Farmers almanac predicts mild winter temperatures, snow in early December, late January
By Christopher Miller
I saw a group of 11 geese in a “V” formation flying south over the Susquehanna River Tuesday morning. Seeing animals isn’t usually a big deal in our neck of the woods, but geese, in a “V,” flying south…that is a bit unusual for mid-August.
Normally geese are ready to fly by early September, so this three week advance is a cause for mild concern for the upcoming fall and winter months.
Ye olde Farmers Almanac, the 200+ year old authority on all things weather, farming, and planting, has given its 2024-2025 winter forecast for the northeast and it isn’t looking all that pretty, but may be mild at times.
The first week of December is said to bring an early start to winter with mixed precipitation, then very cold temperatures, so plan ahead with the heating oil, propane, natural gas, pellets, or logs.
Winter is looking to be a time of stormy and above normal amounts of snow, ice, and rain, with temperatures hovering around normal for a Pennsylvania winter, according to the Almanac.
The overall winter chill is expected to linger for longer than normal in the north and northeast this year, with mid-to-late January forecast to be an active time for storms. Late January is said to be an active time with a “big storm” brewing to dump at least six inches of snow to parts of Pennsylvania, southern New York, and New Jersey.
This “big storm” has been red-flagged by the Almanac people from January 2023, and 24-27 as being a time of “copious amounts of snow, rain, sleet, and ice” coupled with strong and gusty winds for the northeast.
Now I don’t drop all my eggs in one basket when it comes to the Farmer’s Almanac predictions, but it does make me wonder if there could be some truth in them. It was a bit brisk on Tuesday morning, requiring me to turn on the heat in my car on my drive into work. Could an early fall be on the way?
Keep an eye on the DCNR Fall Foliage Reports for this year’s estimated “peak” times to “peek” at the leaves. This site should be updated within the coming weeks with 2024 data.
https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/Conservation/ForestsAndTrees/FallFoliageReports/
