Grow Your Life
EMAIL
FACEBOOK
STUMBLEUPON
TWITTER
DIGG
DELICIOUS
REDDIT
GOOGLE BUZZ
BOOKMARK THIS
PRINTSpring Forward
Sunday morning at 2am we move our clocks forward and enter Daylight Saving Time. 70 countries observe DST in one form or another. The only industrialized countries that do not are Japan, China and India. It was created as a way to enjoy more daylight in the evenings during the summer months.
The concept of Daylight Saving Time is credited to Ben Franklin. The benefit of daylight in the 1700s and 1800s, was to allow farmers to work later into the night. During the 1900s it was determined that DST could help conserve fuel. More recently Congress expanded DST as a major energy policy. The jury is out about whether DST saves on fuel consumption. From what I read, it does not.
Regardless, we turn our clock forward this Sunday and will move them back the first weekend of November. It is also a good time to remember to replace batteries in smoke, carbon monoxide and other pieces of monitoring equipment. . Rather than throwing the batteries away, you might be able to put them in radios, clocks or other household items that require a low amount of power.
Peter Geiger is the Editor of the Farmers' Almanac. Read his full biography here.Free Weekly eNewsletter
Farmers' Almanac Long Range Weather
February 8th - February 11th
- Northeast U.S.
Wet snow mixed with rain Mid-Atlantic north through New England; slushy accumulations of 4+" possible.
- Midwest/Great Lakes U.S.
Accumulating snows Kentucky, Ohio, then clearing. Fair elsewhere.
- Southeast U.S.
Wet snow Tennessee, western North Carolina; wintry mix northern Mississippi, Alabama. Elsewhere, rain, then clearing.
- North Central U.S.
Drier, much colder.
- South Central U.S.
Snow parts of Arkansas, then clearing, cold. Clear, much colder elsewhere.
- Northwest U.S.
Drier, but colder.
- Southwest U.S.
Drier, but noticeably colder.
• View entire Long Range Weather Forecast »
• Farmers' Almanac 2011-12 Winter Outlook »
• View the Almanac Daily Planner »
If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1910, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.