Be ready to bundle up: What to expect this winter, according to the 'Farmers' Almanac'
Fans of all the moisture Oklahoma received this summer will have more to enjoy over the next six months if predictions included in this year's edition of the "Farmers' Almanac" pan out.
The 2024 installment of the popular book, which includes a mea culpa for its miss on last winter's forecast, predicts Oklahomans can expect to enjoy a cool, sometimes rainy autumn and an unseasonably cold and stormy winter.
Farmers' Almanac creates its forecast two years in advance using a proprietary formula that considers sunspots, lunar tides, the positions of other orbiting planets in our solar system and other factors too secret to reveal.
If nothing else, its winter forecasts, released every August, provide interested people an opportunity to at least think about trading in their swimsuits, shorts and sandals for sweaters, coats and galoshes.
"We have had so much rain up here (in Maine), I can't stand it. Nobody is ever happy with the weather, no matter what it is," said Peter Geiger, the almanac's editor.
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What can Oklahomans expect based upon the almanac's forecasts?
Farmersalmanac.com predicts:
An August and September a lot like what Oklahomans saw in July, thanks to an unsettled weather pattern that could bring more rain.
Wet, crisp and cool fall conditions across New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
Unseasonably cold and stormy conditions across the same region beginning in December, when the almanac expects near blizzard conditions across the region the first week of the month.
A couple of major storms impacting Oklahoma in early and mid-January, and more storms during February and March.
A partial solar eclipse (in Oklahoma City and Tulsa) and a total blackout (in Broken Bow) that will reach its peak about 1:45 p.m. April 8. Other communities that will experience a total solar eclipse include Austin and Dallas, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio; Buffalo, New York; and Burlington, Vermont.
Life Hacks, tasty blueberry recipes and more in the '2024 Farmers' Almanac'
An Oklahoman is among three contestants who won awards in the almanac's annual recipe contest. This one focused on blueberries.
Tyler Buss, of Norman, won second place from among seven finalists for his recipe, Alberta’s Blueberry Poppy Seed Cake.
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This year's almanac also includes various hacks people can use to make their lives easier, including one that explains how to use a dish towel to strip grapes from their stems and another that suggests those with headaches to soak their feet in hot water to ease the pain.
Another section in this year's publication discusses the origins of various phrases often used in our day-to-day lives, like "Baker's Dozen."
Geiger said the phrase's origin dates back to the 12th century in England, where bakers were threatened with floggings if the food they served didn't meet prescribed weights.
"They threw in extra food, for protection," Geiger said.
The phrase, "It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings," traces its origin back to the 1970s, when a sportscaster calling a televised basketball game used it to describe a contest that remained too close to call in its final moments.
Most people believe the phrase to be tied to Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle opera, a 14-hour performance that is closed by a 10-minute soprano solo.
The almanac also includes quirky facts, adages, advice, quotes and proverbs, as well as articles covering a broad range of topics. Fans can go to farmersalmanac.com or on Amazon to purchase a paperback edition for $8.99. Copies also are available at Tractor Supply stores and other places where magazines are sold.
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Last year's predictions looked good, until ...
In November 2022, it appeared the almanac's broad, regional predictions for the coming winter were spot on.
Winter started off cold and snowy in the east and dry out west. An arctic front the week of Christmas sent temperatures across much of the nation plummeting, resulting in the coolest December since 2013 for North America.
"Suddenly, it was as if winter went on Spring Break!" the almanac said on its website about the mistaken forecast.
The sudden change was attributed to the collapse of La Niña, cool waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean that typically bring cold weather to the Northern Plains and dry conditions over southern California while they persist.
In short, 'Farmers' Almanac' expected those conditions would last through last winter. They didn't.
In January, California was hit with a series of nine "atmospheric river" storms that caused significant floods, mudslides and power outages. Tornadoes hit Illinois and Iowa that same month, and much of the Northeast recorded its warmest temperatures ever for January. (The contiguous United States ended up with its 17th-warmest winter on record).
As for this winter, Geiger and the almanac's staff are confident the season will be more traditional. El Niño, which brings warmer waters to the eastern Pacific Ocean, remains in firm control.
"Mother Nature reminds us from time to time that she has the last word. And, if nature tries to throw us another curve ball, we will continue to offer our year-long outlooks, because we won’t let the fear of striking out get in our way," says the almanac's website.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 'Farmers' Almanac' 2023-24 for Oklahoma: Expect a cold, soggy winter
