As the leaves fall in step with the temperature, it’s time for the annual look ahead at the weather forecast for the next 12 months according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
November
The month will open with a few wet days followed by a week of mainly sunny and cool weather before returning to mild and wet. The second half of the month sees temperatures start to slide bringing us snow showers before ending cold with flurries.
December
Old Man Winter makes his presence known with very cold weather and some snow flurries in week one but it then warms up again with heavy rain that will predominate through to the end of week three. Will there be a white Christmas? While we might get a covering before the big day it looks like we’ll get a repeat of last year with the heavy snow not showing up until Boxing Day. And the month will end with more very cold weather with some flurries.
January
That cold snap will carry through the first few days then it is back to mild for most of the rest of the month with some light snow. And the month ends with sunny cold weather.
February
The first 10 days will be a mix of wet or white turning once again to sunny and cold for the following week and ending with a wet/white mix.
March
While down south they’ll be enjoying the first Spring flowers, we’ll be getting serious snow for the first two weeks. Then its back to sunny and cold for a few days before snow showers take over for the rest of the month.
April
Opens with a week of sunny and mild weather followed by a week of cool and showery and repeats that back and forth for the rest of the month.
May
Spring will truly arrive with the Old Farmer using the word warm for the first time to describe week one. It then cools off for 10 days with showers before the sun takes over in time for the traditional planting time for gardeners and start of the camping season.
June
Pretty much what you expect from this month with cool showery weather for the first two weeks followed by a spell of sunny days before closing out with more cool and showery.
July
The cool and showery weather carries over before warm sunny days bring the promise of Summer. But it’s a trick as the rest of the month has as many cool showery days as it does warm and sunny.
August
Finally hot weather makes an appearance in the first week but showers will predominate for the rest of the month along with cool days for the time of year.
September
A nice start to the month with 10 days of sunny and warm but then showers and cool take over.
October
Rain, rain and more rain with the strong possibility of it turning to snow for the final week.
The Old Farmer doesn’t claim infallibility, only that it gets it right 80 per cent of the time. I’m pretty sure most of us hope that 20 per cent error applies to July and August so that we get a decent Summer.