The Old Farmer's Almanac updated its Winter Forecast for 2026-27 on August 31, and the new map points to a winter that will not land evenly across the country. Some regions are headed for temperatures near or above seasonal norms, but others are still in line for colder air and above-average snow.
That is the reason people are searching the Old Farmer's Almanac Snow Map now. Carol Connare said winter will not look the same everywhere this year, and her forecast breaks the country into sharp regional differences instead of one broad national pattern. For readers trying to figure out whether their area is likely to get buried or skate by, the map offers the first clear read on where the heavier winter weather is expected to show up.
The strongest signal is in the Northeast and Appalachians. A corridor stretching from central New England through the Appalachians and into the Ohio Valley is forecast to see colder-than-normal conditions, while southern portions of the Northeast are expected to have below-normal temperatures and above-normal snowfall. Those same southern areas could see especially snowy stretches in mid-December, mid-January and possibly in March. The Appalachians are also forecast to run below normal on temperatures and above normal on snowfall, with the harshest conditions expected in mid-January and February.
The map extends that pattern farther west. The Intermountain Region is expected to be wetter than normal and snowy even with above-average temperatures overall, while the Pacific Northwest is projected to get above-normal precipitation and above-normal snowfall. Alaska is also in the group expected to receive more snow than average despite warmer-than-normal readings. Connare put it plainly: while much of the country is headed for a milder season, some areas will still see plenty of cold and snow.
That split is what makes the forecast stand out. Much of the Southeast, Deep South, Florida, Texas and the High Plains is expected to be warmer than normal, with snowfall near normal or below normal in many places. Florida is projected to be above normal on temperatures statewide, Texas and Oklahoma are expected to be warmer and drier than normal, and the Desert Southwest is set up for a similar pattern with below-average snowfall in places that usually get some. Even around the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest, where winter usually bites early, the forecast calls for a somewhat milder season overall, though periods of winter weather are still expected in January and February.
The forecast was updated on August 31, but it is still only a seasonal outline, not a day-by-day winter script. Forecasters are also watching a strengthening El Niño in the Pacific Ocean, and NOAA's Climate Prediction Center has issued a latest seasonal outlook discussion. For now, the map’s message is simple: the winter of 2026-27 may be gentler for many, but for parts of the Northeast, Appalachians, the Intermountain Region, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, the snow risk is real and, in a few windows, heavy.
