Farmers’ Almanac Winter Forecast: What’s In Store For Maryland

MARYLAND — Although temperatures in much of Maryland are expected to be in the 90s this week, forecasters say stormy, chilly weather is ahead this winter.

The Farmers’ Almanac just released its 2021-22 winter forecast, and it looks like Maryland should expect a stormy January with less precipitation in February. March will be "unseasonably cold," according to the almanac.

Winter officially begins with the winter solstice on Tuesday, Dec. 21, and the long-range forecast suggests the spring equinox on March 20 could be more winter-like than spring-like.

Across the eastern third of the nation, temperatures this winter overall should range from near-normal to somewhat below average, according to the Farmers’ Almanac winter forecast.

The Farmers’ Almanac is calling for near-normal amounts of snow nationwide but "flip-flopping" temperatures. In Maryland, it will start out mild in January and turn unusually chilly in March.

Here is a closer look at the winter forecast for Maryland from the Farmers' Almanac:

Overall, January will be stormy, especially along the Atlantic Seaboard, with bouts of rain, snow, sleet and ice. Heavy snow, rain or a wintry mix is particularly probable the second week of January. The New Year will begin with mild temperatures, which get colder toward the middle or latter part of the month.

February should offer some reprieve, with storms dying down until the end of the month. The Farmers’ Almanac forecasts 57 percent fewer days of measurable precipitation in February compared with January in the eastern third of the United States. There is one week when storms may hit — heavy snow, rain or a wintry mix is likely the last week of February, according to the almanac.

Those hoping for an early spring likely will be disappointed come March.

"A late winter storm will blow in at mid-month followed by a nor’easter along the East Coast toward month’s end," according to the almanac.

Aside from that, forecasters expect most of March to be "uneventful" in the Mid-Atlantic, stating: “From start to finish, the month will be full of stretches of uneventful weather, but when it turns stormy, the precipitation will come in big doses."

The Farmers’ Almanac, established in 1818, publishes its annual extended winter forecast every August.

Here are highlights from the forecast for other parts of the country:

• The Great Lakes and Northeast can expect potent winter storms — heavy snow, rain or a wintry mix of both — during the second week of January, the final week of February and the second week of March.
• A blizzard is possible at the end of the third week of January for the Northern Plains and Rockies.
• The Farmers' Almanac predicts a "winter whopper" with significant snow toward the end of February for portions of the Northeast and Ohio Valley.
• Winter temperatures are expected to be "well below-normal" in the central United States, especially in February.

— By Eric Heyl, Beth Dalbey and Elizabeth Janney