Farmers' Almanac predicts particularly brutal winter for U.S.: 'Freezing, frigid, and frosty'

Dillon Thompson
Updated ·2 min read

Enjoy summer while you still can, because it's going to be a long, brutal winter.

At least, that's according to the Farmers' Almanac, which released its extended forecast for the 2019-20 winter on Monday. The annual periodical, which has been publishing yearly weather forecasts since 1818, is predicting a "polar coaster winter," according to a press release.

"'Freezing, frigid, and frosty" are the exact terms it used to describe the upcoming season, especially for areas "east of the Rockies all the way to the Appalachians," the press release said.

Peter Geiger, the publication's editor, warned that the season will be a "wild ride" full of unexpected changes in temperature and "some hefty snowfalls."

The Midwest and Northeast will receive the worst of the frigid conditions, with the almanac predicting above-average precipitation for the states in those regions. Only the states west of the Rockies will experience milder conditions than usual, according to the forecast.

January is set to be a particularly volatile month, with chilling temperates as low as negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit possible in the Midwest.

The almanac compared its forecast to last year, when a polar vortex brought record-setting low temperatures to some parts of the central U.S. For many cities, it was the coldest winter weather outbreak since the late '90s.

RELATED: Photos from the 2019 polar vortex

As far as the Northeast, people should mark their calendars for the first few weeks of 2020. The publication is calling for "copious amounts" of snow, rain and sleet, along with "strong and gusty winds."

Last year's Farmers' Almanac forecasted similarly chilling conditions, and by some measures it was right. For example, February 2019 was nearly two degrees Fahrenheit colder than typical U.S. temperatures for that month.

Still, drastic temperatures in January and February were ultimately overmatched by warmer conditions during the rest of the season: In total, last winter ended up around one degree Fahrenheit warmer than usual.

Anyone looking for a full description of the upcoming winter — and the rest of next year's weather — can order the Almanac via Amazon or on the publication's website.