Feature
Old Farmer’s Almanac Calls for Mild Winter, Spring for Texas
For more than 200 years, the Old Farmers’ Almanac has published long-term weather forecasts that many tout as remarkably precise. And while many consider the Almanac “useful, with a pleasant degree of humor,” the weather forecasts have been about 80 percent accurate throughout the years, which is considered a high mark. So what does the 2021 Almanac have in store for Texas? For this coming winter Texas weather will mix intervals of tranquil weather with occasional shots of cold and wintry pre-
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cipitation, but overall may seem to be a bit “temperamental.” “The coldest periods will be in mid-November, early to midDecember, and late January. The best chance for snow will be in late January.” The Almanac goes on to predict that April and May will be cooler and rainier than normal, and summer will be cooler than normal with the hottest periods in mid-June, mid- to late July, and mid-August. Rainfall will be below normal in the north and above normal in the south. This same pattern holds for next fall, as well, with below average temperatures in September and October predicted. On a national scale, winter will be colder than normal in Maine, the Desert Southwest, the Pacific Southwest and eastern Hawaii, and near or above normal elsewhere. Snowfall will be greater than normal in the Northeast, Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, the High Plains and northern Alaska. It will be below normal in most other areas that receive snow (including Texas). While spring will be milder here in Texas, it will be warmer than normal in the northeastern corner of the country, from Iowa northward through the Upper Midwest and westward through the southern Intermountain region, the western Desert Southwest, Alaska and western Hawaii. The Almanac additionally says to “Watch for a tropical storm threat in Florida in mid-May.”
