Cold Wintry Mix Or Warm: Almanacs Disagree On GA Winter Forecast

ATLANTA, GA – This winter could be a mild one with no snow, or we could shiver through a cold season filled with some snow, icy roads and normal winter temperatures. It all depends on whether you believe the Farmer's Almanac or the Old Farmer's Almanac, which have both issued their forecast for the coming winter.

The two folksy forecasters may have almost identical names, but their predictions for what's coming are at polar opposites. The Old Farmer's Almanac, which released its forecast last week, expects a warm, dry winter with less precipitation than normal in Georgia and nearby states.

But the Farmer's Almanac dropped its prediction on Monday. And it's bleaker with an outlook that says winter 2019 will be "colder-than-normal… from the Continental Divide east through the Appalachians." The Southeast zone, which encompasses Georgia, should expect a chilly, wintry mix with above-normal precipitation in December 2018, and for the region in January and February 2019.

February will be the worst, the Almanac predicts, "yes, even the Southeast will be in the chill zone!"

Winter will hang on with stormy conditions up through the official start of spring,, the Almanac says. Mid-March could be stormy virtually coast to coast, bringing snow, sleet, and/or rain as well as strong and gusty winds to many areas. "So, no matter what the groundhog says in February, you’ll know winter isn’t going anywhere anytime soon," the forecasters say.

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For the Southeast states expect:

• Frost in early October, colder than normal temperatures settling in by late October
• More precipitation than normal, likely cold rains mixed with snow in Atlanta area
• Cold, winds and snow in mid- to late February.
• Cold to keep its grip on the region after the official start of spring.

"Contrary to the stories storming the web, our time-tested, long-range formula is pointing toward a very long, cold, and snow-filled winter," said the Almanac's editor Peter Geiger. "We stand by our forecast and formula, which accurately predicted the many storms last winter, as well as this summer's steamy, hot conditions."

SEE ALSO:

• Old Farmer's Almanac Releases Winter 2019 GA Forecast

The Old Farmer's Almanac has been forecasting the weather since 1792 and was founded by Robert B. Thomas who lived in Maine.

The Farmer's Almanac was founded In New Hampshire by David Young in 1818. Both use secret formulas to predict the weather that they keep closely guarded.

Story by Patch Editor Adam Nichols

Photo via Shutterstock / Tuomas Kivioja