Farmers Almanac Out Today

We've got a looooong winter ahead of us...

The 197 year-old Farmers Almanac hits newsstands today. As you flip through you'll see words like 'piercing cold' and 'biting cold.' That about sums up the Farmers Almanac predictions for this winter. I think I'll fly south now...

The Almanac uses planetary positions, sunspots and lunar cycles to predict the weather ahead. The formula is mostly unchanged from the first Farmers Almanac in 1818. Modern science doesn't rely on sunspots or tidal action data much, but the almanac is correct 80% of the time.

If it's predictions are correct, footballs biggest game could be a Storm Bowl. The big game is set the same time as a predicted major winter storm. This year's big game is the first outdoor championship game to be held in a cold weather environment.

Last year the Almanac predicted cold weather for the eastern and central states and milder weather west of the Great Lakes. The winter didn't start off that way but it ended that way. Both of the major storms we saw last year were predicted in the Almanac, only a few days off of their predicted dates.

The Farmers Almanac says New England can look forward to a colder than normal winter with heavy snowfall.