The Farmers’ Almanac winter weather map points New England toward a wetter winter, with more coastal storms and a Northeast that should run a bit warmer. The competing winter outlooks arrive before December, and the map’s sharpest signal is a shift toward precipitation type changes near the coast.
For Worcester and Providence, the forecast puts the rain-snow line closer than the stretch between Boston and the Cape. That leaves Central New England with the best chance for colder air and more snow, while Boston and the Cape look more likely to land on the milder side of the divide.
Farmers’ Almanac and NOAA
The Boston Globe framed the season around three extended winter forecasts from NOAA, the Old Farmer’s Almanac, and the Farmers’ Almanac. NOAA and the Old Farmer’s Almanac are part of the comparison because each takes a different read on the same three months ahead, and the Farmers’ Almanac comes down most clearly on the wetter side for New England.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac, founded in Dublin, N.H. in 1792, points most of New England toward a mild and dry winter. That creates the clearest split in the forecasts: one leans to more precipitation and coastal storms, while the other leans to less of both.
Central New England forecast
Within New England, the forecast is not uniform. Portions of Central New England could wind up with more snow and trending colder, and the best chances for snow are likely in the higher elevations and farther away from the coastline.
The practical takeaway for readers is that the same storm track could produce different outcomes over short distances. A colder interior area can keep snow on the ground longer, while coastal areas are more likely to see rain, ice, and slush when the temperature sits near the line.
El Niño and the US
The broader outlook adds another layer. The article says the northern half or northern third of the US will likely run much warmer than average this winter, and El Niño impacts are likely going to take over the weather across the country this winter.
For New England readers, that means the first useful guide is not a single snowfall total but the corridor where temperatures are most likely to flip precipitation. The Farmers’ Almanac has already drawn that line closer to Worcester and Providence than to Boston and the Cape, which leaves the coastal forecast more exposed to change as winter weather arrives.
