ALMANAC PREDICTS WILD WINTER

(08/31/2004)

Tomorrow is September 1. Fall is upon us and winter is not far behind. The Farmers' Almanac of Lewiston, Maine is predicting a wild winter with heavy precipitation and dramatic temperature swings in the Northeast. The northern Plains and Great Lakes will be snowy, the almanac says, while it will be milder in the southern half of the country. The Northeast will have unusually wet weather - either as rain or snow, says the almanac. "The big thing is it's going to be a winter of extremes," they say. The weather formula used by the 188-year-old Farmers' Almanac is a closely guarded secret. Prepared two years in advance, the forecasts are based on sunspots, the position of the planets and tidal action related to the moon. The National Weather Service questions the accuracy of forecasts. The almanac says it is right 80 percent of the time. The almanac predicted a wet and cool summer. That's what it has been. Readers, do you have forecasts for this winter? We'd like to hear from you.

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