By Chelsea Meyer
Rock River Current

National — We are in for a frigid winter. At least that’s what The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting.

First published in 1792, The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting colder than usual temperatures for the entire country, not just the Midwest, calling it the “season of shivers.”

“This coming winter could well be one of the longest and coldest that we’ve seen in years,” Janice Stillman, editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac says, “punctuated by positively bone-chilling, below-average temperatures across most of the U.S.”

The almanac’s predictions are right about 50% of the time, said 13 WREX Meteorologist Justin Ballard. We followed up with him to get his take on what we can expect this winter.

“First…the Farmer’s Almanac is notorious for saying stuff like ‘frigid winter ahead,'” he said. “For this part of the U.S., of course, we can expect frigid temperatures on occasion. That doesn’t guarantee a bitterly cold winter all season long.”

Ballard says late August or early September is still far too early to say with a great deal of confidence how cold or snowy the upcoming winter will be.

“The Climate Prediction Center has much of the upper Midwest (including the Stateline) with near-average temperatures. Keep in mind, long-range forecasts like this are very much subject to change. There will be changes to this in the coming months. In fact, the Climate Prediction Center updates its seasonal outlooks every month based on how current conditions are unfolding.”

He says the forecast takes into consideration the El Niño/La Niña conditions and it appears La Niña will be present through the winter months.

“This is a cooling of equatorial waters off the coast of South America. This tends to result in slightly wetter/snowier conditions and near average temperatures,” Ballard said. “In years past, La Niña winters have resulted in wide ranges of snow totals. Some years have been well above average while others have been much below. Those years with little snow tend to be wetter winters for us. By November, a much more accurate depiction of what the winter May hold will be in view.”

Ballard concluded by stating, “Bottom line: Yes, it’s going to be cold. Yes, there will be snow at times. It’s the upper Midwest after all.”

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This article is by Chelsea Meyer. Email her at chelsea@b103fm.com.