Hi, I just heard today on the news that according to the Farmer's Almanac, we should expect to have an unseasonably cold and snowy winter this year. Yikes! I still remember last winter hearing about the 7-8 feet of snow that Buffalo, NY and surrounding areas received. The weather where I live has been fairly normal but I keep hearing about all the extreme weather all over the world and I wonder when my area is going to get our due!
I like to read the Farmer's Almanac and, if the conditions are right, I may plant crops by the phase of the moon. As for weather forecasts and such I don't know what the accuracy is. I know local weather forecasters do good to get the next day right.
I expect a horribly cold and snowy winter this year. In spite of all that global warming stuff, the weather (I believe), is just going through it's normal weather thing. I remember when I was a child, the seasons were true to their nature. We had nice spring and autumn weather, and extreme temps in winter and summer. Now they're just returning to that cycle.
Winters in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, when I was growing up, were diverse. Some winters, we'd barely have snow by Christmas, but sometimes our first snow would be in August. Some winters were horribly cold and snowy, while others were fairly gentle. As for extremes, I came downstairs one winter morning to find that the first floor was dark. The snow had completely covered the windows. The doors wouldn't open. If that occurred this winter, everyone would be pointing to it as evidence of something horrible going on with the climate.
Growing up in northern Idaho, we had very cold and snowy winters, too. We always had a blizzard around Thanksgiving, and usually some snow by around halloween, although that didn't last. Cars that were not driven every day were buried in snow, and we kids would take the sleds and climb up the front of the car hood, and then sled down off the back trunk and into the street, The house windows weren't completely covered, but usually around halfway up, plus the 3' long ice-sickles that hung down from the eaves of the roof. My room was always freezing. I slept in all of my warm clothes, and inside of my sleeping bag. There was always thick white frost on the inside of my bedroom windows , and i could see my breath when I blew air out of my mouth. They still have pretty cold winters up there; but I do not know if these are as bad as we had back in the 1950's or not. I sure hated going to school. Girls had to wear dresses to school back then, and it was way too cold to be walking to school with bare legs when the temperature was down around zero.
I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and can remember the cold winters still. I hated it when my mother made me give up my snow suit, I think I was twelve still wearing my snow suit during the winters to stay warm. Now you see grown people wearing snow suits mostly to go skiing. If the winter is as cold as last year I may get another snow suit. If it is icy I will be in the house,to avoid slipping on the ice, I injured my left knee and the slightest wrong turn will have me in pain and not able to walk for a few days.