Dueling Forecasts Predict Very Different Winters In Washington

Don’t look now, but winter is coming. Accuweather has released a new, long-range winter weather forecast that’s predicting a fairly mild winter for the Seattle region.

AccuWeather long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok says wintry weather will be more scare than usual in the Pacific Northwest, wth strong high pressure leading to drier conditions and above-normal temperatures.

"I can see some places this winter in the Northwest being about 20 to 40 percent lower on the snowfall compared to average," Pastelok said.

Across the United States, AccuWeather’s winter prediction is showing an above-normal season for snowfall in the Northeast and Midwest, heavy rainfall in the Southeast, and ample snowfall in the Southwest and California.

What Do The Farmers’ Almanac And Old Farmer’s Almanac Predict For Winter?

AccuWeather isn’t the only organization that’s released a 2019-20 winter prediction, but consensus can be hard to find when it comes to weather.

Followers of the Farmers’ Almanac for instance, are bracing for a snowy, bone-chilling season. Meanwhile, forecasters at the rival Old Farmer’s Almanac are predicting more rain than snow.

The two meteorological publishers have almost identical names, but their long-range forecasts could not be more different.

The Farmers' Almanac predicts chilly termperatures with normal precipitation in the northwest. A long-range forecast for the region predicts stormy weather for Halloween and heavy rain or wet snow in the second week of November.

The Old Farmer's Almanac predicts a "snow-verload" in the Pacific Northwest, with storms pummeling Washington.

"For the normally rain-soaked Northwest, this could mean a repeat of last winter's record-breaking extremes, including the Snowpocalypse that dumped 20.2 inches on Seattle in February."

Both outfits use secret formulas to predict the weather that they keep closely guarded, and only time — and winter — will tell which one has it right.

Earlier this month, a Seattle weather blogger predicted the Seattle region could feasibly see a snow event by mid-to-late November.