According to folklore, you can gaze at the length of the black bands on wooly bear caterpillars and at how closely they’re positioned to the head to predict wintry weather—and Akron’s wooly bears predict a mild winter in 2024. Or you might prefer to count the number of fallen acorns. There’s more on the ground? More severe weather. Bushy squirrel tails can be another sign of severity.
Or, if you’d like to use a traditional print source (that’s now online), go with predictions from the Farmers’ Almanac. They predict a cold winter along Lake Erie, according to Cleveland.com—in fact, they say we’ll have the country’s coldest temperatures, especially from late January to early February. They also predict “heavy snow showers and snow squalls.”
There’s just one catch.
They predicted below average temperatures in the Midwest last year with “excessive precipitation and snow as late as April.” And that didn’t happen. Instead, the Cleveland area saw an exceptionally mild winter with above average temperatures and the second least amount of snowfall in at least 50 years.
What Do Local Meteorologists Say About the Upcoming Winter?
So, it probably makes more sense to get weather-related info from the National Weather Service rather than superstitions. Their long-range forecasts say that Ohio should expect above-normal temperatures along the lake with more precipitation than typical. Depending upon temperatures, this can mean rain or snow. On average, snow first falls in the Cleveland area on November 10.
The Fox 8 weather team provides a winter weather outlook by looking at the patterns in the Pacific Ocean and other major bodies of water, among other elements. This year, La Niña is a key factor. This is, as CNN describes it, “a natural climate pattern that influences global weather marked by cooler than average ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific.”
Using this formula, Fox 8’s weather team expects above-average temperatures with below normal snowfall—except that we’ll have more lake effect snow than we’ve been having in the past few winters. Getting more specific, although the average snowfall over the past twenty years in our area has been 55-60 inches, this year, we’re expected to see 35-45 inches (when not accounting for the snow belt that may experience double to triple that amount).
Accuweather.com, meanwhile, notes how snowy periods will be interspersed with mid-season pauses with milder temperatures.
Enjoying Time Outdoors in the Winter
Although you wouldn’t want your children to play outdoors in the middle of a winter storm, they can enjoy fun and games in the snow during much of the season: sledding, building snow people, ice skating, and more. Then, when it’s time for them to come inside, either have warming mugs of Unicorn Hot Chocolate ready or make them together. You can add a range of ingredients to make the drink magical for your children: whipped cream, mini marshmallows, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate syrup, and more. If you’d like to use a faster method, start with white chocolate flavored mix.
No Matter the Weather, Horizon Is Open for You
Regardless of the conditions outside, Horizon Education Centers are open for fun and learning. When school districts close for inclement weather, we don’t. You can be assured that our doors are always open for your children and a safe environment for learning and play is always available for you.
Contact us today for more information or to schedule a tour of one of our over 20 centers across western Greater Cleveland.