You're probably thinking, "Fall just started. Can we enjoy that first before we start talking about winter?" My answer to that is, "yes." Break out those sweatshirts, enjoy the cooler temperatures, and drink all the pumpkin spice latte you can. But, I don't think it's a terrible idea to prepare ourselves for the fact that fall will come to an end and winter will take its place. Especially if what the Farmers' Almanac is predicting for this winter for Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois pans out.

Farmers' Almanac Extended Forecast for Winter 2022-23 in Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois

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If you're the type who loves cold weather and snow, you're probably going to love what the meteorologists at the Almanac are saying we can expect when Old Man Winter gets us in his grip. On the flip side, if you're someone like my wife, who absolutely, positively hates cold weather, and wears a sweatshirt when the temperature is below 75, then you may want to consider relocating closer to the equator for a few months.

According to their Extended Winter Forecast for 2022-2023, which they've playfully dubbed, "Shake, Shiver, Shovel!" our part of the midwest, along with our neighbors to the north in Michigan, and those to the east in Ohio can expect an "unreasonably cold" and snowy winter season.

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That sounds, uh, less than pleasant. But, hey, it could be worse. We could live in Minnesota, the Dakotas, or Nebraska which they've dubbed a "Hibernation Zone" due to the prediction of "Glacial" conditions. Does that cushion the blow a little? No? Well, I tried.

Even though the first day of winter isn't until December 21st, the Almanac expects our first taste of cold temperatures to set in early in the month due to an "active storm pattern developing and hanging around for most of the season over the eastern half of the country" they believe will make it "stormy and cold nationwide." But, they also say this could lead to some parts of the country seeing a white Christmas. That would be cool, right? Hello? Is this thing on? Sorry, I'm still trying to polish this turd.

How Much Snow Could Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois Get This Winter?

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You know, it's important to keep in mind that this is simply a prediction and no amount of fancy technology, atmospheric tracking, or whatever they use to create this forecast is 100% accurate. As we know all too well, weather is wildly unpredictable and can change in an instant.

Am I stalling right now to keep from having to deliver some more potentially bad news? I am. Was it that obvious? Fine. Let's just rip the bandage off.

According to their forecast, the aforementioned "active storm track" will run from the western Gulf of Mexico to the northeast which COULD, not will, COULD (still trying to find a silver lining here), lead to "places to the north of the track [i.e. us] seeing the precipitation fall more as snow and at times, a lot of it."

Again, this is all merely their best guess on what may happen. Granted, they are experts and have been doing this for decades, but it's entirely possible what they think may happen will never come to fruition. However, I would recommend being prepared in the event it does play out like they think it may just to be safe.

You can check out the rest of their forecast on the Farmers' Almanac website.

Click Here to See the Farmer's Almanac's Predictions for the First 2022 Frost Dates in IN, KY, & IL

[Source: Farmer's Almanac]

LOOK: The most extreme temperatures in the history of every state

Stacker consulted 2021 data from the NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) to illustrate the hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in each state. Each slide also reveals the all-time highest 24-hour precipitation record and all-time highest 24-hour snowfall.

Keep reading to find out individual state records in alphabetical order.

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