The Farmers' Almanac winter forecast is out. What does it mean for Columbus?

"Get ready to 'shake, shiver and shovel!'"

So warns the Farmers' Almanac in its annual winter weather report, which says parts of the eastern U.S. could see temperatures as low as 40 degrees below zero in January.

In publication since 1818, the Farmers' Almanac ― not to be confused with the Old Farmers Almanac ― is predicting an "unreasonably cold, snowy" winter in Ohio and the Great Lakes region.

The onset of winter weather also will come earlier than usual, the almanac says.

"December 2022 looks stormy and cold nationwide with an active storm pattern developing and hanging around for most of the season over the eastern half of the country. Maybe there will be a white Christmas in some areas?"

How much snow does the almanac predict for the United States?

Ohio and its neighboring states may see lots of precipitation this winter thanks to an "active storm track" in the eastern half of the country, running from the western Gulf of Mexico to the northeast, the almanac says.

How does the Farmer's Almanac predict the weather?

The almanac says its editors predict the weather using a formula that takes sunspot activity, tidal action of the moon and the position of planets into account.

"The only person who knows the exact formula is the Farmers’ Almanac weather prognosticator who goes by the pseudonym of Caleb Weatherbee," the almanac says on its website. "To protect this proprietary formula, the editors of the Farmers’ Almanac prefer to keep both Caleb’s true identity and the formula a closely guarded brand secret."

Nate McGinnis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, told the Times Gazette in Hillsboro, Ohio, that his agency typically does not comment on the Farmers' Almanac prediction and that the service won't make a forecast for the upcoming winter for the next few months.

The almanac maintains that its forecasts are 80 to 85% accurate.

What will fall be like in Ohio?

The Farmers' Almanac is predicting lower-than-usual temperatures for the fall season, which begins this year on Sept. 22. Above-normal precipitation is possible for a large portion of the country, including the Ohio Valley and the Midwest.

The almanac says cold will begin to take hold during the second half of November and continue through the rest of the year.

Monroe Trombly covers breaking and trending news.

mtrombly@dispatch.com

@MonroeTrombly

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Here's the Farmers' Almanac winter weather forecast