Cindy Day, meteorologist with CTV Atlantic
To this day, the very first sighting of next year’s “Old Farmer’s Almanac” at the grocery store checkout makes me smile and brings back lovely childhood memories. Santa always left a copy for my dad on the table next to the plate of milk and cookies. From that day forward, that little yellow book was in someone’s hands almost every day of the year.
Mom loved the recipes and the gardening tips, my brother was always referring to the “best days to fish” charts. My sister was drawn to the beauty tips pages while Dad and I went straight to the long range forecasts. Imagine being able to see what the weather might be like months down the road. We read it over and over, trying to understand, then plan, as best we could. It was, in many ways, the weather bible. Perhaps that’s where my curiosity for weather started.
Today, I know that the predictions are based on patterns and past climate data that produce weather cycles. They are broad-stroke outlooks for geographical sections of the continent. They are accurate but not specific. Today, people expect much more detail than is available in the almanac: when the rain will start, how much snow will fall and on what side on the street. While those details can’t be found in the almanac, I am one of the first to pick up a copy every fall. The well worn almanac had a very special place in our home. It sat on a magazine rack next to my dad’s rocking chair. It still does, and the routine is very much the same as it was almost 50 years ago.