WFAA photo
DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) — North Texans should prepare for for a cold, snowy winter.
Or not.
The 2018 Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting the coldest temperatures in the region from late November into early December with lots of snow late December through early to mid-February.
Remember the 2013 storm we called “Icemaggedon”? That’s what we’re talking about for the coming season.
On the other hand, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram checked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center and got a chilly reception.
They’re predicting a warmer than normal winter with less than normal precipitation.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been around since 1792 and claims an 80% accuracy rating of its long-range national forecasts.
Most scientists are politely skeptical.
State climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon explains the long-range outlook for North Texas has changed over the past few months.
CNN photo
“Originally, a few months ago we thought an El Niño might develop,” Nielsen-Gammon said. “Possibly the Farmer’s Almanac was looking at that at print time and conditions have changed since then. Of course, no one knows their methodology. It’s a secret.”
El Niño weather patterns typically bring cooler and wetter winters to Texas while its sister weather pattern, a La Niña, tends to bring warmer weather to the state.
“There’s a definite possibility that we might have a La Niña — or something close it — develop this winter,” Nielsen-Gammon admits.
Which forecast is more accurate remains to be seen but you have to give the Old Farmer’s Almanac credit for one thing:
They put it in writing.
