Farmers’ Almanac Releases 2020-21 Forecast For NJ

NEW JERSEY – Yup, it's sticky and it's hot. And it's still 2020. And, as far as the weather is concerned, we could go from bad to worse.

The Farmers' Almanac has released just what you may need to hear – or may need to run from: its long-range 2021 winter forecast for New Jersey.

The Farmers’ Almanac calls its forecast the “winter of the Great Divide” with “cold and snowy conditions in the North, drought in the West and everything crazy in between.”

Here in New Jersey, we’re in for something we haven't seen in a long, long time: A snowy winter.

The Farmers’ Almanac even predicts winter’s biggest storm may come around mid-February with a blizzard dumping 1 to 2 feet of snow all along the Eastern Seaboard (see monthly forecast below).

The forecast makes sense. While New Jersey has had mild winters lately, it has had late winter periods of snowy weather. And forecasters have blamed that phenomenon squarely on climate change and the polar vortex.

Rising temperatures at the North Pole weaken the polar vortex and cause the normally pent-up frigid air to be displaced southward and into the New Jersey area, according to AccuWeather.

Arctic air, as a result, is likely to periodically push through the Upper Midwest to the Northeast during the late winter and early spring months. The northern parts of these areas – including New Jersey – will likely receive rounds of snow, according to AccuWeather

The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2021 winter forecast, meanwhile, is predicting a mild and wet winter. Read more: Old Farmer's Almanac Winter 2020-21 Predictions For NJ

Any confusion about the two sources is completely understandable. Both are compendiums of useful information about the weather, gardening and just grooving on nature in general.

And though the Old Farmer’s Almanac, established in 1792, is the oldest of the two, the Farmers’ Almanac is no first bloom of spring. It’s been around since 1818.

The secret formula used by the Farmers’ Almanac is based on sunspot activity, tidal forces resulting from the moon’s gravitational pull, planetary alignment and other factors. It’s known only by the almanac’s weather prognosticator, who goes by the pseudonym Caleb Weatherbee.

As winter approaches — it officially arrives in the United States on Monday, Dec. 21 — “preparing for the unexpected is more important than ever,” Peter Geiger, Farmers’ Almanac editor, said in a news release.

Here’s a snapshot of what the Farmers’ Almanac says could be in store across America:

• Cold in the Great Lakes and Midwest, the Northern and Central Plains and the Rockies, with abundant and possibly above-normal snow in parts of the western Dakotas, Wyoming, northern portions of Colorado and Utah.
• Average precipitation and chillier temperatures in the Southeast.
• Mild temperatures but continued drought conditions in Arizona and Southern California.
• Tranquil weather mixed with shots of cold and wintry precipitation in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and western parts of Arkansas and Louisiana.
• Rainy, wet weather along the Pacific Coastal Plain from Northern California to the western portions of Oregon and Washington.
• “Winter wild card” weather from the Tennessee and lower Ohio River valleys to the north and east through New England, with a mix of intense systems delivering a wintry mix of rainy, icy and snowy weather throughout the winter.

Here is the monthly forecast for New Jersey:

• November: The month will start with stormy, heavy rains, perhaps mixed with sleet, wet snow in the mountains. It will end with unsettled, light snow.
• December: A major East Coast storm is predicted for mid-month. A strong weather front from the west will bring gusty winds and a wide variety of precipitation to close out the year.
• January: A coastal storm will bring heavy snowfall to New York, but a wintry mix further south.
• February: A storm moving north along the Mid-Atlantic Coast will be significant snowfall by the 7th. Blizzard conditions are expected by mid-month.