What Does the Farmer's Almanac Predict for Winter Weather?

Long before there was a weather app on every phone, farmers and our ancestors read the season ahead in the world around them. Nature kept handing out clues, and folks who paid attention planned better for the cold months. Most of us have stopped watching for those signs, but they are still out there in the backyard, the garden, and the night sky. Here are 20 of them, the same list the Farmers’ Almanac has shared for decades, so you can judge for yourself what kind of winter is coming.

Cleveland weather guru Dick Goddard put together a laundry list of 20 signs from nature that can point to a harsh winter ahead. The list was featured in the 1978 Farmers’ Almanac, and it is still relevant today.

20 Signs of a Cold and Harsh Winter

According to weather lore, if you spot any of these signs, winter could be a tough one, with plenty of cold temperatures and snow. None of them is a guarantee, but taken together, they make a fine excuse to step outside and watch the season turn.

1. Thicker-Than-Normal Onion Skins or Corn Husks

If you grew corn or harvested some onions from the garden, check the skins to see if they’re thicker or thinner

(it doesn’t count with store-bought onions, which may have been grown elsewhere).

2. Woodpeckers Sharing a Tree

3. The Early Arrival of the Snowy Owl

4. The Early Departure of Geese and Ducks

5. The Early Migration of the Monarch Butterfly

6. Thick Hair on the Nape of a Cow’s Neck

7. Heavy and Numerous Fogs During August

Pay attention and count the number of fogs in August. Folklore says the number will correspond to the number

of snowstorms the coming winter.

8. Raccoons With Thick Tails and Bright Bands

9. Mice Chewing Furiously To Get Into Your Home

10. The Early Arrival of Crickets on the Hearth

Crickets are not only a symbol of good luck, but they can also tell us about the winter weather ahead.

11. Spiders Spinning Larger-Than-Usual Webs and Entering the House in Great Numbers

12. Pigs Gathering Sticks

13. Ants Marching in a Line Rather Than Meandering

14. Early Seclusion of Bees Within the Hive

15. Unusual Abundance of Acorns

16. Muskrats Burrowing Holes High on the Riverbank

17. “See how high the hornet’s nest, ’twill tell how high the snow will rest.”

18. The Size of the Orange Band on the Woolly Bear (or Woolly Worm) Caterpillar

According to folklore, if the woolly worm caterpillar‘s orange band is narrow, the winter will be snowy. A wide

orange band, on the other hand, means a mild winter (and remember, all black caterpillars are not woolly

worms). A fuzzier-than-normal woolly worm is said to mean that winter will be very cold.

19. Squirrels Gathering Nuts Early to Fortify Against a Hard Winter

Are the squirrels in your backyard furiously gathering and storing nuts? A hard winter may be in store.

20. Frequent Halos or Rings Around the Sun or Moon Forecasts Numerous Snowfalls

What about persimmons? Winter weather lore says that if you cut into the seed of a ripe persimmon, the shape of the cotyledon inside will tell you what is in store for winter. A spoon shape points to heavy, wet snow, a fork means a mild winter, and a knife suggests a bitter, cutting cold.

Do these signs of a bad winter coming actually work? Here is the honest answer. Most of these signs are weather lore, passed down for generations because folks watched the same patterns play out year after year. Some have a grain of plain sense behind them. Thick onion skins and corn husks, a heavy coat on a cow’s neck, or squirrels storing nuts in a hurry can all reflect a cool, food-rich autumn, and a cool autumn sometimes runs into a cold winter. Others, like pigs gathering sticks or ants marching in a line, are kept alive more for their charm than their track record.

Direct scientific proof for any single sign is thin, and biologists will tell you that an animal’s thick coat or an early migration usually answers to current conditions rather than the winter still to come. That said, there is real value in slowing down and watching the season turn. The signs are a reminder to look up, count the August fogs, check the acorns underfoot, and get ready.

from Farmers Almanac