UNDATED -- The Farmers' Almanac is out with the extended forecast for the upcoming winter. And, Managing Editor Sandi Duncan says for us in Minnesota, it's probably what you'd expect...

The overall outlook for the winter of 2020-2021, we're calling it the Winter of the Great Divide with cold and snowy conditions in the north, drought in the west and everything crazy in between. But, for your area specifically, we're calling for cold temperatures with above-normal snowfall.

The cold and snow is forecast for many of the north-central states including the Great Lakes region. But, above-normal snowfall is forecast for the western Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.

Duncan says last year they predicted a "Polar Coaster" of weather with many ups-and-downs in the temps but Duncan says there was a phenomenon called Arctic Oscillation which prevented a lot of those cold temps from plunging deep into the U.S.

As for their methods, Duncan will only say their method is an exclusive mathematical and astronomical formula, that relies on sunspot activity, tidal action, planetary position and other factors developed in 1818.

She says they have an 80% accuracy rate despite making the predictions 18 months in advance.

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