Minnesota 'Polar Coaster' Forecasted For This Winter

MINNESOTA — You can look forward to a cold winter with more snow than usual in Minnesota this year — at least if you believe the good folks from the Farmers’ Almanac.

The centuries-old forecaster is predicting the Midwest can expect a "frigid and snowy" winter, with an above-average amount of snow during the winter months.

"Are you ready for another winter ride, full of chills and thrills?! According to the 2020 Farmers’ Almanac, this winter will be filled with so many ups and downs on the thermometer, it may remind you of a 'Polar Coaster,'" the forecasters state.

"According to our long-range outlook, spring will be slow to start with winter lingering across the Midwest, Great Lakes, Northeast, and New England. Occasional wet snow and unseasonably chilly conditions will hang on for a ride that you may not be able to get off until April!"

According to the Farmers’ Almanac, the coldest outbreak of the season should arrive during the final week of January and last through the beginning of February.

Minnesotans can expect a late start to any warm weather we see in the spring.

The Farmers’ Almanac doesn’t use satellite data or other methods to make predictions, but rather a “secret” mathematical and astronomical formula based on factors such as sunspot activity and the tidal action of the moon.

The Almanac's prediction follows an absolutely brutal 2018-2019 winter for Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Transportation spent nearly $133 million dollars to clear roads during the 2018-19 winter season and crews faced some of the most severe weather in the state in a decade, according to a news release.

Last winter, snowplow drivers worked more than 198,000 hours of overtime during the 2018-19 winter and exceeded the bare lane target goals for all road classifications within 36 hours after a snow event.

Patch reporter Gus Saltonstall contributed to this report.