Winter is on its way, and if you're wondering whether to stock up on salt or just keep the rain boots handy, the Farmers' Almanac has some thoughts. Its 2026–2027 winter forecast points to a season of sharp contrasts, with soggy storms in the South, quick cold snaps in the North, and a hard-to-predict mix in the Northeast. Here's what the long-range outlook says.
What is the Farmers' Almanac?
First, a quick explainer. The Farmers' Almanac is a print and online publication known for long-range weather outlooks, calendars, gardening tips, and folklore. It's been around since 1818, and the 2027 edition will be its 210th.
The publication says its forecasts come from a formula dating back to its founding editor, David Young, and passed down from one forecaster to the next. The forecaster goes by the pen name Caleb Weatherbee. The method weighs solar activity, lunar influences, and historical weather patterns, and the Almanac says it now adds satellite data and computer modeling. The Almanac says its regional outlooks are 80–85% accurate, based on its own tracking.
Winter 2026–2027 weather predictions
The big theme is variation. The Almanac expects El Niño to keep influencing the season, favoring wetter-than-normal conditions across the southern U.S. Farther north, temperatures should land near normal overall, but that doesn't mean a mild winter. Think fast-moving storms, sudden cold snaps, and brief snowy stretches, often broken up by milder days.
Because temperatures may hover near freezing in many places, precipitation could be tough to call. A small shift in a storm's track could turn a cold rain into an icy mix, or a slushy snowfall into a real winter storm.
Regional predictions
Think of this as a broad seasonal outlook rather than a day-by-day forecast. Conditions will vary, even within the same region.
●Southwest, South Central, and Southeast: An active storm track could run from Southern California and the Desert Southwest through Texas, the Gulf Coast, and the Southeast, bringing heavier-than-normal precipitation. Expect frequent storms, muddy fields and the occasional cold surge. When cold air meets that moisture, sleet, freezing rain, or heavy, wet snow is possible. The southern Rockies may see especially good mountain snowfall.
●Northeast: The Almanac calls this one of the trickiest regions this winter. Coastal communities may see more rain or mixed precipitation, while inland areas could get several rounds of heavy, wet snow, especially in January and February. A second storm track along the Eastern Seaboard could bring rain, wintry mixes, and snow from the mid-Atlantic into New England, so be ready for forecasts to change quickly.
●Great Lakes, Upper Midwest, and northern Plains: Temperatures should be near normal overall, with fast-moving clippers, snow squalls, blustery winds, and bursts of bitter cold. Milder breaks may interrupt the wintry weather, and frequent thaw-and-freeze swings could make roads and fields unpredictable. The northern Plains and Upper Midwest could turn drier at times when the southern storm track dominates.
●West: Temperatures should be near normal overall, with quick cold snaps and short snowy periods.
●Pacific Northwest: Expect a changeable and somewhat less dependable snow season.
The bottom line
Winter 2026–2027 looks like a mixed bag: wet in the South, snappy in the North, and unpredictable in the Northeast. Whatever you plan to do with it, keep the snow shovel, rain boots, and ice scraper close. You may need all three!
Alexa Erickson Gage is a California-by-way-of-Maine writer, editor, and content strategist who covers interior design, travel, lifestyle, and beauty. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Thrillist, Fodor's Travel, BuzzFeed, Martha Stewart, and more. A lifelong content curator, she also runs @living_by_lex, where she shares design-forward destinations, bougie hotels, one-pan recipes, effortless fashion edits, and vintage-meets-modern home decor inspiration.
