EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been changed to reflect the correct name of the publication.
WASHINGTON — It used to be the best idea folks had for planning for inclement weather. The Farmers’ Almanac is no longer the state of the art, but it wasn’t far off the mark when it came to predicting the blizzard.
Peter Geiger, editor of the Farmers’ Almanac, admits he did not predict 3 feet of snow, but he called for snow showers between Jan. 20 and 28.
“We played around with warmth and rain during the early part of the winter, but we were calling for the most severe weather in the later part of January and all of February,” he says.
The El Nino conditions have complicated the almanac’s long history of predicting two years ahead of time, but Geiger says the Washington area is likely still in for some more snow next month.
“Between [Feb.] 12 and 15, we call it a Nor’easter, with snow and rain, but we also say it could be heavy accumulations between 8 and 16 inches,” Geiger says.
The second will be a snow-rain mix in the later part of the month. March, he says, will come in like a lamb.
“I think it’s going to be another severe storm or two and then come springtime, you’ll have the time of your lives talking about the winter you’ve had,” Geiger says.
Another publication called the Old Farmer’s Almanac also predicted that the region would see snow showers between Jan. 20 and Jan. 28.
