Here we are in
late November, and it sure seems like it should be cooler. We experienced
temperatures higher than I can ever remember last winter. In fact, records were
broken across the country! Yet at this time last year, temperatures were lower
than they are today. With so much uncertainty in my mind, I was excited and
curious to flip through the pages of The 2013 Old Farmer’s Almanac and find out
what we are in for in terms of 2013 weather predictions, particularly winter weather
forecast 2013 predictions.
Despite what the
current conditions in Kansas
suggest, The Old Farmer’s Almanac tells me it will indeed be a little cooler
this winter than last. The 2013 Almanac indicates that throughout rural America, folks can expect lower-than-normal
temperatures this winter from the East Coast westward to a line from the
Dakotas to Texas.
West of that line, except for portions of the Desert Southwest, temperatures
will actually be warmer than those of the 2011-2012 winter.
In terms of winter
snowfall, the Almanac’s forecast is a split decision: “Snowfall will be above
normal in a swathe from the Carolinas to West Texas and within a hundred miles
or so of the Great Salt Lake; it will be near
or below normal elsewhere.” Snow in the South and in much of Oklahoma
and central Texas!
The good news is that the Almanac believes that there will be enough
precipitation (rain and snow) that the areas hit hard by drought conditions
last year may see some relief.
Spring will bring
welcome rain, too, according to the Almanac.
“Rainfall will be
above normal from the Carolinas southward through Florida,
from the Ohio Valley
southwestward through Texas, and from the
Upper Midwest westward into the Dakotas; it
will be near or below normal elsewhere.”
Florida stands to benefit particularly. The
Old Farmer’s Almanac says the Sunshine
State will experience a much rainier
season than normal – easing its drought conditions – while Georgia will
continue to experience dryer-than-normal conditions.
Moving into the
summer, we can expect summer temperatures to be higher than normal along the
Atlantic and Pacific coasts and in the Ohio Valley,
but cooler than normal elsewhere.
For a Kansas guy like me, the
prediction of cooler summer temperatures is music to the ears; however, taking
a look at these two maps and flipping through the Almanac pages, it occurred to
me that my part of the country might experience below-average rainfall, which
is not.
Our grandpas and
uncles were always worried about getting enough rain, and very little has
changed on that front. No matter what slice of the countryside you call
home, hopefully Mother Earth will be kind and you can make the most of whatever
weather you experience in 2013.
Caleb Reganand his wife, Gwen, live in rural Douglas County, Kansas, where they enjoy hunting, fishing, and raising and growing as much of their own food as they can. Caleb can’t imagine a better scenario than getting to work on a rural lifestyle magazine as a profession, and then living that same lifestyle right in the heartland of America. Connect with him on Google+.
