Farmers’ Almanac Fall Snow Forecast: Cold and Snowy With Heavy Thanksgiving Snow Possible

The Farmers’ Alamanc released its highly-anticipated winter 2022/23 forecast last week, warning of a winter of extremes. But before winter arrives, we have to wait for summer to turn to fall, and sometimes fall can bring us snowy treats. Last year a huge snowstorm dumped feet of snow on California in October, allowing both Palisades Tahoe and Mammoth Mountain to open before November.

• Related: Farmers’ Almanac 2022/23 Winter Forecast: Extreme Winter Predicted With Heavy Snow For 1 Area in Particular

So, what does this fall look like, and when and where will it first snow? Here’s what the Farmers’ Almanac thinks:

Will We See Snowfall In Fall?

Despite the summer heat, the Farmers’ Almanac extended fall forecast calls for lower-than-usual temperatures nationwide. The cold will really begin to take hold during the latter half of November and continue right through the rest of the year. Bitter cold temperatures will become prevalent over much of the West in time for Christmas.  

Scary movies, costumes, and things that go bump in the night won’t be the only chilling things this Halloween! An unusually early heavy fall of snow could hit the northern Rockies and Plains in late October! 

Above normal precipitation is forecast for a wide swath of the central part of the country, including the Great lakes, Ohio Valley, and Midwest as well as the Rockies and Great Plains.

Many locations will see their first snowflakes during November and there will be more than a few significant snowfalls before the official start of winter in late December. This will be especially true over the Rockies and Plains States, where hefty snows are possible right after the Thanksgiving holiday. If everything times out just right, most places could see generally fair weather for Thanksgiving, though Christmas could be unsettled with either rain or snow depending on your local temperatures. 

There is an old saying in New England, for instance, that October usually has 19 fair days. That might normally be true, but 2022 will be the exception—not the rule—with quite a few cloudy, windy, and showery days. That will set the stage for November, which will only be an extension of October’s unsettled weather pattern, except it will be turning colder with some snowflakes predicted.