Almanac says severe winter? Evidence points other way, says Phillips
LETHBRIDGE – Environment Canada’s senior climatologist is throwing cold water – actually, warm water, in this case – on warnings of a severe winter from the Farmers’ Almanac.
The prognosis for the southern Prairies from the Canadian publication got plenty of media attention in late August, with predictions of stormy, wet weather in the fall, heavy snow late in the year, and temperatures in the -40s in February.
“Do you go for the long shot, or do you go with something with some science in it and some track record?”
– David Phillips
But David Phillips says, on the contrary, there’s a very good chance of a warmer than normal winter for southern Alberta, and he can say that with some confidence because of an El Niño pattern in the Pacific Ocean.