How “Accu” Is the AccuWeather Winter Forecast?

Nothing like a cool wet rainy day to help drive home the point that winter is out there and it's coming for us, sooner than later.

I'm not sure how the Farmer's Almanac calculates its forecast...something to do i suppose with wooly caterpillars, the thickness of beaver houses and the length of the the lines of gees headed south.  Whatever the formula, The Farmer's Almanac says, "Right along the Pacific Coastal Plain, from northern California and points north through western portions of Oregon and Washington, rainy and wet weather will be the rule for the winter ahead."

From homespun wisdom to high tech prognostications, we like to know as much as we can about the winter weather to come which is why we also want to check in on AccuWeather.  AccuWeather is a global weather service which describes itself as forecasting  "for every longitude and latitude point on Earth with Superior Accuracy....using 170 models, to forecast for 3.5 million locations with more than 100 experienced forecasters"

So what does the weather giant say?  Experts are predicting that an “overall mild winter is possible” for much of the U.S. “Near-normal snowfall” is expected on the East Coast, with the region expected to experience cold and snowy conditions near the beginning and end of the season, with a pause on the wintry weather in the middle.

A cold snap could kick off the season in the Southeast, but temperatures are expected to level out there as winter carries on. Meanwhile, winter weather in the Plains or Rocky Mountains is expected to be less predictable with big swings in temperatures, as well as a mix of dry and active periods, and even “periods of subzero cold.”

TORMEY, SKI BUNNY,  ARE YOU LISTENING?  Senior Meteorologist Paul Pastelok says of the west coast, “Mountain snow and stormy conditions may arrive in late fall for the Northwest, northern California and northern Rockies.” Adding that this could be a good thing as it could finally put an end to the devastating wildfire season across the region.