**Brighter Days Ahead: Old Farmer’s Almanac Predicts Warm, Wet Spring Across Much of US in 2025**
Forget Punxsutawney Phil! The Old Farmer’s Almanac has already made its spring forecast for 2025, predicting warmer temperatures across the US. Established in 1792, the Almanac foresees higher-than-normal temperatures for most regions, except for certain areas like southern and central California, the Desert Southwest, southern Florida, and western Ohio Valley, where temperatures may be near to below normal. Additionally, a wetter spring is anticipated, with increased rainfall for much of the country, while dry conditions are expected in specific regions such as upper New England, southern Florida, Texas-Oklahoma, the Heartland, the western Ohio Valley, the Lower Great Lakes, the northern High Plains, Upper Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest and northern California.
This aligns with the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, which forecasts average or above-average temperatures and precipitation for the majority of the US from March to May. The start of spring in the US is on March 20, the day of the spring equinox.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac bases its weather predictions on solar patterns, historical weather data, and current solar activity, taking into account the weak La Nina phase of the ENSO. While the Almanac claims an 80% accuracy rate, it acknowledges the challenges of forecasting the weather with complete precision.
Regarding accuracy, opinions vary. The Almanac predicted a mild winter for 2024-2025, contrary to the severe weather experienced across the US in January. Farmers often trust the Almanac’s insights, while many weather forecasters remain skeptical. An analysis by the University of Illinois in 2010 found the Almanac to be around 52% accurate over time, comparable to random chance.
For NOAA’s National Weather Service Spring 2025 forecast, the NWS Climate Prediction Center anticipates average or above-average temperatures and normal precipitation levels for much of the US from March to May. Cooler temperatures are expected in the Northwest, Montana, and parts of the country.
The regions affected by the forecast for April and May 2025 are as follows:
Alaska, the Dakotas, Idaho, and Wyoming: Expect above-average temperatures in most areas.
Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest: Temperatures are projected to be at least slightly above average.
Southwest and Florida: Below-average precipitation is likely in these regions.
Northwest and middle U.S., including Arkansas, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and New York: Above-average precipitation is predicted.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac provides the following regional forecast highlights:
Northeast (Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont): Warmer temperatures are expected, especially in April. Average precipitation in April and below average in May.
Atlantic Corridor (Delaware, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, parts of Maryland, and Virginia): Warmer temperatures, above-normal rainfall in April, slightly below normal in May.
Appalachian region (Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, parts of North Carolina, West Virginia): Slightly warmer temperatures; precipitation ranging from slightly above average to average.
Southeast (Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina): Near-average temperatures along the coast, above normal in western parts; near normal rainfall.
Florida: Northern part to be warmer and wetter, southern part cooler and drier.
Lower Lakes (Michigan, parts of Illinois, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin): Warmer temperatures overall; above normal precipitation in the East, below normal in the West.
Ohio Valley (Kentucky, parts of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin): Below normal temperatures and precipitation in April, above-normal conditions in May.
Deep South (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, part of Georgia): Warmer temperatures in May, wetter conditions expected overall.
Upper Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin, parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan): Much warmer temperatures than usual, drier in the north and wetter in the south.
Heartland (Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, parts of Nebraska, South Dakota): Warm spring, especially in the north, below normal rainfall expected.
The forecast from The Old Farmer’s Almanac for April and May shows a continuation of weather patterns through the summer in various regions of the United States. In Oklahoma and Texas, April is expected to bring below-normal temperatures, while warmer temperatures are anticipated in May. Rainfall in these areas is predicted to be slightly below to near normal levels.
Moving on to the High Plains region, including states like Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, parts of Kansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, normal to warm temperatures are expected, particularly in the North where temperatures could be 6 degrees Fahrenheit above average in April. Rainfall is likely to be below normal in the North and above normal in the South.
In the Intermountain region, encompassing states such as Idaho, Nevada, Utah, parts of Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, and New Mexico, April is forecasted to be warmer than normal with temperatures about 4 degrees Fahrenheit above average. However, May is expected to bring cooler temperatures, being around 3 degrees Fahrenheit below average. Overall, rainfall in this region is anticipated to be above normal.
As spring unfolds, wildflowers are expected to bloom abundantly across the hillsides surrounding Reno in 2023.
Moving to the Desert Southwest, which includes Arizona, New Mexico, parts of Texas, Nevada, and California, cooler temperatures than usual are on the horizon for the desert areas of New Mexico, Arizona, and southeastern California. Rainfall in this region is forecasted to be slightly above normal.
In the Pacific Northwest region, covering Oregon, Washington, and California, coastal areas are likely to experience above-normal temperatures in April but a drop to below normal temperatures in May. Conditions are expected to be slightly drier than usual during this period.
Specifically focusing on the Pacific Southwest, which includes California, temperatures in April are expected to be above normal but are predicted to drop to below normal in May. Below-normal rainfall is anticipated in the north while above-normal precipitation is expected in the south.
Looking to Alaska, both temperatures and precipitation are forecasted to be above normal overall for the months of April and May.
In Hawaii, normal temperatures are expected in the west, while the eastern part of the state is likely to experience warmer-than-usual temperatures. Wetter-than-usual conditions are anticipated statewide during this period.
Contributors to this information include Janson McNair and John Tufts from the USA TODAY Network. For more updates, follow Mike Snider on Threads, Bluesky, and X at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider. Stay informed about trending topics by signing up for our newsletter to receive the latest news of the day.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2025 Old Farmer’s Almanac: Warmer, wetter spring forecast.
