Various farmer’s almanacs have released their winter predictions and according to the two most popular, the prairies are in for above-average snow.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac forecasts Saskatchewan will get hit by a “snow train”.
“That’s not a technical term, but we couldn’t figure out a better way to describe the series of storms we expect to chug through the prairies starting in December and going until March,” said Jack Burnett, the managing editor at the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
In exchange for the buckets of snow, the lower two-thirds of Saskatchewan will get above-normal temperatures.
That’s a different prediction than the Farmer’s Almanac, which forecasts we’ll get slightly below normal temperatures on top of the added snow.
“It’s going to be very cold, in fact a little bit below normal and lots of snow,” said Sandi Duncan, the managing editor at the Farmer’s Almanac.
It’s also going to be a delayed spring with March temperatures well below normal, according to Duncan.
How do the two almanacs develop these predictions?
The Old Farmer’s Almanac was first published in 1792 and is based on climatology, meteorology and solar science.
They also look for replicating weather patterns and anomalies.
Burnett says the publication is also in the last year of a four year trail, where the effects of climate change weighed in. This is based off a locations distance from the North Pole.
The Farmer’s Almanac formula is slightly different and top secret, according to Duncan.
“There’s one person that actually knows the true details and formulas. It’s a closely-guarded trade secret,” Duncan said.
“It’s a mathematical and astronomical formula that takes things like sun spot activity, tidal action of the moon, and position of the planets.”
The first publication was in 1818.