Ready to pack up your RV and escape from the clutches of Old Man Winter this snowbird season? Well according to the The Farmer’s Almanac 2016 winter forecast, you’re going to need to put a lot of gas in the tank and really far south to stay warm.
Winter 2016 in North America is going to be a repeat of last year’s snowbird season says the world famous Farmer’s Almanac. “Depending on where you live and how much cold and snow you like, we have bad news and we have good news,” says Farmer’s Almanac editor Peter Geiger from the Almanac’s Dublin, New Hampshire headquarters.
RV Snowbird Winter Weather Rerun
The popular snowbird RVer destinations of Georgia, Florida and the Gulf Coast are going to see not just a whole lot of rain but very chilly temperatures too. “An active storm track will bring above-normal precipitation to the Southeast States, as well as the Mississippi Valley, Southern Great Plains, the Gulf Coast, and along the Atlantic Seaboard,” says the Almanac.
Snowbird RVers lucky enough to duck out of winter in Southern California and Arizona can expect dry and sunny weather but anyone headed to New Mexico, Texas or Louisiana better get their woolies on because things are going to be very, very cold and wet. Experts predict there will be no respite from the chill, even in the sunny south Texas region of the Rio Grande Valley.
Are Farmer’s Almanac Predictions Accurate?
Think the Farmer’s Almanac winter forecast is just a shot in the dark? Think again. Farmer’s Almanac forecasts have historically been 80 – 85% accurate. Last winter their experts called for below-normal temperatures for about three-quarters of the nation, which was accurate in the East but not so much in the West which was unusually warm. Still, the Farmer’s Almanac weather predictions track record is pretty darn accurate.
How do they do it? According to their experts, Farmers’ Almanac weather predictions are based on a secret mathematical and astronomical formula. Developed in 1818 by David Young, the Almanac‘s first editor, this formula takes many factors into consideration, including:
- Sunspot Activity
- Moon Phases
- Tidal Action and more!
Since 1818 Farmer’s Almanac has kept the “and more!” part extremely secret. “This carefully guarded formula has been passed along from calculator to calculator and has never been revealed,” they write. However they clarify that predictions are more science-based than people think.
“We employ three scientific disciplines to make our long-range predictions: solar science, the study of sunspots and other solar activity; climatology, the study of prevailing weather patterns; and meteorology, the study of the atmosphere.”
Get Your RV Ready for Winter
No matter where you travel this snowbird season, there are steps you can take to beat Old Man Winter at his game. Watch for this Thursday’s iRV2 blog post about surviving winter in your RV for tips about keeping you and your RV systems toasty and happy.
Often called “The O.G. of full-time RVing,” Rene Agredano and her husband Jim Nelson hit the road in a fifth wheel trailer in 2007, after their dog Jerry lost a leg to terminal cancer. Sixteen years later they are still traveling and sharing their nomadic adventures at LiveWorkDream. As a self-employed wordsmith, Rene shares her expertise for many RV industry videos, publications such as the Escapees RV Club Magazine, and has authored numerous books, including the Essential RVing Guide to National Parks, and Income Anywhere, a guide to earning money on the road. She has been featured in global media outlets including the PBS documentary “NATURE: Why We Love Cats and Dogs,” The Guardian Sunday Edition, and the Dan Pink book Free Agent Nation.
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