Winter Weather Forecast 2025–2026 | The Old Farmer’s Almanac
Get a First Look at What’s Shaping This Winter’s Outlook
As sure as the Sun rises and the seasons turn, The Old Farmer’s Almanac returns with its trusted Winter Weather Forecast for 2025–2026! What kind of winter will it be—cold and snowy, mild and wet, or a little of everything?
While the full long-range forecast will be revealed in the upcoming 2026 edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, we’re offering a sneak peek at the climate clues and atmospheric forces shaping the winter outlook across the U.S. and Canada.
Order The 2026 Old Farmer’s Almanac now and be the first to receive our detailed month-by-month forecast for your region!
What’s Shaping Winter This Year?
The full 2025–2026 winter forecast won’t arrive until the Almanac hits shelves, but we’re excited to share some early signs of what’s brewing. From sunspot cycles to ocean currents, here’s a sneak peek at the natural forces that help us predict the season ahead:
- Solar Cycle 25 is peaking.
Stronger than the last cycle, solar activity has historically influenced global temperatures—though this link has softened in recent years. - La Niña is fading
A shift from weak La Niña to neutral conditions may shake up jet stream and temperature patterns across North America. - Ocean oscillations are steady.
The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation remains warm, while the Pacific Decadal Oscillation is cool—both shaping long-term weather trends. - Stratospheric winds (QBO)
The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, a high-altitude wind pattern, may influence how Arctic air dips south. - The polar vortex may wobble.
If conditions align, a displaced vortex could send bursts of frigid air and snow deep into the U.S.
Think of it as nature’s winter playlist—now in shuffle mode.
Where Do We Forecast? Our 18 U.S. Weather Regions
The Old Farmer’s Almanac divides the United States into 18 distinct weather regions to provide detailed, localized seasonal outlooks. These include:
- Northeast
- Atlantic Corridor
- Appalachians
- Southeast
- Florida
- Lower Lakes
- Ohio Valley
- Deep South
- Upper Midwest
- Heartland
- Texas-Oklahoma
- High Plains
- Intermountain
- Desert Southwest
- Pacific Northwest
- Pacific Southwest
- Alaska
- Hawaii
Each region receives its own monthly breakdown of temperature and precipitation trends—not just vague national guesses.
Find your region’s detailed forecast in the 2026 edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac!
Looking for Canada’s Winter Forecast?
We’ve got you covered with a dedicated page just for Canadian weather. Check out the 2025–2026 Canadian Winter Forecast.
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Order The 2026 Old Farmer’s Almanac Now
Be among the first to hold the classic yellow book filled with seasonal predictions, gardening advice, Moon phases, folklore, and more. For generations, we’ve helped readers prepare for the months ahead with our trusted blend of weather, wit, and wisdom.
🛒 Order today from our official store:
- Print Edition — filled with forecasts, Moon phases, gardening advice, and folklore.
- Digital Edition — perfect for reading on the go, anytime, anywhere!
What Are Long-Range Forecasts?
We often hear the question: How can you predict the weather a year ahead? The answer: We’re not predicting the weather day-by-day. We’re forecasting seasonal patterns based on decades of data.
Our long-range forecasts predict whether a given season (like winter) will be:
- Colder or warmer than average
- Wetter or drier than usual
- Snowier or stormier than normal
These forecasts are designed for planners—gardeners, farmers, shippers, retailers, municipalities, snowplow operators, and all of us everyday weather-watchers who want to be prepared.
We base our outlooks on historical climate averages—not comparisons to last year’s weather, which can vary wildly and skew perception.
How Do We Predict the Weather?
Since 1792, The Old Farmer’s Almanac has relied on a proprietary forecasting formula that combines traditional science and modern methods. Today, we use a blend of:
- Solar science – Studying sunspots and solar activity
- Climatology – Analyzing long-term weather patterns
- Meteorology – Monitoring short-term atmospheric trends
By comparing past weather patterns during similar solar cycles to current conditions, we can forecast the most probable outcome for the season ahead.
- For our 2025–2026 forecasts, we base “normal” weather on the 1991–2020 climate averages—not just the past year.
Each edition of the Almanac also includes a look back at how we did with the prior winter forecast—because we believe in accountability and transparency.
