It is still summer, yet The Old Farmer's Almanac has just released its winter weather outlook.
Carol Connare is Editor of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She says on Tuesday, they released their 2026 edition, which, of course, includes forecasts for the upcoming seasons.
"For your region, we are calling for a warmer-than-normal winter," says Connare. "Of course, that doesn't mean that it will be balmy, because it's pretty cold there."
Connare says they are also calling for above normal precipitation for southern Manitoba. However, she notes that because it will be a mild winter, the precipitation will not all fall as snow.
"We're calling for below normal snowfall," she says. "So, more on the rain, or the icy side, versus the white stuff."
According to Connare, the coldest stretches of our winter will be in late November/ early December, early January, and then again in early February. She expects the snowiest portion to be late November and early December.
"We are calling for a snowstorm in early February; in the February 3 to 5 range," she adds.
November is often a transition month in southern Manitoba, as rakes and mowers get replaced by shovels and snowblowers. Connare says we can expect periods of rain and snow in the first 10 days of November, which may end up being the first snowfall of the year. November as a whole is supposed to be one degree warmer than normal, with below-average precipitation.
The 2026 edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac also gives a sneak peek at what we can expect next spring and summer in southern Manitoba. Connare says spring will be cool and dry, and then summer will be warmer and wetter than normal.
Meanwhile, Connare says their forecasting in 2025 was almost spot-on. She notes they forecasted precipitation accurately for all seven regions in Canada and were correct in their temperature predictions for six of the seven regions.
The Old Farmer's Almanac has been around since 1792. It was founded by Robert B. Thomas. Connare says he was an amateur astronomer, and in those early days, they did a lot of looking at the sun for solar storms when creating their forecasts. Connare says today they use climatology, meteorology, and traditional weather barometers when putting together their long-range forecasts.
She explains that solar cycles are about 11 years long, and these too are factors when creating their long-range forecasts. Connare adds they also look at things like the jet stream and the prevailing pattern, as well as ocean temperatures.