Unless you live on the West Coast, you're going to want to prepare yourself for a cold and wet winter this year, according to the Farmers' Almanac forecast for the upcoming season.
While overall temperatures might be a little bit more "normal" this winter across the country compared to last year, most locations should expect "above-normal precipitation," the Farmers' Almanac's 200-year-old formula predicts.
The areas between the Great Lakes and Northeast should prepare for particularly "snowier-than-normal conditions" this winter. If you want to get a head-start on planning your upcoming ski vacation to Vermont (or start saving for a tropical getaway), they've red-flagged the following dates along the Atlantic Seaboard for heavy rain and snowfall in 2018.
- January 20-23
- February 4-7
- February 16-19
- March 1-3
- March 20-23
But if you plan on making your winter escape to Florida, think again. The forecast for the Southeast includes an "unseasonable chill reaching as far south as the Gulf Coast, with above-average precipitation."
The central part of the country shouldn't expect much better. The Farmers' Almanac predicts that the states west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains will have "wide swings in the weather pendulum" this winter that will include periods of warm and tranquil conditions and "occasional spells of tempestuous weather."
Live west of the Rocky Mountains? Here's some good news to look forward to: Your winter should be a lot drier than last year. This winter's forecast says that there will be normal winter weather in terms of precipitation and temperatures, so if you want to avoid a harsh and snowy winter it might be smart to plan your warm weather getaway to California this year.
While most meteorologists are skeptical of predicting weather more than 10 days in advance, both the Farmers' Almanac and its main competitor, The Old Farmer's Almanac, claim to be 80 percent accurate in their weather predictions. Considering that last year's predictions were pretty much spot-on, we're going to be start cleaning off our snow boots now just in case.
Lyndsey Matthews is the Destination News Editor for AFAR; previously she was a Lifestyle Editor across all of Hearst Digital Media's brands, and a digital editor at Martha Stewart Weddings and Travel + Leisure.
