The 2010 Farmer’s Almanac was released today (Tuesday).  Some weather experts chuckle when they hear that.  There was a time when I would smirk and blow the yearly prognostications off with a shake of my head.  In 2004, I was assigned to do a story about the Almanac and its crazy way of forecasting.  My mind was changed….a little.  I learned that there was at least some science involved.

The Almanac uses sunspot activity and the Earth’s position in its orbit among other factors to make their forecasts.  It’s a super secret scientific formula which they can create 2 years ahead of time.  Here’s the forecast for the upcoming winter:

 The Northeast, according to the Farmers Almanac, will be having a cool and snowy winter (January through March).  I think what they mean by cool is that the average temperature will be cooler than normal. 

What about a Blizzard?
Here’s the forecast from farmersalmanac.com 

While three-quarters of the country is predicted to see near- or below average precipitation this winter, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any winter storms! On the contrary, significant snowfalls are forecast for parts of every zone.

For the Middle Atlantic and Northeast States, for instance, we are predicting a major snowfall in mid-February; possibly even blizzard conditions for New England (indeed, even shovelry is not dead).

Yikes?! Mark your calendars! We may see a blizzard in mid-February.

I’m shaking my head again….and smirking.  We’ll see.