While we’re in the season of state fair corndogs and cotton candy, soon enough, the wicked winds of winter will blow into Iowa, and the new edition of the Farmers’ Almanac isn’t boding well for the seasons to come. Almanac editor Sandi Duncan says their forecast for what lies ahead is under the headline “Wet Winter Whirlwind,” and it predicts Iowa and the rest of the Great Plains states will be facing lower-than-normal temperatures.
Since 1818, the almanac has been using a proprietary formula to forecast the weather, based on historical and celestial factors. In addition to the cold, Duncan says they’re calling for an Iowa winter with average snowfall.
The almanac contains 16 months of weather forecasts, including for the Summer of 2025. In recent months, Iowa has emerged from a four-year drought, and the almanac predicts the heat will be back on a year from now.
Iowa’s had a rough spring and summer, with widespread flooding in many areas that followed severe storms, along with a record 130 tornadoes. Some point to climate change as the root cause, and Duncan says you’d have to be blind to say the climate isn’t changing.
The Lewiston, Maine-based almanac boasts a forecast accuracy rate of 80% to 85%. The prognosticating formula was developed more than two centuries ago, based on factors including sunspot activity, planet positions, and the effect the Moon has on the Earth. Find out more online at www.FarmersAlmanac.com.
