Old Farmer's Almanac Issues Winter 2019 Forecast For CT

HARTFORD, CT – You can look forward to a warm winter with less snow than normal in Connecticut this year – at least if you believe predictions from the Old Farmer's Almanac.

The centuries-old forecaster is saying the northeast can expect to avoid a deep freeze and, though it's going to rain, most of that precipitation won't be frozen. Connecticut is no stranger to rain as that is all we have seen this summer so far.

"This winter, we expect to see above-normal temperatures almost everywhere in the United States, except in the Southwest, where we’re predicting a colder-than-normal season," the almanac said. "Our milder-than-normal forecast is due to a decrease in solar activity and the expected arrival of a weak El Niño, which will prevent cold air masses from lingering in the North." (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive free daily newsletters and breaking news alerts for more than 100 communities across Connecticut.)

The Farmer's Almanac doesn't use satellite data or other methods to make its predictions, but rather a secret mathematical and astronomical formula based on things like the moon's pull on the atmosphere, for example.

But it does brag about an 80 percent accuracy record. It correctly predicated a warmer than usual summer for this year, but pegged precipitation at "below average." In fact, some parts of Connecticut could see record-breaking rainfall this month with many communities breaking their averages just halfway through, according to the Connecticut Post.

Here is the Alamanac's prediction for last winter.

"The formula takes things like sunspot activity, tidal action of the Moon, position of the planets, and a variety of other factors into consideration," according to the Almanac's website.

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

Deb Belt, Patch National Staff, contributed to this article

Image via Lanning Taliaferro/Patch