Old Farmers' Almanac Contradicts El Niño Impacts for West Coast During Winter 26/27
The Old Farmer’s Almanac released its Winter 26/27 forecast today, August 28, 2026, and skiers in the Pacific Northwest and California probably noticed something odd about its predictions.
El Niño has been the talk of the town since it was first forecast earlier this year, and many meteorologists expect one of the strongest such events in recent memory. Because of this, skiers in Oregon and Washington are expecting dry weather and warmer temperatures, a common symptom for their region during strong El Niños.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac, however, begs to differ.
The publication predicts “Mild” temperatures along the coast from Seattle to San Diego, but “wet” and “snowy” descriptors seem to apply to the areas where most of the Pacific Northwest’s ski resorts are located.
See below for the full winter 26/27 forecast map from The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The Old Farmer's Almanac
El Niño tends to draw the jet stream south, which typically creates warmer and drier conditions for the Pacific Northwest. With that said, the Old Farmer’s Almanac is sticking to its guns and calling for “heavier-than-usual” snowfall for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, among other regions of the United States.
Ski forecaster Alan Smith of OpenSnow and meteorologist Chris Tomer would most likely draw questions about the Old Farmer’s Almanac’s forecast, but the hundreds-year-old publication doesn’t pretend to use modern weather modeling and science.
Stay tuned here at POWDER for more long-range winter weather forecasts leading up to the season. Click below to read more regional forecasts from the newly-released Old Farmer’s Almanac Winter 26/27 forecast, and click here if you’re confused about the El Niño hype.
Old Farmer’s Almanac Winter 26/27 Forecasts
- United States: Winter 26/27 Forecast
- Canada: Winter 26/27 Forecast
- West Coast: Winter 26/27 Forecast
- East Coast: Winter 26/27 Forecast
- Intermountain West (Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, etc.): Winter 26/27 Forecast
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