Farmers’ Almanac Predicts “Oppressive” Summer Weather

LEWISTON, Maine - April 24, 2014 - PRLog -- Lewiston, ME: After an exceptionally long, cold winter and a wet start to spring for most of the country, many are now yearning for summer.

They may want to retract that wish, though; the 2014 edition of the Farmers’ Almanac says the coming summer will be exceptionally hot across much of North America, with “oppressive” humidity throughout the eastern half of the United States. Only the Pacific Northwest is predicted to be “comfortably warm and dray.”

While the 197-year-old publication predicts warm weather will initially be slow to establish itself, it says that by July summer heat will have arrived in full force. Tennessee, and Ohio Valleys on east to the Atlantic Seaboard wetter than normal conditions are expected, thanks chiefly to copious shower and thunderstorm activity.

Hot weather will cover the Southwest; typical summertime temperatures will broil the Southern Plains, while the Central and Northern Plains will swelter through a warm-to-hot summer, says the Almanac.

The central part of the nation will see near-normal summer precipitation; the Western states will be drier than normal. In particular, the Farmers’ Almanac says it expects “tornado alley” to flare-up in late June.

The publication is also forecasting an early-season tropical storm along the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast states by the end of June and a possible hurricane or tropical storm during the third week of July near or along the Atlantic Seaboard. Typically, tropical cyclone activity over Atlantic and Caribbean waters increases precipitously during the second week of August and reaches its traditional peak on September 10.

The Farmers’ Almanac has been predicting the weather since 1818. It bases its long-range weather forecasts on a mathematical and astronomical formula that takes things like sunspot activity, tidal action of the moon, the position of the planets and a variety of other factors into consideration. It is one of the only sources brave enough to publish a long-range outlook for up to a year in advance. Independent readers have determined that the Almanac is 80 percent accurate, on average.

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About the Farmers' Almanac:

The Farmers' Almanac, which features an orange and green cover, has been published every year since 1818. Available at grocery and bookstores nationwide, it contains useful and interesting articles, as well as long-range weather predictions, gardening advice, recipes and more. Editors Peter Geiger and Sandi Duncan are available for lively and informative interviews, either by phone or in person. Both love to talk about the weather, share useful Almanac trivia and advice, and offer tips on how to "get back to the simple life." Visit on the web at www.FarmersAlmanac.com.