Remember that miserable winter that we had last year, the year before that, and essentially every one since the beginning of time?! I don’t know about you, but I just kind of assumed that every winter until the end of time would be like that for us South Dakotans, but that may not be the case this year:
The Farmers' Almanac just released their Winter Weather Map for 2018-2019 and it appears to be good news all around: Above normal temperatures (almost) everywhere!
Aside from the southwest (who is predicted to be colder-than-normal), the Farmer's Almanac is predicting milder-than-normal temperatures, thanks to a weak and foreseen El Niño, plus a decrease in solar activity.
While it is predicted that we will see less snowfall than usual, the Almanac does predict that we should see a decent amount of rain, which is both a nice and much-needed change!
In terms of snowfall, South Dakota averages a whopping 41 inches of snow each year, which is nearly 15 inches more than the national average (26 inches)!
Now the million dollar question: Just how accurate are the Farmers’ predictions? As per the Farmers’ Almanac website, "Since 1792, The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been known for its traditionally 80 percent accurate forecasts."