WINTER: Cold and wet. That’s what the Farmers’ Almanac has to say about the upcoming winter for this region.

There are a few times when the forecast is particularly unpleasant, too.

“The season’s coldest temperatures will be found from the Northern Plains to the Great Lakes region. But areas east of the Rockies into the Appalachians will also experience many periods of cold conditions,” the Farmers’ Almanac extended forecast indicates. “The coldest outbreak of the season will come during the final week of January into the beginning of February, when frigid Arctic air brings a sharp plunge in temperatures almost nationwide, but especially across the Northern Plains. As this very cold air blows across the Great Lakes, heavy snow showers and snow squalls will bring intense bursts of snow to the lee (east) of the Lakes.”

Wonder how many feet of snow that might bring to Buffalo, N.Y.

“Winter in New England and the Northeast will be stormy with above-normal amounts of winter precipitation and near- to above-normal temperatures,” the forecast reads. “Snow will be most prevalent over the interior and mountainous terrains, while sleet and rain will be more common near the coast, especially near and along the I-95 corridor.”

So we might be OK? We can’t say we miss the years with heavy snow and lots of shoveling.

“(Farmers’ Almanac is) ‘red flagging’ the final week of January over most of the eastern half of the country because of a very active storm track that we expect will deliver frequent bouts of heavy precipitation, as well as strong and gusty winds. We would especially highlight the time frames from Jan. 20 to 23 and 24 to 27, which could mean copious amounts of snow, rain, sleet, and ice (depending on where you live).”

Ugh.