Gas up the snowblower but don‘‘t put away your umbrella: The Farmers‘‘ Almanac is predicting a wild winter with heavy precipitation and dramatic temperature swings in the Northeast.
The northern Plains and Great Lakes will be snowy, the almanac says, while it will be milder in the southern half of the country. The Northeast will have unusually wet weather — either as rain or snow, according to the almanac.
"The big thing is it‘‘s going to be a winter of extremes," said managing editor Sandi Duncan, whose almanac hits newsstands Tuesday.
The weather formula used by the 188-year-old Farmers‘‘ Almanac is a closely guarded secret. Prepared two years in advance, the forecasts are based on sunspots, the position of the planets and tidal action of the moon.
