What will Boise weather be like for Thanksgiving? Farmers’ Almanac predictions
As northwest residents have been enjoying fall colors and cooler weather in recent weeks, they may wonder just how cold it could get around Thanksgiving.
The Farmers’ Almanac has released its Thanksgiving holiday weekend weather predictions, valid from Nov. 24 to 27.
Idaho is in the Farmers’ Almanac’s “Zone 6,” which also includes Oregon and Washington state. The Almanac’s Zone 6 prediction reads: “Fair at first, then becoming stormy, with gales, heavy snow over the mountains.”
How does the Farmers’ Almanac predict weather?
The Farmers’ Almanac has provided extended forecasts since 1818, according to its website, and typically projects out further than the National Weather Service.
The Almanac makes predictions based on a semi-secret formula that considers factors such as planetary positioning, sunspot activity and tidal action of the moon.
“The only person who knows the exact formula is the Farmers’ Almanac weather prognosticator who goes by the pseudonym of Caleb Weatherbee,” the website states. “To protect this proprietary formula, the editors of the Farmers’ Almanac prefer to keep both Caleb’s true identity and the formula a closely guarded brand secret.”
Editors of the Farmers’ Almanac “firmly deny” using computer satellite tracking equipment, weather lore or groundhogs. They say they use a specific and reliable set of rules developed in 1818 by the almanac’s first editor, an astronomer and mathematician named David Young. The Almanac states that the rules have been altered slightly and turned into a formula that is both astronomical and mathematical.
What does the NWS forecast for Thanksgiving?
The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center provides outlooks up to three months out, and the NWS posted the most recent long-range forecast Oct. 20. It includes information for October, November and December.
While the Seasonal Precipitation Outlook forecasts the northwest has equal chances of above or below-normal temperatures, there’s decent chance precipitation will be atypical.
Northern Idaho has a 40% to 50% chance of above-normal precipitation from October to December, while central Idaho has a 33% to 40% chance, and southern Idaho has equal chances of above or below-normal precipitation, NWS reports.
November’s monthly temperature outlook from NWS says the Boise region has a 33% to 40% chance of above-normal temperatures, while the month’s precipitation forecast reports the City of Trees has a 33% to 40% chance of below-normal precipitation.
This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 6:00 PM.
