“If the soil five feet under the surface remains dry, we won’t have moisture for plants late in the growing season next year,” Randy Miles, an associate professor of soil science at MU, said. “It takes a long time to recharge this sub-soil, especially after the drought we experienced. While the rains we have had have been very helpful, the water has not moved down to that level. Right now, we are very vulnerable to losing the moisture through evaporation. With warm, sunny and windy days, it’s very easy for the moisture to evaporate.”
Fans of the Old Farmer’s Almanac may have the best outlook for the 2012-2013 winter season.
“Good news: Areas suffering from drought during Summer 2012 should receive enough winter precipitation to bring improvement,” a preview of the Almanac’s long-range winter weather predictions said in a report available here.
Other forecasts instead look to other forces of nature. Kansas City meteorologist Brett Anthony has been watching the acorn production of his Pin Oak trees and squirrel preparations for winter. The more acorns the trees produce and the faster the squirrels prepare for winter, the more snow the region gets.
While his forecast is more for fun than for accuracy, Anthony does predict that the area will see more now than last year, but snowfall will still be below-average. Read more about Anthony’s “squirrely” theory.
Talk to us: How much snowfall do you expect this year?