Cold and Snowy or Warm and Dry? — Winter 2026's Weather Prediction

While nobody has a crystal ball when it comes to predicting the weather, there are many well respected places where people turn to when they are looking for an idea of what they can expect when Old Man Winter rolls into town.

Between experts who analyze mereological trends and those who work hard to put together Farmers' Almanac weather predictions, there are a lot of places you can turn to when you're looking for an idea of what to expect from seasonal weather changes.

We may not know exactly what the winter weather forecast for 2026 will be, but we can come up with a pretty good idea based on the data collected from these expert sources, which allows us to make an educated guess when it comes to how much of the white stuff people in the U.S. will be seeing this winter.

So, will you need to break out your snow suits and tire chains? Or can you rest easy knowing that your winter electric bills won't be as high this year thanks to mild weather?

There's good news in store for snow bunnies, because the Farmers' Almanac predicts that winter 2025-2026 will feature a good amount of the white stuff. In the 209th edition of the book, the forecast says that the U.S. will follow the pattern of "chill, snow, repeat."

Fortunately, that chill isn't expected to be as freezing as it was in winter 2024-2025, when a lot of places saw record low temperatures and mountains of snow.

"Most of the country is on tap for a cold or very cold winter, kind of almost going back to an old-fashioned winter," Sandi Duncan, Farmers' Almanac editor, told USA Today. "It's going to cool down, it's going to snow, then it might warm up a little, then it's going to repeat itself again."

That cycle of cooling and warming will make for a "wild ride," according to the Almanac, which says the weather cycle could be unpredictable at times, especially when it comes to when and where it will arrive.

When it comes to the timing, that unpredictable weather cycle could make it hard to pinpoint exactly when cold weather will strike. Duncan's best guess is that the northern part of the country has the potential to see an early arrival of winter. And, when it comes to a white Christmas, only the northern Plains seems poised to see one.

And once winter arrives, it will be slow to leave, Duncan told the publication.

"It looks like it's going to hang on for a little bit through March and even through April… especially in New England, Great Lakes and the northern Plains," Duncan continued. Of course, this forecast isn't set in stone, and things like climate change have made it harder to accurately predict long-range forecasts like this.

But for now, it seems like areas of the U.S. that typically see winter weather can expect that pattern to continue in 2026.