Will Idaho Really Have a Warm Winter? Old Farmer’s Almanac Says Yes

Every Idahoan has their own theory about how winter will go. Some swear by the size of spider webs. Others believe that the height of squirrel nests are an indicator of a harsh winter ahead. But like it or not, the forecast that many Idahoans become fixated on as they dream of the season changing is from The Old Farmer’s Almanac. 

They just released their new winter outlook for 2025-2026 on Monday, August 25 and you may not love what their outlook has in store for Idaho this winter. 

READ MORE: Farmer's Almanac Predicts the 2025 First Frost Dates for Idaho

Didn’t the Farmer’s Almanac Already Release Their Forecast for Idaho?

 You may remember seeing our article about the Farmer’s Almanac predicting a “surprisingly frigid” winter for Idaho a few weeks ago. That prediction was made by the “newer” of the two Farmer’s Almanacs. 

The one from our previous article was “The Farmer’s Almanac” which was first published in 1818. Its forecasts are made 16 months in advance and breaks the US into seven different climate regions. 

The forecast we’re about to reveal is from “The Old Farmer’s Almanac, first published in 1792, 26 years before its rival. Its predictions are made up to 18 months in advance. They break the United States down into 18 different regions. 

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In the past, they’ve released the winter outlook for all 18 regions at once but this year they’re rolling out a few regions at a time. Idaho is in this publication’s “intermountain” region, which just so happens to be one of the first revealed this year. 

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Predicts an Unusual Winter for Idaho

In stark contrast to its rival’s outlook, the Old Farmer’s Almanac is calling for a warmer-than-normal winter for Idaho overall. The coldest periods are expected to fall in late November, early December and early February. 

This publication’s “intermountain” region reaches as deep as the middle of Arizona, so it’s safe to assume that Idaho is in the “north” part of the region in the precipitation outlook. It reads: 

Precipitation is above normal, but snowfall varies—below normal in the north, above normal in the south.

Our best chance for snow? Late January, early February and late March.  

How Accurate are the “Old Farmer’s Almanac” Long Range Predictions?

SnowPlow News has actually tracked the accuracy of both almanacs over the years. While the books themselves claim to be 80-95% accurate, they’re really only 24-25% accurate.

The snow and ice control website thinks the inflated accuracy numbers the books claim to have is because the language in the predictions is pretty general for large regional areas. That means a vague scenario is bound to be correct for at least some parts of a region. 

We’ll have to wait and see if this unusually warm prediction comes true. In the meantime, here’s when Idaho can expect the first snowfall of the season based on real, historic data kept by the National Weather Service.