Rainy Christmas On Way For North Carolina, Almanacs Predict

NORTH CAROLINA— A soggy Christmas is likely in the cards for North Carolina this year. Early forecasts from the two most famous long-range weather predictors are in agreement — the holiday season is going to be wet.

The Farmers' Almanac and the Old Farmer's Almanac — yes, they're two separate organizations — both see rain hitting North Carolina and the southeast from Dec. 24 through the end of the month.

For those anxious to see a bit of snow before the holiday, there is a small potential window it could fall in our area, according to the folks at The Old Farmer's Almanac, who predict snow might be possible in our region between Dec. 10 — Dec. 12.

The Old Farmer's Almanac has been forecasting the weather since 1792 and was founded by Robert B. Thomas, who lived in Maine. The Farmers' Almanac was founded In New Hampshire by David Young in 1818.

Both use secret formulas to predict the weather that they keep closely guarded.

For more traditionally scientific forecasters — such as the government's National Weather Service — accurate predictions can't be made nearly a month in advance.

SEE ALSO: Snowy Winter Increasingly Likely For North Carolina: Forecast

Here’s what Farmers’ Almanac is predicting for the southeast through the end of the 2018:
NOVEMBER 2018

• 28th-30th. Messy mix of snow, sleet for the Virginias, Tennessee, mountains of western North Carolina; rain Gulf States through the Carolinas.

DECEMBER 2018

• 1st-3rd. Fast moving storm from the Great Lakes spreads gusty winds, moderate-to-heavy precipitation into Mid-Atlantic. Elsewhere, changeable skies, breezy with perhaps a passing shower or two.
• 4th-7th. A few showers, then clearing skies.
• 8th-11th. Pleasant weather.
• 12th-15th. Sun gives way to clouds.
• 16th-19th. Cold rains from Gulf Coast up through Carolinas, Mid-Atlantic; some snow falls over Appalachians in Tennessee to the Blue Ridge/Gt. Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.
• 20th-23rd. Pleasant conditions.
• 24th-27th. Rainy Christmas holiday from Gulf Coast to the Carolinas.

Here’s what The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting through the end of the 2018:

NOVEMBER 2018

• Nov. 26 -30: Showers, warm, then sunny, cool

DECEMBER 2018

• Dec. 1-5: Rain, then sunny, cold
• Dec. 6-9: Rainy, cool
• Dec. 10-12: Rain and snow, then sunny, cold
• Dec. 13-16: Rain, then sunny, cold
• Dec. 17-31: Rainy periods, mild

Patch Editor Adam Nichols contributed.

(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)