Winter is coming: Farmers' Almanac predicts cold and snowy Maritime winter

The warmer falldays in Atlantic Canada will soon be replaced by winter, and the Canadian Farmers' Almanac said it's going to be colder and snowier than normal this year.

The 2018 edition of the Almanac is predicting colder temperatures about one to two degrees below normal and above-normal precipitation in many parts of the Maritimes.

Peter Geiger, editor of the Canadian Farmers' Almanac, said he doesn't expect too much snow until about January, but it could appear as early as November.

Geiger said Atlantic Canadians should expect one storm in January, two storms in February and two in March.

Those storms are predicted to hit:

• Jan. 20 to 23
• Feb. 4 to 7
• Feb. 16 to 19
• March 1 to 3
• March 20 to 23

"It'll be a substantial winter, at least according to the Farmers' Almanac," Geiger said in an interview with Information Morning Fredericton.

"There is at least one storm on [February] 4th to the 7th where we talk about 30 to 60 centimetres and, as you know, the amounts of snow can vary by small geographies," he said.

Geiger said there are no more specific amounts of snow because they work in general terms. The Almanac predicts the weather two years in advance.

The history of the Farmers' Almanac

The tradition of predicting the weather has gone on since 1818, but the Farmers' Almanac has become more than just a forecast tool. It also includes household remedies andadvice for living well.

Geiger's family has been in charge of the book since the 1930s.

The formula for predicting the weather was created by the Almanac's first editor, David Young, who was a mathematician, calculator and astronomer.

The mathematical formula looks at sunspot activity, planet positioning and the effect the moon has on the Earth.