
released its winter forecast for the country and also cited the
El Nino effect. But the agency predicted a dryer and warmer
winter for Illinois in the coming months.
As for the accuracy of the Farmers' Almanac weather predictions,
the publication says they are about 80% to 85% correct.
“It will be very interesting to see what happens, but we do our
best to try to give people a forecast they can rely on and plan
accordingly,” Duncan said.
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