End of The Year Weather

I love watching weather between Christmas and New Year’s Day. During this stretch we sometimes find our weather can be in a real funk. Snow in New England and the Midwest, heavy fog for Minneapolis, rain in Atlanta, temperatures as low as 35 degrees in Phoenix and travel is almost always disrupted. All of this is happening the last week of December 2007. While it isn’t possible for us to be 100% accurate doing our predictions 2 years in advance, it is gratifying to receive notes like this one from Denver.

The Farmers’ Almanac got it right this time. The local forecast for Christmas day in Denver was a 50% chance of snow, up to an inch. By the time we woke up yesterday there was about three inches and it continued to snow until after 5:00pm. In the end we had close to a foot at our house, and most parts of town received over five inches. Your forecast of “Heavy snows over the Rockies and Plain states” is much more accurate. Now we’ll see if the next system – forecast for 30% chance of light snow by locals – will actually be much more. Happy New Year! Missy.

The General Manager of a local television station, realizing I am a news-aholic ( I watch this station 4 hours each day),sent a note saying “you continue to be considered one of our top fans. Seems your snow predictions are coming true this year!”.

We are doing well with the Northeast, Midwest and Colorado. My New Year’s wish is to see our prediction for colder temperatures in the Southeast come true.

Whatever your hopes for the New Year, I hope they come true, too. The Farmers’ Almanac has seen hundreds of years come and go. These can be stressful times, which makes it especially important for us to take a moment to be grateful for what we have and to truly count our considerable blessings.

Happy New Year for the staff of the Farmers’ Almanac, and all the best for 2008.

Pete Geiger, Philom.

Editor