Whether you like it or not, winter is on its way.  I myself am hoping for lots of snow because I love all sorts of winter activities…skiing, snowshoeing, even ice skating. Thinking about some of my favorite sports got me wondering what the “experts” were predicting for this year’s winter.

The good ol’ Farmers’ Almanac has been around for almost 200 years – since 1818. The publication provides all sorts of advice from home and garden tips, natural cures and cooking, astronomy, and long range weather forecasts.  Whether you believe in their weather prediction or not is up to you, but here is what they have to say for the 2011-12 winter.

The Almanac is calling for a winter that is unusually stormy and cold. For the Black Hills region they are predicting very cold weather and average snowfall. I like the idea of snow, but not frigid cold!

I also checked the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) winter predictions. They too are saying that the Black Hills region will experience a colder winter, however, they are also predicting that the region will get more precipitation than usual.  The NOAA contributes the colder temperatures to La Nina. La Nina is characterized by unusually colder ocean temperatures in the Pacific, which influence temperatures and weather across the country.

Unfortunately, the NWS and NOAA are also forecasting that spring flooding could be a concern in the northern plains region. While the Black Hills didn’t have much flooding this year, other parts of South Dakota and surrounding states had major flooding.

Those are the winter predictions for this year.  Are they true or not?  Only time and the weather will tell us…  Happy Winter 2011-12!