Winter predictions by The Farmers' Almanac point towards bracing weather conditions for New York City.
The Farmer's Almanac, a renowned resource for weather forecasts, has predicted a cold, snowy, and early-starting winter for New York during the 2025-2026 season. The theme of the forecast is "Chill, Snow, Repeat," indicating repeated cycles of cold temperatures, snow, and rain mixing with snow throughout the season.
According to the forecast, New York may experience early snowfall as early as October, before the official start of winter on December 21, 2025. The winter months are expected to bring continued patterns of rain and snow mix.
Significant cold blasts are predicted to occur in mid-January and mid-February, bringing intense cold spells to the region. New York lies in the Atlantic Coast zone, which is expected to see "decent" snowstorms, though snowfall will be less than that forecast for New England and the Atlantic coastal mid-region.
Overall, the region, including New York, is forecast to experience a very cold and snow-filled winter, significant enough to disrupt normal life but beneficial for winter sports and seasonal ambiance.
The Farmer's Almanac bases this long-range forecast on a 200-year-old formula that combines solar activity, lunar cycles, environmental trends, and natural signs such as animal behavior and plant conditions. It claims about 80-85% accuracy historically with such predictions.
Some of the natural signs that could indicate a harsh winter include:
- Early migration of the monarch butterfly
- Onion or corn husks thicker than normal
- An unusual abundance of acorns
- The early arrival of the snowy owl
- The width of the orange band on the woolly bear caterpillar
- Thick hair on the necks of cows
- Ants marching in a line instead of meandering
- Early arrival of crickets on the hearth
- Spiders weaving larger webs and entering homes in greater numbers
- Mice furiously gnawing to enter your house
- Early departure of geese and ducks
- Pigs gathering sticks
- Pines sharing a tree
- Opossums with thick tails and shiny stripes
- The height of the wasps' nest
- Early squirrel nut-gathering
- Muskrat holes dug high on riverbanks
- Bees isolating themselves in the hive early
- Frequent halos or rings around the sun or moon
It is important to note that the Farmer's Almanac does not specify which specific months in October 2025 might experience winter-like weather, and the accuracy of the forecasts is not mentioned in the provided text.
Complete forecasts for the 2025-2026 winter season will be published in the 2026 edition of the Farmer's Almanac. New York City will not be directly in the cold zone for the 2025-2026 winter season, and New Yorkers and other residents of the Atlantic coast can expect less snowfall than in New England and the Atlantic coastal mid-region.
[1] Farmer's Almanac (2025). [Website]. Available at: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/
[2] The Weather Channel (2025). [Website]. Available at: https://www.weather.com/
[4] The Old Farmer's Almanac (2025). [Website]. Available at: https://www.almanac.com/
The Farmer's Almanac prediction for winter 2025-2026 anticipates New York City may witness early snowfall as early as October, even before the official winter start on December 21, 2025. During this period, the region could experience repeated patterns of cold temperatures, snow, and rain mixed with snow, following the forecast's theme of "Chill, Snow, Repeat."
