The famous Old Farmer’s Almanac, which has been published continuously since the mid 18th century, uses a combination of mathematical and astronomical formula to make weather predictions.
For more than 200 years, millions of Americans have relied on the Old Farmer’s Almanac to guide them through the seasons, but how accurate is it really?
And what does the the Old Farmer’s Almanac say about 2021 and 2022? What will autumn and winter be like this year, and how do the publication’s predictions compare to other weather forecasts? Find out below.
2022 Old Farmer’s Almanac
The 2022 Old Farmer’s Almanac says the upcoming winter season "will be punctuated by positively bone-chilling, below-average temperatures across most of the United States."
"This coming winter could well be one of the longest and coldest that we’ve seen in year," the publication’s editor Janice Stillman claims.
"In some places, the super cold of the coming winter will also bring lots of snow. This extreme wintry mix is expected in areas of New England as well as throughout the Ohio Valley, in northern portions of the Deep South, and in southeast New Mexico," the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts.
Other Parts Of US
As for other parts of the country, here’s what the publication says.
"Above-average snowfall is also in the forecast along a track from eastern Montana southward through the western halves of the Dakotas and into northeastern Colorado. While temperatures in this midcountry strip will be relatively normal, snowfall will be abundant, with several storms predicted throughout the winter."
"Meanwhile, most western areas will remain relatively dry, with all but the Pacific Coast itself and portions of the Southwest experiencing the frigid cold predicted for much of the rest of the country," the Old Farmer’s Almanac claims.
Old Farmer’s Almanac Accuracy
The Old Farmer’s Almanac often boasts that it’s weather forecasts are about 80 percent accurate, but is that really true?
As USA Today reported, weather experts have warned for years that Old Farmer Almanac‘s predictions should be taken with a pinch of salt.
In 2016 and 2017, for instance, meteorologist Jan Null conducted a review of the publication’s predictions for the previous season, finding that they were mostly inaccurate.
Meteorologists at OpenSnow did the same in the 2013-14 season, establishing that the 230-year-old project doesn’t exactly have a "track record of accuracy."
Old Farmer’s Almanac Remains Popular
According to Discover Magazine, almanacs first appeared in America in the early 17th century.
The most popular of them was Poor Richard’s Almanac, which was edited and and written by Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
As the magazine noted, the Old Farmer’s Almanac tends to use vague and broad language in its predictions, which has irked experts and meteorologists.
Nonetheless, the 230-year-old series remains very popular across the country and millions of Americans still religiously trust its weather forecasts.
