Farmers’ Almanac forecasts the 2026-27 winter could bring stark contrasts across the United States, with an active storm track across the South, brief cold snaps in the North, and a volatile combination of rain, sleet, freezing rain, and heavy snow in the Northeast.
The almanac released its long-range winter outlook on Friday. It described the coming winter as one of “snow, sleet and surprises.”
Forecaster Caleb Weatherbee, a pseudonym used by the publication, prepared the winter outlook using a proprietary formula that dates to the almanac’s founding in 1818. The proprietary formula uses solar activity, lunar influences, historical weather patterns, and modern meteorological data.
The almanac sees El Niño as a major influence during the winter, favoring wetter-than-normal conditions across most parts of the South.
An active storm track may extend from Southern California and the Desert Southwest through Texas, the Gulf Coast, and the Southeast, bringing more storms, muddy conditions, and occasional bursts of cold air. Some storms could produce sleet, freezing rain, or heavy, wet snow, especially when colder air meets moisture,
The southern Rockies also could experience favorable conditions for mountain snowfall.
There will be average to near normal across the West, northern Plains, Upper Midwest, and Great Lakes. But these areas could experience fast-moving clippers, sudden cold snaps, snow squalls, strong winds, and periods of bitter cold.
Frequent freeze-thaw cycles could produce changing conditions on roads and agricultural land across the middle of the country. The Northeast will be facing some of the winter’s most complicated weather patterns. Coastal areas will see more rain and mixed rainfall, while inland areas may experience several rounds of heavy, wet snow, especially in January and February.
Small changes in storm paths or temperatures could determine whether precipitation falls as rain, sleet, freezing rain, or snow.
According to the almanac, the Pacific Northwest will have a more variable and less reliable snow season. Some areas of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest could turn drier when the southern storm track becomes dominant. Brief periods of intense cold, wind and snow, however, remain possible.
The almanac also predicted above-normal rainfall along the southern storm track that will stretch from California and the Southwest eastward through Texas, the Gulf Coast and the Southeast. A secondary storm track along the Eastern Seaboard could bring additional rain, mixed precipitation and snow from the mid-Atlantic to New England. Temperatures near the freezing point could make precipitation types particularly difficult to predict. “Keep the snow shovel, rain boots and ice scraper close at hand,” the almanac said in its summary. “This winter, you may need all three.”
The Farmers’ Almanac has published long-range weather forecasts since 1818. It claims its regional outlooks are 80 percent to 85 percent accurate. But reviews have generally found lower accuracy, while some assessments concluded that the forecasts perform better than chance.
The outlook appears in the 210th edition of the Farmers’ Almanac, which will be available in print later this month.
