In today’s day and age, you can get all kinds of intricate weather forecasts from simply pushing a button on your phone. That’s why it says a lot about how renowned the The Old Farmer’s Almanac is that it can still sell 2.6 million copies a year.

Ever since it first started being published in 1792, the almanac has been used to predict the weather for both farmers and laymen alike who would like to know what the next year will be like. Unfortunately, the almanac’s prediction for 2019 have many dreading the new year already!

The almanac is predicting very warm weather for the winter of 2018-19, so if you were hoping for a white Christmas, you’ll be sadly disappointed. On top of that, the warm weather will not be sunny. Instead of snow, we are in for a winter of pouring rain.

“This winter, we expect to see above-normal temperatures almost everywhere in the United States, except in the Southwest, where we’re predicting a colder-than-normal season,” the almanac states.

“Our milder-than-normal forecast is due to a decrease in solar activity and the expected arrival of a weak El Niño, which will prevent cold air masses from lingering in the North,” the book continues.

For those of you who don’t know, El Niño is a pattern of weather that brings warm ocean water and temperatures to the coast of South America. While this may sound like a small change, it has a huge impact on weather all over the United States.

Unfortunately, the National Weather Service is in complete agreement with the almanac about this prediction, as they are also warning that we should expect more rain and less snow this coming winter – a warm and wet forecast.

It’s hard to dismiss the The Old Farmer’s Almanac weather forecast for the winter season this year as they have been a reliable source for weather predictions through the centuries.