Scorching Summer Ahead? Illinois 2018 Outlook

ILLINOIS — Get ready for a wet, hot American summer, because it's coming to Illinois, according to one report. The Farmers' Almanac predicts that the region will experience warmer than normal temperatures this summer.

According to the publication's 200-year-old weather formula, summer 2018 will be warmer than normal for most of the country with much of the middle and western areas of the country seeing the hottest temperatures, especially in July. But if you're a humidity hater, count your blessings that you're not in the southeast zone, where residents "will experience the triple Hs: hazy, hot, and humid conditions which may put a crimp in those traditional outdoor summer activities," according to the almanac.

Illinois shouldn't have to worry about drought this year, with the almanac calling for several bouts of heavy precipitation for the Midwest and "near-normal rainfall."

The almanac's predictions differ a bit from the Weather Channel/National Weather Service long-range forecast, which predicts lower than average temperatures as we move into May, then near or slightly below average temperatures for June and June.

Of course, predictions this far in advance aren't likely to be 100 percent accurate. 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.

The formula has only been altered slightly since it was first developed back in 1818 by the Almanac's first editor, David Young.

"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."

By Deb Belt, Patch National Staff

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