Is 'Winter of the Great Divide' on the Way?

By Paul Rusnak|September 5, 2020

Map of the Farmers' Almanac Winter 2020-2021 Outlook

In a snapshot, the Farmers’ Almanac tells a tale in its winter 2020-2021 outlook of a country divided by wacky weather.

For many, 2020 can’t end soon enough. Looking ahead is a specialty of the Farmers’ Almanac. The publication and its authors over time have been in the prediction game for more than two centuries. For this coming winter, the Almanac describes what’s to come as: “Cold and snowy in the north. Drought in the west. And everything crazy in between!” Are you surprised? This new decade wouldn’t have it any other way.

Here are a few noteworthy summaries from the Farmers’ Almanac 2020-2021 Winter Outlook:

Remember last year’s almost snow-free winter in the Northeast? Well, this year our prediction is very different, with the possibility of a blizzard hitting the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states during the second week of February. This storm may bring up to 1 to 2 feet of snow to cities from Washington, DC to Boston.
The Great Lakes region will get its fair share of snow but expect above-normal snowfall if you live in the western Dakotas, northern portions of Colorado and Utah, as well as Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, as well as central and eastern sections of Washington and Oregon. Eastern Ohio and Kentucky can expect a significant snowfall in the beginning of February, and the Southern Plains are on target to receive copious amounts of snow, sleet, and rain later on that same month.
For those living in the eastern half of the country, you may get clobbered during the final week of March, but what falls from the sky will depend on where you live—this storm will track from the nation’s midsection to central New England and bring a significant late-season snowfall to the north of its track, and showers and thunderstorms to the south.
The Southeastern part of the country, excluding the Tennessee Valley, will experience average precipitation levels with temperatures chillier than normal overall.
Areas across the Desert Southwest, (Arizona and southern California), are predicted to experience a dry and generally mild winter. Not good news considering signs that drought conditions were beginning to ramp up in these regions at the close of the winter 2020.
Right along the Pacific Coastal Plain, from northern California and points north through western portions of Oregon and Washington, rainy and wet weather will be the rule for the winter ahead.
Winter’s “wild card” will be the region covering the Tennessee and lower Ohio River valleys, north and east up through New England, where we can expect a rather intense weather system. This weather system will keep the storms active, delivering a wintry mix of rainy, icy and/or snowy weather throughout the season.

**And What The Old Farmer’s Almanac Has to Say …**

Old Farmer's Almanac Winter 2020-2021 map

The Old Farmer’s Almanac has its own take on what winter 2020-2021 might look like. It has been using a formula based on solar cycles since 1792 to form long-range forecasts.

In somewhat of a contrast in tone, The Old Farmer’s Almanac (the slightly longer-running publication of the two) is predicting a “light winter for many with warmer-than-normal temperatures in the forecast for a large part of the country.”