Brace Yourself For Winter! –

Old Farmer’s Almanac Once Again

Peers Into Its Weather Crystal Ball

By Shannon Hicks

Get out the sleds, start waxing the skis, and prepare to stock up on bottled water. We’re in for a great winter and a dry summer.

There is a popular saying that goes along the lines of “It’s New England… if you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes. It’ll change.”

We already know, thanks to where we live, that we are going to have four well-defined seasons in 2001. The year will open with a bitter, hopefully snowy winter; we’ll look for the crocuses and trudge through the mud during spring; summer will be hot; and fall will offer cooler temperatures and some lovely foliage. There will be rain storms, snow storms, maybe a hurricane or two, perhaps a good blizzard… but when will the first snow fall and how severe will the seasons be?

Who knows?

The Old Farmer’s Almanac does. Since 1792, the journal originally penned by Robert B. Thomas has informed and entertained generations of farmers and readers alike. The 2001 Old Farmer’s Almanac hits bookshelves everywhere this week.

For those of us who enjoy winter and all the snow, chills, and thrills that come along with the coldest months of the year, it looks like it might be a good one this time around. November through March, says the Almanac this year, will start “relatively cold across much of the country, with only the nation’s southeast quadrant and perhaps New England expected to be at or above normal.”

For snow lovers, that doesn’t sound good, but continue reading. Precipitation, the book continues, “will be above normal in portions of New England,” and more specifically, “snowfall will be greater than normal from New York City and New England westward through much of the Great Lakes region…”

That sounds like we are in for a lot of snowfall, but it won’t necessarily stick around.

Spring will bring relatively cool weather for us; cooler temperatures are expected for everywhere except Florida, Texas, the central Great Plains, and most of the Southwest.

Stock up on the bottled water and start using water sparingly next year, however. Summer 2001, says the Almanac, is going to be another tough one. While cooler-than-normal temperatures are predicted from Maine into the Adirondacks and from upper Michigan westward to Washington and Oregon come June through August, rainfall, warns the trusty tome, “will be below normal, with the threat of drought from Maine to Florida.”

Once we get through August, however, a tropical storm in mid-September will bring much-needed rains from the Florida panhandle to southern New England. Elsewhere, rainfall should be near normal, which will be a relief to those in Mississippi and the surrounding southern state residents who have been suffering so badly with record low rainfall.

Beyond these general predictions, the Almanac had divided the country into 16 regions and specific weather patterns are outlined for each region. While upper New England can expect to see some snow between November 1 and 5, our first snowfall – one of the first things many people look for first when the new edition is released each year – Connecticut may see some of the white stuff as early as November 6. It may not stick around, but it could show up.

Of course, there is more than weather to ponder in the pages of The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

The Almanac has always been a good read, and this year is no exception. Perhaps Mr Thompson felt people needed something interesting, and even educational, to read when they found themselves snowed in – of course, they would know in advance that the snow was coming thanks to his book, so they would not only find themselves with time to read, but also be stocked up and prepared for a day or two of being snowed in.

For whatever reason, gardening tips, weather predictions, consumer trends, jokes, and even ways to cure insomnia are all packed into the newest edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Find yourself in the middle of a recipe that calls for cream of tartar, just as you remember your spice rack doesn’t hold the unusual ingredient? Keep going, says food editor Georgia Orcutt. Ms Orcutt offers some unusual – and unconventional – recommendations for bakers and cooks that are sure to get a rise out of traditionalists, moms, and grandmas everywhere.

Other stories offer forecasts of consumer tastes and trends, why it will be a good year to watch the Aurora Borealis (and when is the best time to do so) right from your backyard, poetry, wrinkle prevention, and other articles found only in the Almanac.

Of course, everyone wants to know how the Almanac continues predict weather patterns so far in advance. What’s the secret? The editors offer something of an explanation in a segment called “How the Almanac Weather Forecasts Are Made.” Save this one for a short rain shower.

Finally, a few things bear repeating when it comes to the interesting little yellow-covered book with the hole in the upper left corner: The Almanac is the oldest continuously published periodical in North America. First released in 1792, the book has been updated and released every year since then, making 2001 the 209th edition. Editions have been published in the 18th, 19th, 20th, and now the 21st century. More than 4.4 million copies are distributed annually.