After enduring a brutal July heat wave, Missourians can now expect a cold, snowy winter in a few months, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The 2024 edition is out, and managing editor Sandi Duncan said they’re predicting plenty of cold and widespread snow for the Great Plains states, including Missouri.
“The 2024 Farmers’ Almanac says, ‘The B-R-R is Back,’ meaning that there’s going to be a lot of cold temperatures coming to your neck of the woods this winter season,” she said. “Overall, we’re thinking that it’s going to be ultimately more of a cold than a snowy winter, but we do see some occasional bouts of storminess bringing widespread rain and snow to your region.”
Duncan said we can expect winter-like temperatures in the late fall, shortly after Thanksgiving.
“Winter is going to start a little bit early,” she said. “It looks like in December, the Farmers’ Almanac is calling for some snowy conditions. Some people like to have a little bit of white around the Christmas holidays so that may happen, but looking into January and February, the cold is more the headliner this winter.”
The almanac is also calling for the cold to stretch beyond February.
“Winter is going to hang on,” Duncan said. “Even though the calendar may say spring, it looks like it’s going to be kind of a Polar Coaster, meaning that we see nice days that remind you that spring is coming, but overall, we see a kind of a chilly, rainy season on tap for you all.”
The Lewiston, Maine-based publication boasts a forecast accuracy rate of 80 to 85 percent. Duncan admitted they’re sometimes off, citing last year’s forecast that predicted a “colder than normal” winter for Missouri.
“Cold weather kind of got stuck over Russia and China, so of course, you had some cold conditions, but our forecast was slightly off the mark,” she said. “But you know, we do our best. We try to give people an idea of what may come 12 months to 16 months down the road so that you can plan ahead.”
The publication’s formula was developed more than two centuries ago, based on factors including sunspot activity, planet positions, and the effect the Moon has on the Earth. Besides long-term weather predictions, The Old Farmer’s Almanac also contains a wealth of information on gardening, cooking, home remedies, folklore, managing your household, living in harmony with nature, and more.
More information on the Almanac’s winter weather predictions can be found here.
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