Farmers’ Almanac says North Alabama’s fall and winter will be chilly

When Labor Day is over, typically folks start thinking about fall — although technically fall does not begin until later in the month — and Halloween decorations go up, the pumpkin spice goods become more prevalent and of course, football season is here.

But lately, it seems like Alabama has not seen much “fall weather,” and certainly not until after Thanksgiving. But according to the Farmers’ Almanac, this year may be different.

When is ‘sweater weather?’

The Farmers’ Almanac says that September and October will bring “near-normal temperatures and be rainier than normal.” October is supposed to have higher precipitation totals and lower temperatures — on average — than years past.

The average temperature in October for North Alabama is supposed to be around 64 degrees, which is lower than the last three years. In essence, “sweater weather” is supposed to come by October this year rather than December.

With a cooler autumn, this winter should also see cooler temperatures, right?

A chilly winter for Alabama

I have lived in Alabama my whole life, and there was a time when we actually did experience three months of winter weather. In the last decade or so, winter seems to include a week or so of cold weather and then a few months of what we used to associate with fall weather. This winter, however, the Farmers Almanac says the entire country could see major changes from years past.

December is supposed to be stormy and cold nationwide with an active storm pattern developing and hanging around for most of the season over the eastern half of the country. Even in the South, temperatures will reach freezing way before they did last winter.

The Farmers’ Almanac has also predicted an active storm track for January, which means Alabama could experience various forms of precipitation, including snow, rain, sleet and ice. Alabama typically sees an average of one inch of snowfall per year (the national average is 28 inches), but with these temperatures, chances are conducive — especially here in North Alabama — to more snowfall than normal.

Most states in the Southeast “will see frequent storms bringing cold rains and a wintry mix of wet snow, sleet, ice, freezing rain—as well as chilly temperatures,” the Farmers’ Almanac says.

The best chance of snow in the southeast will come in the new year, likely around Jan. 16-23, 2023, “with heavy rain and snow across the eastern two-thirds of the country followed by a bitterly cold outbreak of arctic air.”

Why trust the Farmers’ Almanac?

The Farmers’ Almanac was first published in 1818, and in my experience, it’s the best source of published weather forecasts. And no, it is not 100 percent accurate, but it is the oldest source of consecutively published weather forecasts, even older than the National Weather Service.

Even though its prediction isn’t always correct, it does tend to have around an 80 percent accuracy rate.

While some may question how a publication that started more than 200 years ago can make such accurate weather forecasts, the Farmers’ Almanac editors like to remind everyone that “this formula has been time-tested, challenged, and approved for centuries.”

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