More winter this year?

[IFallsRon]

The Old Farmer's Almanac, which boasts an 80 percent accuracy rate for the annual weather guide it has been publishing since 1792, is predicting a colder and snowier winter for most of the country this year.

The 2007 almanac, available today, says temperatures will be as much as 8 degrees below the 30-year average, with the coldest weather coming in February, said Janice Stillman, editor of the Dublin, New Hampshire-based publication. Most regions will also experience a month of mild weather during the winter, she said.

``It's hard to tell right now what month that will be, but we're thinking it may be March,'' she said in an interview.

The almanac, also known for its recipes and gardening tips, bases its predictions on three factors: sun spots, or explosions on the face of the sun; climatology, or past weather patterns; and meteorology, or the study of the atmosphere.

``Our principle is that all energy comes from the sun,'' Stillman said. ``This is the basic philosophy we've had for the past 215 years.''

States in the northern part of the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest likely will receive more snowfall than normal, based on the 30-year average standard, Stillman said. The almanac doesn't predict the amount of snow that may fall on an area, she said.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Funny, the morning weather dude on WCCO said that because of el'nino we will most likely get a warmer and dryer than normal winter yet again.

I dont pay too much attention to it.. Take it one day at a time.. I'm going fishing no matter what.. .boat or on ice!