I wake up at about 5 a.m. and up until very recently, it was light outside when I opened my eyes. Today, it was pitch black. This can mean only one thing: we are on the downswing of summer and cold weather isn't far behind.

This summer has been pretty mild. We had our really hot days but this August has been less than triple digits which is just fine for the bulk of the population.

So, what's this winter going to be like? Well, I consulted the 2017-2018 Farmer's Almanac. Here's the synopsis:

Winter will be warmer than normal, with slightly above-normal precipitation and below-normal snowfall. The coldest periods will be in early to mid-December, late December, early January, and early and mid-February. The snowiest periods will be in mid-December, early February, and mid-March. April and May will be cooler and rainier than normal. Summer will be hotter and slightly rainier than normal, with the hottest periods in early July, early August, and mid- to late August. September and October will be rainier and warmer than normal.

Ever wonder who gets up at 4 a.m. to gather school closings and distributes them online, via app notifications and on the radio? Well, that's ME. And as the person who does school closings, I can wholeheartedly say that I'm ecstatic we'll be having a mild winter!

And, if you are curious if the Farmer's Almanac is a relilable source, let's look back at the Winter Predictions from the 2016-2017 Farmer’s Almanac. Here’s the synopsis:

Winter will be warmer than normal, with slightly below-normal precipitation. The coldest periods will be in early to mid-January, from late January into early February, and in late February. Snowfall will be above normal in the east and below normal in the west, with the snowiest periods in late January and early to mid-February.

Hmmm, I don't think we had much snow at all last winter but it was warmer. But, it is weather - no one can truly know what it will do!

And, if you want a more in-depth look at what the weather will be like this winter, you can buy the full 2017-2018 Farmer's Almanac right here!

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