Massachusetts Winter Forecast 2018: Farmers' Almanac

A cold, snowy winter is in the cards for the Northeast this year, according to the 2018 Farmers' Almanac. Shocker? Maybe not. But the almanac predicts a return to "normal" temps across the country, much to the chagrin of folks hoping for a repeat of last year's balmy weather.

The forecast for the Northeast – from Maryland to Maine – includes "snowier-than-normal" conditions, and the publication has "red-flagged" five time periods for heavy precipitation along the Atlantic Seaboard: Jan. 20-23; Feb. 4-7, 16-19; and March 1-3, 20-23.

Long-range weather forecasts seem to be all (or incite all) the rage. Last year, AccuWeather rolled out its 90-day forecast, cautioning that people who scheduled weddings and vacations based on predictions two months in advance would be very disappointed.

But long before before AccuWeather was making predictions, the Farmers' Almanac had the long-range forecast market cornered. Now in its 200th year, the publication utilizes the same combination of sunspots, tides and other weather factors it's been using since 1818 to make its prediction.

And its latest 2018 edition, which hits bookstores this week, spells out the usual icy doom and freezing gloom for New Englanders this winter.

Good news for skiers and snow enthusiasts, but for those looking to build sandcastles, not-so-good news, but a good time to book that tropical getaway.

Here's the Almanac's latest look at the next couple of months.

SEPTEMBER

1st-3rd: Wet weather for New England; only scattered showers and thunderstorms for the southern states of this region.
4th-7th: Fair and pleasant.
8th-11th: Thunderstorms sweep in from the West followed by clearing skies.
12th-15th: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers.
16th-19th: Rain, then turning fair and cooler.
20th-23rd: Fair skies.
24th-27th: Thunderstorms followed by clearing and cooler conditions.
28th-30th: Hurricane or tropical storm threat for the Atlantic Seaboard.

OCTOBER

1st-3rd: Mostly fair.
4th-7th: Fair/windy.
8th-11th: Strong disturbance sweeps off the Atlantic Coast bringing heavy rain with gale-force winds along New England Coast.

Patch file photo