What is the best long range forecast for this coming winter?

Hello all,

Surely ya'll are talking about the prospects for this winter somewhere but I tried searching and couldn't find it! :-)

Can you point me to the best long range forecast for this winter in Texas? I have seen a couple of different ones that contradict each other. What are your preferences? Are there weather "signs" I should be watching for?

I've kind of gotten interested in old-fashioned weather prediction and would love to learn more.

Thanks!

Tina

Hi, Tina - sorry I just now caught your post! About the best thing going right now for
winter forecasts would be the NWS Climate Prediction Center:

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

I think it's still too early for a lot of the meteorologists that forecast the next season's
climate to have posted anything just yet. If you want to DMail me, I can give you some
links to sites that you can watch for upcoming winter forecasts. Of course, as in all
weather predictions, there will always be contradictions, but you learn to watch certain
forecasters for consistency.

Of course, now that I come back and read this again....you're wanting some old-timer's
signs, right? DOH!

I've always been told to watch the wooly worms (which are actually caterpillars of
the Isabella Tiger Moth). If they are more black than brown, the winter will be worse. The
thinner the bands around them, the winter will be worse.

For what it is worth, you may try the Old Farmers Almanac ...........

http://www.almanac.com/weather/

Hi HappyNdirt, thanks very much for the link to the NWS center and for the info about the wooly worms (I have heard about those caterpillars all my life but I can't say I have ever seen one LOL) I am just interested in learning more so the scientific info is helpful too.

thanks linthicum for the link to the Old Farmer's. I will check it out. :-)

I will go searching and see what I can find, then see, as Happy said, who seems to be getting it right!

We are having good rain here today. Hope ya'll have a great weekend!

Tina

There might be a little bit of info here that might be interesting to you http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2084/

Oh man, some rain here would be nice. It's been so long since it rained that I can't even remember what month it was - Feb, Mar or April.

Kelli thanks so much for the link to your article. I really enjoyed reading it and the threads people started, and learned some new ones. I'm not new to nature observation but am just getting infatuated by the weather (it's the gardening that does it LOL). I posted on my blog (linked from my profile) the other day about rain signs, and want to learn more of them to watch for. I love your idea about creating your own sayings.

I guess I need to go exploring more - I never realized the articles were all there together!

I have found a lot of info since I originally started this thread. I read a lot on the links you all gave me, I discovered a new site that is supposed to be just for Texas Weather, and I found the Farmer's Almanac Weather Forums. I've had fun reading the Weather forum here on Dave's Garden - I need to get out of my regular "haunts" more often. :-)

Thank you all very much for your help!

Tina