Farmers' Almanac forecasts 'very, very cold' winter for Canada

Ryan Flanagan Web Journalist

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Canadians are being warned to brace for a winter that will be nasty, brutish and not at all short.

The Farmers’ Almanac has released its winter forecast, which editor Peter Geiger says is based on mathematical and astronomical formulas.

“What we’re saying for this particular winter is that it’s just basically going to be very, very cold,” Geiger told CTV News Channel on Tuesday.

The almanac’s projections call for cold weather in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, “biting cold” in Ontario and “teeth-chattering cold” across the Prairies. B.C. bucks the trend, with “typical winter temperatures” in the forecast.

Average snowfall is expected in the Prairies, with Ontario and Quebec seeing slightly more than normal levels. B.C. and Atlantic Canada will receive their usual wintry mix of precipitation.

“I think the worst is going to be the Prairies. We talk about a lot of cold, a lot of snow there,” Geiger said.

On the storm front, Geiger said Central Canada will start to see significant blasts of wintry weather by November, with “two or three big storms that cover a good part of Canada” arriving in December.

“Let’s hope for a white Christmas – and then the cold, cold stuff is just going to come and come and come,” he said, adding that the period from Feb. 12 to Feb. 16 would likely be “the coldest part of the winter” for many parts of North America, with winter-like temperatures hanging on through March.

The Farmer’s Almanac is also forecasting an unusually cold winter for most of the United States, with even Texas and Louisiana said to be in line for a “stinging cold” compared to their normal conditions.

“You cannot escape to Florida. I think we even talk about a frost in April down in Louisiana,” Geiger said.

According to Geiger, the Farmers’ Almanac forecast five big storms to hit the U.S. east coast last winter, and its projections were never off by more than two days.

“We tend to nail the big storms,” he said. “People tell us we’re anywhere from 75 to 85 per cent accurate. That all depends on where you live.”