Kansas City will experience a snowy winter…or maybe a dry winter?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Another winter forecast has been released, and it puts Kansas City right on the dividing line for snow.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac recently issued its full winter weather forecast, and the outlook for Kansas City isn’t quite clear.

The region sits on the edge of two zones: cold and dry or cold and snowy. If the almanac’s predictions hold true, the Interstate 35 corridor looks like it could be the line where things change with those to the northwest potentially seeing drier winter skies and those to the southeast seeing more snow.

Kansas City is in the “Heartland” region of the Old Farmer’s Almanac. For this area, the almanac says:

“Winter will be colder than normal, on average, with the coldest periods in late November, early December, early to mid-January, and mid- to late February. Precipitation and snowfall will be above average in the east and below average in the west. The snowiest periods will be in late November, early to mid-January, and February.” The forecast for Kansas City might reflect a greater pattern across the U.S. The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts “a tale of two winters” because they expect the weather will likely split the country in two.

But some meteorologist disagree with the almanacs’ methods of predicting winter weather. The almanacs have often stirred up debate about their accuracy, and some experts say the long-term predictions should be taken with a grain of salt.

Last year the Old Farmer’s Almanac also predicted a cold, snowy winter for most of Kansas City with cold and dry weather to the north. But Kansas City recorded 19.7 inches of snow last winter, only about 1 inch above the average.

If you’re looking to compare to other sources, don’t confuse the Old Farmer’s Almanac with the Farmer’s Almanac. The latter has already predicted a “hibernation zone” of cold and snow for Kansas City.