Old Farmer’s Almanac: Brace For Longest, Coldest Winter In Years
This wasn't exactly what we were hoping for but in a year like 2021, we would expect nothing less. The Old Farmer's Almanac says to brace for the coldest and longest winter in years.
The Old Farmer's Almanac recently released their predictions for the 2021 - 2022 winter season and it will send shivers down your spine - no pun intended. Overall, they say to expect a "season of shivers" as we prepare for a rough winter season.
This shouldn't come as a huge shock. Like I said, it is 2021 and some wild things have happened. It has also been a rough few years for us all so I wouldn't expect anything less than a rough winter to round out the year. Ha!
In all seriousness, this shouldn't come as a huge shock because we had a brutal winter in 2020 - 2021. This was due to La Niña conditions, which emerged in time for the winter season. This brought us a prolonged cold snap in February that lasted hundreds of hours and heavy snow. Things tapered off in April.
In late July, the National Weather Service revealed that it was likely we will see a La Niña winter again. As of mid-August, the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center reported La Niña will likely emerge sometime between now and October, with a seventy-percent chance conditions will carry over into the new year.
This alone should have let us in on what was to come but now, we have the Old Farmer's Almanac weighing in as well. They make long-term weather predictions by region. Some believe in their methodology and some do not. (In case you're curious, the Old Farmer's Almanac points out in their winter outlook that they have an eighty-percent success rate over the course of 230 years.)
The Old Farmer's Almanac says to prepare for a "season of shivers" - what does this mean for the Twin Ports?
Calling this winter a "season of shivers" isn't great. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, all of Minnesota and most of Wisconsin will be characterized by cold conditions. While this may not be breaking news, the Old Farmer's Almanac says this winter will be more brutal than usual.
The Old Farmer's Almanac says this winter will bring "positively bone-chilling, below-average temperatures across most of the United States" along with one of the longest and coldest winters yet. The only areas that aren't expecting brutally cold conditions are California, parts of Texas, Alaska and Hawaii.
We know it will be cold but how much snow can we expect in the Twin Ports this winter?
It is no secret we are in a major drought across Minnesota and part of Wisconsin. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, it doesn't look like we will be seeing enough snow to make up for the precipitation we need.
All of Minnesota and most of Wisconsin, including the Twin Ports, is projected to see a dry winter season, which means we won't be seeing as much snow as we usually do throughout a winter season.
With summer coming to a close and fall upon us, we should start transitioning into somewhat mild conditions, at least for a short while. It was anything but a mild summer for the Twin Ports, having been the warmest summer on record for Duluth.
On top of that, our drought worsened over the course of the summer. As of September 1st, we are nearly six inches behind on rain in Duluth. WDIO Meteorologist Brandon Weathers shared a monthly breakdown of our rain deficit for summer of 2021 on Facebook Wednesday (September 1st).
We also dealt with poor air quality throughout the course of the summer, thanks to wildfires burning nearby. As of early August, 2021 was deemed the worst year for air quality in Duluth since records began back in 2000.
Looking into our transition to fall, the National Weather Service Twin Cities says we can expect a wetter weather pattern, which is definitely needed in the Twin Ports and beyond.