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The Old Farmer's Almanac Predicts 'A Tale of Two Winters' for 2023

Winter Scene
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Fall starts next week, which means winter is not far away,

The Old Farmer's Almanac says it will be the best of winter for some and the worst for the rest of us.

Associate Editor Tim Goodwin said predictions suggest half of the country will deal with bone-chilling cold and loads of snow, while the other half may feel like winter never really arrives.

He encourages the western half of the U.S. to prepare for wet and mild conditions, while the eastern half hunkers-down for record-breaking cold.

The almanac - published since 1818 - claims an 80% accuracy rate. It says fall is going to be warmer and drier than normal in most locations.

In addition to its detailed weather forecasts, Goodwin said he believes the Farmer's Almanac - with its iconic yellow cover - remains popular more than 200 years after its first edition because it also tracks the tides, planting seasons and even how to handle hay fever.

"We've continuously published every single year, through wars, through everything that entire time," said Goodwin. "We're the oldest continuous periodical in North America, and I think it's just one of those things that has been passed on from generation to generation. It's an institution, I think."

Goodwin said for hundreds of years, almanacs claimed a large place in rural life, especially for farmers.

"They'd put it in the outhouse and they'd put it in the barn and the workshop," said Goodwin. "And they'd put it on their belt loops and carry it out with them to the field because they trusted it for those kind of things."

Launched in 2008, the Illinois News Connection (INC) is part of a network of independent public interest state-based news services pioneered by Public News Service. Our mission is an informed and engaged citizenry making educated decisions in service to democracy; and our role is to inform, inspire, excite and sometimes reassure people in a constantly changing environment through reporting spans political, geographic and technical divides.

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