Wyoming Winter Begins In 3, 2, ….

It's late November. Aren't we supposed to have had a major snowfall by now?

When it comes to weather, there is no such thing as "normal" or "supposed to be". Every year is different, every decade is different, every millennium is different, and so on. Such is the weather on our ever-changing planet.

So for those who have been waiting for that first SMACK of winter, here it comes.

Thanksgiving week, we start off nice, but cooler as the week goes by, with wind and some snow here and there. Then the long holiday weekend comes, and FINALLY that snow arrives.

Nothing major, but it will start snowing over most of Wyoming for the end of November and into December. Meteorologists feel confident about a colder and snowier December.

We seem to be easing into winter this year.

Let's look at The Old Farmer's Almanac. That's a publication that has been around for a long time and, for the most part, can be surprisingly accurate.

The Almanac for this coming winter predicts,

Temperatures: Near normal to slightly milder across with occasional hard cold snaps.

Greater amounts of snow are expected in the southern Rockies and eastern Desert Southwest.

But Farmer's Almanac (which is different from "The Old Farmer's Almanac) predicts very cold and snowy weather for the West.

So who is correct?

I'm not trying to say that we can't predict some of what might happen.

There are signs, like La Niña and El Niño. (Watch the video below.)

Be careful of long-term forecasts.

Meteorologists have a tough time predicting the weather just 5 days out. So there is no way they can nail a forecast for months from now.

Watch out for anyone who uses terms like "above normal" or "below normal."

The only thing that is normal about weather and Earth's climate is that nothing stays the same; everything is always changing.

Multiple competing factors.

There is simply too much going on to say for sure what will happen.

But we can look at past trends for ideas for a better guess.

We still have to call that A GUESS!

At least it's an educated guess.

The best advice is to be ready for anything and be pleasantly surprised when it turns out the way we wanted it.