Wet snow, rain expected to start in November for Midwest, including Kentucky. What to know

Although last winter was the warmest on record , people in the Midwest Region, which includes Kentucky, can expect a cold and wet 2024-2025 season, according to the Farmers' Almanac.

The upcoming winter should be wet and milder for most of the U.S., according to the almanac. The 208th edition of the Farmers' Almanac, out now, foresees a "Wet Winter Whirlwind," for the upcoming 2024-2025 winter season.

"It definitely looks more wet than white in many areas," Farmers' Almanac Editor Sandi Duncan told USA TODAY. "Obviously, depending on where you live, there might be more white than wet, but we're focusing in on the wet winter ahead."

The climate pattern known as La Niña — likely to emerge in the September-November period, the Climate Prediction Center said in a recent forecast — could result in a warmer winter than normal in much of the country, she said.

Most of the nation can expect a wet Thanksgiving holiday, too, "except for way out in the Southwest," she said. And Christmas "looks wet rather than white for most areas."

The end of January gets a red flag for much of the nation due to the potential of "a very active storm track" expected to bring strong and gusty winds, along with heavy precipitation — "copious amounts of snow, rain, sleet, and ice (depending on where you live) could fall," the Almanac says.

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The winter chill is expected to "hang on" longer than usual in the North, Northeast and middle of the U.S. "So it looks like it's going to feel like a longer winter, even if it's a little warmer in certain areas that usually get snowier conditions," she said.

Here's what to know:

What does the Farmers' Almanac predict for this year in Kentucky?

The Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Midwest region can expect periods of wet snow and rain to begin in early November, with "frigidly cold" temperatures through Nov. 11. Rain and wet snow continues to Thanksgiving, with a drier forecast toward the end of the year.

"January looks like when the Big Freeze may be on for that area," Duncan said. With "very, very cold" conditions expected, "If you can plan your trip to the Caribbean, I would go then."

In mid-March, a "rapidly moving storm" is expected to bring two to five inches of wet snow to Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and the lower peninsula of Michigan and a wintry mix to Kentucky. The first of April is also predicted to bring cold rain, sleet and wet snow to Kentucky, southern Indiana and southern Ohio.

Did the Farmers' Almanac get its winter weather prediction right last year?

Not if you consider the Almanac's overall forecast of a cold 2023-2024 winter, because it was the warmest on record . However, the Almanac notes it hit on some of its predictions, including heavy show and blizzard conditions from Colorado to the Plains that threatened Christmas holiday travel.

The Almanac's forecast paralleled a weather pattern described by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as "a swatch of cooler-than-average temperatures across the central part of the country in January."

The Farmers' Almanac, which originated in 1818, says its longtime fans claim the publication's weather predictions are accurate approximately 80%-85% of the time . It uses "a top-secret mathematical and astronomical formula , taking sunspot activity, tidal action, the position of the planet, and many other factors into consideration," the Almanac states.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Wet snow, rain expected to start in November for Midwest, including Kentucky. What to know