The Farmers' Almanac has released its 2024-2025 Winter forecast and is calling for a “Wet Winter Whirlwind” of a season. The season covers Astronomical Winter, spanning from the Winter Solstice on Saturday December 21, 2024 through the Spring Equinox on Thursday March 20, 2025.
The forecast warns readers to brace for a season of rapid-fire storms with little downtime in between. This should keep the snow removal industry, emergency managers, and transportation crews on their toes!
The biggest contributing factor to the active and snowy forecast is the expected La Nina pattern, with wet and cold conditions expected for most locations. As we’ve previously discussed, La Nina is a pattern of below normal sea surface temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, coupled with stronger than usual trade winds. This is just part of the literal equation, though, as the Almanac’s long-standing formula does consider other factors including meteorological data and celestial events.
Brutal Cold
The coldest temperatures- or at least the greatest below normal- are expected to settle in across the Northern Plains and Great Lakes region, but areas further east into the Appalachians will also see periods of cold conditions. The Almanac goes further to predict that the final week of January into the beginning of February will feature the coldest outbreak of the season with frigid Arctic area plunging nationwide. The forecast calls for heavy snow showers and snow squalls to bring intense snowfall to areas east of the lakes during this time.
New England/Northeast
While the last few years have been lackluster in terms of snowfall for the northeastern United States, this year is looking more promising for the snow industry and snow lovers. Stormy conditions with above normal wintry precipitation is expected, though temperatures should remain at or above normal. Snow will be the primary wintry precipitation type across the interior and mountainous regions, with sleet and rain more common near the coast.
Texas/Southern Plains and West
Collectively, the southern Plains, Texas, and western United States are expected to see above normal temperatures as a rule of thumb this Winter. The only area that may see cooler than normal temperatures is in the Pacific Northwest. Further, drier than normal conditions may develop in the southern Plains, leaving areas further west and northwest with higher precipitation potential.
Mid-Atlantic/East Coast
The Mid-Atlantic region southward down the East Coast should experience a relatively mild winter, but at the cost of it being wetter than normal. Frequent bouts of heavy precipitation are anticipated.
Midwest/Great Lakes/Ohio Valley Region
Here in the heart of the country in the Midwest/lower Great Lakes/upper Ohio Valley region, a prediction of a Cold, Wet, and White winter is on tap. With the last few winters producing widespread below normal snowfall, don’t let this catch you off guard!
RED FLAG
The Almanac is flagging the last week of January for the eastern half of the country, where it expects a very active storm track to develop with heavy precipitation and strong winds. Specifically, the dates of January 20-23 and 24-27 look particularly severe, with copious amounts of snow, rain, sleet, and ice.
Canada
Located further north? No worries! The Almanac has a prediction for Canada as well. Western portions of the country are expected to feature colder conditions, while Ontario and Quebec will feature near-normal Winter temperatures and snowy conditions. Further east a more mild and wet pattern is expected to dominate.
The above forecast was released by the Farmers' Almanac and is NOT the official forecast of Thermodynamic Solutions ("TDS Weather"). Our official Winter Outlook will be issued the last week of October, with a sneak peek of what to expect in our Fall Outlook on Thursday September 29th.
Thermodynamic Solutions (“TDS Weather”) provides professional weather consulting services to a variety of industries including: professional and minor league sports, snow removal and landscaping, golf courses and turf management, colleges and universities, and hospital networks. With nearly two decades of living and forecasting in the Ohio Valley region, our meteorologists provide custom, reliable forecasts that help clients SAVE and MAKE money in their daily operations. Our services include commercial and agricultural forecasting in the short and long ranges, lightning alerts and on-site hazardous weather monitoring, 24/7 on-call decision support services, forensic weather reporting, and more! For weather consulting inquiries, please contact us at info@tdsweather.com.
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