Iowans are still enduring the heat of summer, but forecasters are already looking ahead to the winter chill. The 2026 edition of the Farmers’ Almanac is now available and editor Sandi Duncan predicts Iowans will need to make sure their furnaces are in good working condition or they’re stocked up on firewood.
Winter officially arrives December 21st but the almanac is predicting the first significant snowfall will hit Iowa in early December. The winter will be bone-chilling and snow-filled, what Duncan calls a classic winter wonderland, starting the second week of January.
Spring will be slow to arrive next year, so slow, she’s predicting it’ll be “sloth-like.”
The Lewiston, Maine-based almanac boasts a forecast accuracy rate of 80% to 85%, which she says is based on a formula that was first created in 1818.
Besides long-term weather predictions, the Farmers’ Almanac also contains a wealth of information on gardening, cooking, home remedies, folklore, managing your household, living in harmony with nature, and more.
