Farmer's Almanac To Shutter After 207 Years Of Publication

This year's edition of the Farmer's
Almanac will be its last. It had 
been published yearly since 1818,

 The Farmers' Almanac, a yearly publication that's been around since 1818 is going away. 

The recently released 2026 edition will be its last.

"It is with heavy heart that we share the end of what has not only been an annual tradition in millions of homes and hearths for hundreds of years, but also a way of life, an inspiration for many who realize the wisdom of generations past is the key to the generations of the future," said Editor Sandi Duncan.

In a statement on the Farmers' Almanac website, today's "chaotic media environment" were blamed for the decision to close. 

"Though the Almanac will no longer be available in print or online, its spirit will live on in the values it championed: simplicity sustainability and connection to nature," the message on the publication's website said. 

The Farmers' Almanac was started in 1818 by David Young, a 37-year-old poet and astronomer.  That initial 36-page copy in 1818 contained "Lunations, Conjunctions, Eclipses, Judgement of the Weather and the "Rising and Setting of the Planets." 

And other nuggets of wisdom, of course. 

According to the Washington Post, by some accounts, Abraham Lincoln, used the Farmers'Almanac to help a client avoid a murder conviction. A witness said there was a full moon at 11 p.m. on the night of the murder. But that night, the moon was in its first quarter, and set at 11:57 p.m.

The Farmers' Almanac reached its peak from the Depression era of the mid-1930s to around the mid 1990s. 

Raymond Geiger, whose company, the Geiger Brothers, took over the Almanac in 1934. Its circulation was 86,000 at the time Geiger took over. By the time Geiger died in 1994, the circulation had increased to 4 million. 

The Almanac claimed its weather forecasts for the year, which it said is 85 percent accurate. Most scientists give publications like the Farmers' Almanac about a 50 percent accuracy rate, but that's another story.  

For the record, the Farmers' Almanac's final weather prediction says that New England is in for a "cold, snow-filled" winter season.

Fans of the Farmers' Almanac are crushed by the news. 

"Please don't go. I've grown up with you and want to keep growing older together," one reader wrote. Another said. "I have had FA in may home every year since I was 19 years old. I am now in my 70s. The wit, wisdom and weather have been like a wonderful old friend to me."

The Farmers' Almanac is not to be confused with the Old Farmer's Almanac, that familiar one with the yellow cover. That one is going full steam ahead. The Old Farmers Almanac has been existence since 1792, longer than the soon to be defunct Farmer's Almanac. 

"Rest assured, as sure as the Sun will rise, The Old Farmer's Almanac- with our familiar yellow cover.......will be around for generations to come," the Old Farmer's Almanac said in a Facebook post.  

Meanwhile, the final edition of the Farmer's Almanac can be purchased on Amazon or in numerous retail stores. Its online presence will go dark in December. 

The editors' final statement was poignant. "So go ahead - plant your peas when the daffodils bloom. Watch for a red sky at night. Tell your kids how grandad always swore by the Almanac....That's how our story stays alive" 

It's That Time Of Year For Winter Forecasts. Not That They'll Actually Come True, But......

NOAA is leaning toward a milder than normal winter
in the South and East. Here in Vermont, I doubt
it will be as toasty as last winter, which was
the warmest on record. 

 Every year, countless people and organizations try to read the tea leaves to tell us in advance what kind of winter we'll have.  

The forecasts are very often wrong, but whatever. I guess it's fun to try.

For a change, there's one certainty in the winter forecast for Vermont that we haven't seen in other years: I almost guarantee this winter will be colder than last. 

That's because last winter was the warmest on record, and in much of the Champlain Valley, it never even got below zero last go around. 

But will it be just a tiny bit cooler than last winter, but still warm? Or will the bottom drop out of the thermometers in December, January and February?

Dunno, since long range forecasts are often super unrelaible.

But let's see what the pundits have to say.

NOAA/NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 

NOAA is forecasting a La Nina winter, which is a cold phase for water in the eastern Pacific Ocean that influences much of the weather around the world.

That means says NOAA, that chances in general favor warmer than average temperatures in the southern and eastern United States and with colder than average weather in the Northwest.

Precipitation under NOAA's scenario would be on the light side across the southern United States and leaning perhaps above normal in the Pacific Northwest and near the Great Lakes.

For us in Vermont, NOAA is leaning toward warmer than normal, but not as strongly as they are for the southern United States. As for whether it will be wetter or drier than average, NOAA says it's a tossup for us, maybe leaning sort of toward the wet side.

Of course, the other question is whether that precipitation would be mostly in the form of rain or snow. La Nina winters slightly favor above normal snowfall in northern New England, ,so we shall see.

Last year, NOAA predicted we'd have a warm winter and they were right. They'd said that winter precipitation would be a tossup and it kind of was. December was very wet, January was sort of wet and February was dry.  A mixed bag there.

THE OLD FARMERS ALMANAC

This publication is not going for the wild winter weather it so often predicts. Says the Almanac: 

"'This winter, temperatures will be up and snowfall down through most of the United States, reports Carol Conner, the Almanac's editor-in-chief. 'While there will still be plenty of chilly temperatures and snow for most slopes, the high heating costs associated with the season shouldn't hit so hard. We're predicting a temperate, uneventful winter - potentially a welcome reprieve from the extremes of recent years.'" 

Unlike NOAA, The Old Farmer's Almanac has the South getting the bulk of the precipitation this winter. They expect the most snowfall relative to average in southern and central Appalachia, parts of the Ohio Valley and the Rockies.  

The Old Farmer's Almanac is calling for a winter that
will not be as dramatic as many recent winters.

The Old Farmer's Almanac map is kinda weird. It describes the upcoming winter here in New England and extending out to the northern Great Lakes and northern Plains as "mild, dry."

 But they have these odd little pockets of "cold, dry, stranding the Ohio/Pennsylvania border and in an area around souther Lake Michigan.

That doesn't really make meteorological sense, but whatever.  

Last year, the Old Farmer's Almanac was partly right for what happened in the winter 2023-24. They correctly said it would be mild, and it was certainly that. They also said it would be snowy, but snowfall was below normal last winter. 

THE FARMERS ALMANAC

Not to be confused with the Old Farmer's Almanac, about, this publication is just the Farmers Almanac. Sure, a little redundant maybe, but we'll deal. 

This outfit seems to be anticipating more drama than most of the other prognosticators. Most other forecasters limit the extent of persistent cold in the United States this winter, but the Farmers Almanac kind of goes for broke. 

They call for a cold winter in the Northwest and a vast part of the nation's middle, except the southern Plains. 

The Farmers Almanac predicts most of the South and East would generally be on the mild side, but with some intrusions of cold.

This group also is pushing a lot of storminess this winter.   The only place they anticipate lighter precipitation is in the southern Plains.

For us in Vermont, they have us somewhat on the mild side with very frequent bouts of rain and/or snow. 

THE WEATHER CHANNEL

The folks at the Weather Channel are pretty much in line with NOAA/The National Weather Service. They're predicting a warmer than average winter for pretty much the eastern and southern two thirds o the United States, including us up here in New England,

They're forecasting things to be on the chilly side in the northwestern part of the Lower 48.  It does seem the Weather Channel is a little more bullish on the eastern warmth than NOAA, We shall see! 

ACCUWEATHER

AccuWeather is in general agreement with most forecasters, predicting more or less warmer than usual conditions across the South and East.

They're focusing largely on snow, and are saying the heaviest snow, relative to average, would hit in the interior Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies, the western Great Lakes and northern New England. Their forecast of variable temperatures this winter, including thaws, means that ski slope snow might be icy or partly melted at times.

But that's pretty much par for the course in our neck of the woods. 

It it does prove to be an overall snowy in New England, AccuWeather is hinting that the bulk of it would hit late in the winter.

Last year, AccuWeather predicted a snowy winter in the Northeast. That didn't really come to pass.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Most forecasts agree with each other about what will happen with the weather this winter, and it's a bit unusual for almost everybody to be on the same page with these long range forecasts. By the way, I'm ignoring the click bait prognosticators on line who always predict ridiculous extremes to attract eyeballs and revenue, but don't actually know what they're doing. 

In any event, winter surprises are always possible. I'd say perhaps even likely.

And remember, even if the overall winter does turn out to be warm, that doesn't mean we won't have intense cold spells. For instance, the winter of 2022-23 was the fourth warmest on record. But we did have a quick spell of record cold in New England in the beginning of February that year. 

Whatever happens, winter will keep us Vermonters on our toes like it always does. 

My winter prediction is the same as it is every year. I'll let you know at the beginning of March, when it's pretty much over. Other than that, it's anybody's guess. And given what I've written above, anyone and everyone is indeed making guessing as to what winter will bring. 

 

Winter Forecasts Mostly Think Vermont/North U.S. To Be Warm. *Results May Vary

For what it's worth, NOAA predicts a warm winter
across the northern tier of states, including here in
Vermont. But don't hang your hat on this. Long
range forecasts are notoriously unreliable.

 It's that time of year when everybody and their brother attempt a forecast for the upcoming winter's weather.  

Fine, I'll play along again, but as always, don't be the least bit surprised if things turn out to be completely different than the various winter forecasts you see in this post.

I'll tell you what the winter of 2023-24 will end up being like in, I don't know, March?

For what it's worth, NOAA this past week released its winter forecast.

It calls for a classic El Nino pattern. Overall, the nation is in for a warm winter, if NOAA is correct. The strongest chances of having a warm winter, relative to average would most likely be in the Pacific Northwest, New England and Alaska.

The NOAA winter precipitation forecast is also classic El Nino, feature a greater chance of drier than normal weather in the northern Rockies, far northern Plains and around the Great Lakes.

Chances for above normal precipitation would extend across the southern tier of the United States from California to the Carolinas. The greatest chance of a wet winter would be across Florida and southern Georgia.

Here in Vermont, NOAA says it's a tossup as to whether it will be wet or dry this winter. 

In my experience during El Nino winters in Vermont, it seems like the early winter is the warmest relative to average and then it gets colder toward late winter. I have no idea whether this will be the case this year, but I'm just throwing that out there, as I've seen it before. 

For what it's worth, NOAA got last winter's forecast right, at least here in the Green Mountain State. The prediction was for a warm winter with equal chances of it being wet or dry. 

The reality was last winter was the third warmest on record,  and was a little wetter than average. However, NOAA got other regions wrong. They did not forecast a remarkably wet winter in California, for instance.

The Weather Channel's winter forecast roughly mirrors NOAA, with the most of the nation, except the Southeast, having a mild winter. The Weather Channel maps overall have the best chances of a warm winter north of a west-east line from about San Francisco to New York City.

Here in Vermont, the Weather Channel kind of echoes my gut feelings. Early winter could be very much on the warm side, but by February, things would be closer to normal, says the home of Jim Cantore.

The Weather Channel missed the mark - at least for us in Vermont - last winter. They said it would be somewhat colder than average (but not extremely cold). But it was extremely warm, so that's a miss. 

AccuWeather is also predicting a classic El Nino type winter with warmer conditions to the north and somewhat cooler south, relative to average.

The difference is AccuWeather is not nearly as bullish on the warmth as NOAA or The Weather Channel. Although AccuWeather thinks the northern third of the U.S. will be on the warmish side, the only really warm regions would be the northern Rockies and the western Great Lakes. They're also predicting more snow in the eastern United States than last winter.

AccuWeather is predicting somewhat above average snowfall for interior New England, including all of Vermont this winter. 

I'm afraid to say AccuWeather kind of botched last year's forecast. They did expect a fairly warm early winter in the Northeast, which turned out to be true. But New England was supposed to have a fairly snowy winter, great for skiing, which didn't happen. Their worst mistake was saying that California would remain dry, and drought would continue. Oops. 

The other usual suspects have also issued their winter forecasts. The Old Farmer's Almanac said that most of the central and western United States will have a cold, snowy winter. New England is in for a mild, but snowy winter, says the publication. 

The Old Farmer's Almanac got it wrong for Vermont last winter. They predicted a cold snowy winter. As noted, it turned out very warm. Also, snowfall was somewhat below normal. 

The rival Farmer's Almanac (I guess it's not so old) is forecasting a cold, stormy winter in northern New England. The same publication also said we would have a cold, stormy winter last year, which of course didn't happen.  

As noted, I have no idea who among these prognosticators who is right. Another mystery for me is all the emphasis on winter outlooks every year. We do see spring, autumn and summer outlooks, but those predictions lack the breathless anticipation and certainty of the forecasters, despite their weak track record. 

Anyway, enjoy your winter. However it turns out.