Northern portions of the country face below average temperatures during winter months while the south is predicted to be warmer than usual

The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts that North Dakota’s winter will be milder than normal. The coldest periods are said to be in mid- to late November, late December and the whole month of January.

As for the snow, the almanac predicts to see the most snowfall mid- to late November, late December, the whole month of January and the last third of March.

For the rest of the country, the National Weather Service forecasts above average temperatures for the southern and eastern United States. Wetter-than-average conditions are anticipated across northern portions of the country, mostly in the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and western Alaska.

Summer months are predicted to be hotter than normal, with the hottest periods in mid-June and throughout the first half of July. Not quite as much precipitation will be seen during the season as the almanac predicts a drier than normal forecast for the northern states.

Southern states will see more rain than usual with the following fall season being slightly warmer and drier than normal across the country, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

The first snow had a late start this year for the state of North Dakota. Last year, the snow came down in mid-October but didn’t stick around until after Christmas.

The National Weather service of Bismarck recorded less than 20 inches of snow for winter of 2020. According to the National Weather Service of Bismarck, the state should expect more than last season.

J.P. Martin, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Bismarck, told KFYR news, “Just as with the cold temperatures, the first half of the winter season should be fairly dry as far as snow, and the second half is where we think it will become more active. So again, we’re looking at the mid-January through February to be a colder period and a snowier period than what the first half of the winter is.”

Even though cold temperatures will reach below normal for some parts of the season, the NWSB states there may be a similar situation to last year with consecutive days of no snow and sunshine.

“We are favored for below average temperatures for much of western and central North Dakota, and then equal chances in eastern North Dakota. But even though the winter is favored overall for below normal temperatures, that doesn’t mean that the entire winter is going to be cold. We are certainly going to warm up at times and have some mild spells,” said Megan Jones, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Bismarck, in an interview with KFYR.

It is hard to predict weather out for an entire season and beyond, so keep an eye out for accuracy this winter and refer back to The Old Farmer’s Almanac for more weather forecasts, or other news sources.