‘The brr is back!’: Farmers’ Almanac publishes 2023-2024 winter outlook

LEWISTON, Maine — Residents across New England are still enjoying the warmth of summer, but the Farmers’ Almanac is already looking ahead to the winter months.

The Maine-based publication released its extended 2023-2024 winter weather forecast on Tuesday with a headline that read, “The brr is back!”

“After a weird and warm winter season last year, this winter should make cold weather fans rejoice, especially those in the Great Lakes, Midwest, and northern New England areas,” Almanac editor Pete Geiger said. “The ‘brrr’ is coming back! We expect more snow and low temperatures nationwide.”

After a lack of wintry precipitation this past winter, the Almanac is calling for “quite the opposite” this upcoming season with “below-average temperatures and lots of snowstorms, sleet, ice, and rain” for central and northern New England in the months of January and February.

“Our extended weather forecast is suggesting you might want to bundle up, buy some extra hot chocolate, make plans to stay home or plan a skiing trip,” the Almanac wrote.

The wintry weather will persist into March with “wild swings in the thermometer, especially in the East,” the Almanac said.

Here are some key takeaways from the Almanac’s winter prediction:

• The second week of January will be stormy, snowy, and wet for both the Pacific Coast and the Eastern States.
• An East Coast storm affecting the Northeast and New England states will bring snowfall, cold rain, and then frigid temperatures, during the second week of February.
• Another East Coast storm will bring a wintry mess to this area during the first week of March.
• A possible late-season snowfall over the high terrain of New England during the third week of April won’t be a fun “April Fools’ Day” prank!

Boston 25 Meteorologist Shiri Spear cautioned New Englanders that the Almanac’s prediction shouldn’t be read as “gospel.”

“Since we have far fewer tools to piece together a forecast months away, the public should understand that long-range forecasting is a challenging science. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center specializes in these long-range forecasts using special computer models, heavily based on large-scale and global weather patterns,” Spear said in a statement. “Smaller scale regional and local weather patterns, that also happen in a shorter time frame, are difficult to account for in the long-range forecasts and have a much bigger impact on how the season plays out day by day.”

Spear added, “The CPC’s forecast for December, January, and February three-month forecast (winter) calls for slightly warmer and wetter conditions compared to normal. It’s very helpful guidance that we refer to for a “heads up” but isn’t gospel.”

Winter officially begins on Dec. 21, 2023.

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