Iowans who are hoping for a “White Christmas” will likely get their wish, at least as far as the Old Farmer’s Almanac is concerned. Senior editor MareAnn Jarvela says in 214 years of publishing weather forecasts, the annual book has an 80-percent accuracy rating for precipitation and temperature.
In addition to snow on Christmas, Jarvela says December and January will be the snowiest months of the season, while February will be nice and warmer than usual, followed by a cold April and a possible late April snowstorm in the upper Midwest region. She says the spring ahead isn’t likely going to be one during which photographers will be shooting postcard pictures in Iowa.
She says the Almanac predicts April and May won’t be pretty, as it will be colder than normal with above-normal rainfall, which she says will be helpful for farmers and gardeners. She says the summer ahead is expected to be several degrees cooler than normal with July being the hottest month. While the 2006 edition of the Alamanc has been for sale since September and parts of it were written months before, Jarvela says their accuracy rating is still exceptional.
The 2007 Almanac is already in production. She says they believe the weather comes in cycles and patterns, they consult past weather history and computer models and use a “secret formula” created by the book’s first editor. The Almanac has been around since 1792 and boasts being the oldest publication in North America. For more information, surf to “www.almanac.com”.