Farmers' Almanac warns of cold, snowy Canadian winter with wild temperature swings
· Toronto Sun
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OTTAWA — For those who take the Farmers’ Almanac as gospel, best stock up on driveway salt now.
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The venerable periodical, renowned for its long-range seasonal weather predictions, says Canada is in for a cold, snowy winter in its latest issue, with what it described as a season of “dramatic contrasts” from coast to coast.
“Rather than one continuous coast-to-coast deep freeze, winter 2026–2027 looks increasingly like a season of frequent changes, sharp temperature swings, and an active storm track,” read a blog post highlighting the Almanac’s winter outlook in its latest edition, which went on sale Wednesday.
“Milder stretches may be interrupted by sudden outbreaks of Arctic air. Snow storms may transition to sleet or rain before temperatures plunge again. And in areas where temperatures hover close to freezing, even a small shift in a storm’s track could mean the difference between rain, heavy wet snow, or a dangerous coating of ice.”
Canada’s left coast, the Almanac predicts, will see rain and wind with brief thaws, while Alberta is in for a winter of storms and piles of snow from the mountains.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba can expect blizzards and a winter’s worth of Arctic cold, while Ontario is in for an icy winter interspersed with frequent bouts of lake-effect snow squalls.
Quebec can expect a cold and snowy winter fuelled by nor’easters, while the Atlantic provinces will see rain-snow mixes and coastal storms.
Ontario to see variety of winter weather
On the heels of last week’s El Niño Advisory issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA,) the Almanac says the seasonal warm ocean currents will have an impact on Canada’s winter.
For Ontario, the Almanac predicts snow.
Lots of it.
“Toronto, Hamilton, London, Windsor, Ottawa, and surrounding communities may experience storms in which temperatures hover dangerously close to 0°C,” read the blog post.
“One storm may be mostly snow. The next may begin as snow, change to freezing rain or rain, and then flash-freeze as colder air rushes in behind it.”
What about accuracy?
So, should Torontonians start oiling their snow shovels now?
While the Farmers’ Almanac swears by the accuracy of its predictions, using proprietary 19th-century mathematical models and astronomical observations claiming high accuracy, analysis of its predictions by researchers and meteorologists suggests its forecast accuracy is no better than a coin toss.
A peer-reviewed study by researchers at the University of Illinois , evaluating five consecutive years of predictions, determined the Almanac’s accuracy to be no greater than 52%.