Overview
- The Farmers' Almanac published its 2026–27 winter outlook on Friday, August 7, 2026, calling the season a “season of sharp contrasts” with frequent southern storms and sudden cold snaps in the North.
- The Almanac predicts an active southern storm track that could bring wetter‑than‑normal conditions from Southern California and the Desert Southwest through Texas, the Gulf Coast and the Southeast.
- The forecast warns the Northeast may see a complicated mix with coastal areas more likely to get rain or mixed precipitation and inland locations facing rounds of heavy, wet snow in January and February.
- The U.S. Climate Prediction Centre says there is about a 97% chance the current El Niño will persist into spring 2027, a factor that raises the plausibility of a southern‑heavy storm pattern but does not guarantee specific local outcomes.
- Questions remain about long‑range accuracy: the Almanac cites regional accuracy of 80–85%, an independent 2010 University of Illinois analysis found accuracy near 52%, and the publication continues under new ownership after a planned shutdown was reversed in January 2026.