The weather has been beautiful for the last few weeks, but get ready for plenty of snow and cold coming soon.
The 2024 Old Farmer’s Almanac Canadian Edition predicts this winter in the prairies will be colder and snowier than usual.
Managing editor Jack Burnett expects Manitoba’s winter will be chilly with more precipitation than normal, particularly in the form of snow.
“We’re looking for an old fashioned heavy-duty Manitoban winter. When I look at the weather map for Canada, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that has more white in it,” he said.
“By Vancouver and over in Newfoundland and Labrador, there are some exceptions, but the rest of Canada looks to be white and snowy, a little bit milder. Manitoba is going to be right in the heart of it.”
The coldest of the cold will show up in three stretches, he said.
“The first one is the middle eight to 10 days of November. The second one is the last week of December into the first week of January. The third one is the last week of January up through the middle of February. That’s right around Valentine’s Day, so people are going to need to use their warm and loving hearts to warm up because it’s going to be bitter cold,” Burnett said.
“You might say, ‘Of course, it’s winter in Manitoba and Stonewall and Teulon and that’s the way it’s going to be’ — but not necessarily. We get our indications and usually we’re fairly close.”
What’s interesting is that the cold is front-loaded, he added.
“There are going to be times when it’s cold in March and it’s going to go into April too. But after the middle of February, we don’t see any big-time cold sieges,” Burnett said.
“As far as snow goes, it’s interspersed. We see three hardcore bouts of heavy snow. The first one we see arriving around Nov. 8 to 12, pretty early. The second one will be the first week of February and the third one will be the last week of March.”
And we’ll need to brace ourselves for the first 10 days of February because that’s when the extreme cold will overlap with heavy snow.
“The first 10 days of February look to be the real heart of the heavy winter,” he said.
“Once folks get through that, there’s going to be cold spells and snow, but that’s the real heavy-duty time.”
Manitobans can also expect snow storms around Nov. 8 and April 5.
“It will be hardcore, but by the same token, we want to get some moisture into the ground. The more moisture we can get into the ground, the better it is for fighting fires. And because we’ve had drought conditions in many places, a lot of growers have been using ground water for irrigation,” he said.
“In many places, the aquifers and lakes have been down, so we need this winter moisture to replenish those as best we can throughout the prairies. Anything will help. I think that there’s a silver lining — or, we might say, a white lining — to that cloud.”
Spring will likely be a bit cooler and slightly wetter than usual, Burnett noted.
“I think it’s going to be a good year for oat growers. And I think that summer is going to be ever so slightly warmer and drier but hopefully not drought conditions. Growers and home gardeners of every stripe should have a good spring to get things going,” he said.
‘Then, all of a sudden, summer will come, the soil will warm up, things will start popping and the crops will start pushing. Once you make it through the winter, it’s not going to be clear sailing but it’s going to be smoother seas.”
Founded by Robert B. Thomas in 1792, The Old Farmer’s Almanac is the oldest continuously published periodical in North America. The publication bases its weather forecasts on a combination of meteorology, climatology and solar radiation.
In addition to weather predictions, the almanac touches on many other interesting topics.
“The Old Farmer’s Almanac Canadian Edition is only about five or six per cent weather. It’s all about gardening, food, astronomy, home remedies, folklore, humour, puzzles and so on,” Burnett said.
“If people are interested in getting a copy — or a copy of The Old Farmer’s Almanac for Kids, which is also a best seller and a great gift — we encourage people to buy locally and support their local bookstores, drugstores, hardware store, big box store. Any place books and magazines are sold, you can find The Old Farmer’s Almanac with the yellow cover.”
A list of stores is available at Almanac.ca/Wheretobuy. Print copies are also available through Amazon, and digital editions can be purchased at Almanac.ca/Shop.
Other popular publications include the annual Garden Guide, a digital monthly magazine called EXTRA! and a collection of wall and desk calendars.
The website also offers hundreds of free pages of information on everything from food and history to weather and astronomy.
