Old Farmer’s Almanac Winter 2020-21 Predictions For NC

NORTH CAROLINA — If you assumed the United States is in for a terrible winter with below-freezing temperatures and apocalyptic amounts of snow for no other reason except it’s 2020, we wouldn’t blame you.

However, you might also be jumping to conclusions.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac — not to be confused with its rival forecast predictor, Farmers’ Almanac — just released its highly anticipated predictions for winter 2020-21. Blame it on forecaster optimism or Mother Nature throwing our disaster-weary souls a bone, but most of us are actually in for a reprieve from harsh winter weather this year.

The centuries-old forecaster is predicting a light winter for most of the United States, with warmer-than-normal temperatures expected for a large part of the country.

North Carolina is included in the promising forecast. The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts our state can expect a not too wet, not too cold winter.

"For the Appalachians and Southeast regions (most of the Carolinas and Georgia), snowfall will be generally below normal. Precipitation will be above normal in the north and below normal in the south," the forecast said. "Winter will be warmer than normal, on average, with the coolest periods in mid- and late December and throughout January."

Not every state will experience ideal winter weather, forecasters say, though affected areas are limited. Uncommonly chilly temperatures are predicted in Western states and far northeastern New England.

On the precipitation side of things, expect “wet” to be a wintertime constant. Rain or snowfall that is average to below average will be the standard throughout most of the country, while snowfall will be greater than normal in the Northeast, Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, the High Plains and northern Alaska.

What’s shaping this year’s weather? Forecasters attribute this year’s prediction to rising temperature trends across the world.

The Old Farmer's Almanac, founded in 1792, is the oldest continuously published periodical in North America, according to its website. In fact, the almanac has released weather predictions since George Washington was president.

Each year, the authors of the Almanac go back to see just how accurate their predictions were for the previous year. When it comes to the 2019-20 winter season, they found that they were 80.5 percent accurate, which is just above their typical 80 percent.