So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

That is 4 months away.

I guess my question is who is the Almanac....I know their history...but regardless of their history, it continues to rely on current living humans who do the predictions. I mean "the almanac" is not some self generating oracle.

Why are they better than other weather guys? Tradition? ...or do they actually have a high batting average on predictions?

Here is some of the names behind the OFA:
http://www.almanac.com/press/editors.php

Is the OFA's track record on predictions high or low?

Catastrophic is pretty strong wording.

What are some odd prep items that may not be on the main list, but are things that could make a small but real difference in a catastrophic winter?

thanks and cheers

.

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/0..._n_121099.html

Got oil?

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

natural gas futures?

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

You know this topic fits in quite well with the thread about the lack of sun spots and the below average temperatures we have been experiencing lately.

It is already cold enough in Alberta I don't want to have to put up with a colder than normal winter.:bear_angry:

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

Not catastrophic, just colder than usual.

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

I live in Spokane and I can tell you we are very worried about the coming winter. Our last snowfall was in May...at least a month later than usual. The "summer," if you can call it that, was exceptionally mild. By early August we were already noticing trees and bushes beginning to change into their autumn colors. The daytime temperatures have been hovering in the low to mid-70s for the past couple of weeks, even though this is usually our hottest time of the year. Tomatoes that we should have been able to harvest six weeks ago are just now beginning to ripen. Last night we had our first frost warning, and we're at least six weeks too early for that. Birds are already heading south. I suspect this is going to be another BAD winter (last year was our second-worst winter on record.) I just hope we have enough firewood laid in. :no_ma:

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

I agree with Shirley. It's been a pretty mild summer in NE Wyoming, snow rain and cold until the first week of June and we are into the 30s tonight. That isn't unheard of for this part of the country, but it hasn't happened this soon for quite a while. The basement is prepped to install a coal stove, which is sitting at the dealers place right now. The people who have been here longer than I are expecting a bad one as well.

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

I got an answer to my question....

here

<<
The almanac predicts above-normal snowfall for the Great Lakes and Midwest, especially during January and February, and above-normal precipitation for the Southwest in December and for the Southeast in January and February. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions should be getting an unusually wet or snowy February, the almanac said.

The forecasts, which are spelled out in three- and four-day periods for each region, are prepared by the almanac's reclusive prognosticator Caleb Weatherbee, who uses a secret formula based on sunspots, the position of the planets and the tidal action of the moon.

Weatherbee's outlook is borne out by e-mail comments that the almanac has received in recent days from readers who have spotted signs of nature that point to a rough winter, Geiger said. The signs range from an abundance of acorns already on the ground to the frequency of fog in August.

The almanac's winter forecast is at odds with that of the National Weather Service, whose trends-based outlook calls for warmer than normal temperatures over much of the country, including Alaska, said Ed O'Lenic, chief of the operations branch at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

While he wouldn't comment specifically on the almanac's ability to forecast the weather two years from now, O'Lenic said it's generally impossible to come up with accurate forecasts more than a week in advance.

"Of course it's possible to prepare a forecast with any lead time you like. Whether or nor that forecast has any accuracy or usable skill is another question," he said.
>>
http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/031815.html


hmmm.

Farmer's Almanac.....Caleb Weatherbee

They musta hired him cause his name is such a good fit. Sounds so almanac-ish. Must have the goods.

.

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

There used to be a Caleb Weatherbee who was DJ around here on WRSI, in Western Mass.

I met him once in a pub.

How many people have that name?

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

Wet, wet wet this summer here in Massachusetts. If the sunpot theory is correct, this winter should be a doozy. I have two years worth of dry wood and a full (back-up) oil tank, so bring it on!

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

Solar flux 66.9 today.
Buy wool socks, extra blankets, and storm windows.
The winters are going to be colder for a while.
Get used to it.

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

80 lb rott/lab mix is nice on a chilly nite for your back while spooning yer honey. two person sleeping bag,coupla candles and the bug out van is good to go.

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

The wooly worm hatch in Indiana predicts a mild winter.

Not sure how many foggy mornings they had this year in Kentucky in the month of August, but that's an indication of the number of "rabbit tracking" snows to come.

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

finished all my wood a month ago 13 cords , went to the saw mill get 2 trucks loads last week , i think im ready . hope some left for next year , never used over 8 in a winter , but we are home almost all the time now , well see

Re: So the Farmer's Almanc predicts catastrophic Winter
 

88 degrees and sunny..... just got done planting the winter garden. Will have some fresh veggies in 3 months....

I left the north east long ago cause the price of fuel oil was .50+ a gallon. And fuel oil was cheap then.

Got 3k sq ft house here, and the summer electric bill is 165+$ and the winter is about 70$. Also winter veggies that I don't grow are imported just 90 miles down the road if not grown locally.