Farmers' Almanac Says Baltimore To Have A Very Wet Winter

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- It's been predicting weather since 1818. Now, the Farmers' Almanac prints more than four million copies a year with many more relying on its forecast online.

Tim Williams has more on what the publication is predicting for this coming winter.

It's been a North American tradition since the 1800s and is currently maintained by Peter Gieger, philom.

"Philom meaning a lover of learning. It's an almanac editor's title. It started with Ben Franklin and David Young and it's passed on to me," said Gieger.

Developed by David Young--a mathematician, calculator and astronomer--the Farmers' Almanac has evolved through the years as a guide to good living with a hint of fun. For followers, it's also a go-to source of seasonal trends in weather.

"As he started his almanac, he realized that weather was key for farmers so he developed a mathematical formula which he applied to sunspot activity, planet positions and the effect the moon has on the earth, which allowed him to project weather two years in advance," Gieger said.

In 195 years, there have been only seven secret prognosticators for the Almanac. The current pseudonym is Caleb Weatherbee. Each claims great reliability, most recently with Maryland's October snowstorm and the abundant early autumn rainfall.

"People tell us we're anywhere between 75 and 95 percent accurate," Gieger said.

Now with the 2012 edition in circulation, what's in store for us?

"I think Baltimore is going to have a very wet winter. I don't think it'll be as snowy, but I sure think it's gonna be a lot of rain, a lot of precipitation and you're going to have the cold, back-and-forth type of weather," Gieger said.

The Farmers' Almanac is only printed in the U.S. and Canada because editors say the humor loses its translation in other languages.