Review Of Winter Weather 2024-2025
Last winter rewrote its own rulebook. While December was quite warm, January hit back with snow in southern states, and February couldn't quite make up its mind. Here's what happened and how it matched up with what we predicted two years in advance!
Meteorological winter (December 2024-February 2025) ran almost 2 degrees warmer than usual across the nation, at 34.1°F, landing it in the top third of NOAA’s records. But warmth didn’t bring rain: total precipitation fell nearly one inch below average, at 5.87 inches, making this meteorological winter the third driest on record.
Three Months, Three Different Winters
December 2024 was the fourth-warmest December in 130 years. But January flipped the script: An Arctic blast pushed so far south that Floridians found themselves making snowmen on the beach. Pensacola, Mobile, and New Orleans saw historic snowfall.
Meanwhile, California faced a different crisis: the Palisades and Eaton wildfires, driven by fierce Santa Ana winds, destroyed 16,000 buildings and took 29 lives. Donate to California’s Wildfire Recovery Fund.
Overall, January 2025 ended up being the coldest since 1988 and the sixth driest ever recorded.
February 2025 brought yet another shift. The Southwest basked in unusual warmth; Arizona had its second-warmest February. In contrast, the Pacific Northwest and Northern Plains shivered through below-average temperatures.
Rainfall finally returned to normal, measuring 2.13 inches nationwide, though its distribution looked like a patchwork quilt—some regions soaked, others parched.
2024-2025 Farmers’ Almanac Winter Forecast Accuracy
Our forecast for a mild winter in Texas and the Southern Plains hit the mark, and we correctly called the cold weather over the Northern Plains and Great Lakes.
We also accurately forewarned of a very cold spell at the end of January. But La Niña threw a curveball, leaving us with less wet weather events than expected.
A Note About Forecasting
Weather forecasting has come a long way since 1818, when the first Farmers’ Almanac helped readers plan ahead—without smartphones or TV meteorologists. While our formula accounts for various proprietary factors, we’re humble enough to know that nature always gets the last word.
Our predictions reach further into the future than any app or weather service, and we take pride in sharing these insights months before anyone else. But like those early Almanac readers who watched nature for cues, we know that forecasting remains part science, part art, and always an adventure.
Any questions? Let us know in the comments!
Caleb Weatherbee
Caleb Weatherbee is the official forecaster for the Farmers' Almanac. His name is actually a pseudonym that has been passed down through generations of Almanac prognosticators and has been used to conceal the true identity of the men and women behind our predictions.
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