2014 Winter Weather Forecast for the Utica Rome Area [WEATHER] [FORECAST] [OPINION]

What does the 2014 winter weather season hold for the Utica Rome area.  What kind of weather can Central New Yorkers expect?

If you live in the Utica Rome area and are a fan of winter, then the 2014 winter weather forecast is for you.  The Farmer's Almanac predicts that "another teeth-chatteringly cold winter is on its way across the United States!"  The exclamation point is from the Almanac's quote, and the implied enthusiasm does not represent the thoughts or sentiments or the author of this post, who spent most of her formative years in the Sunshine State.

Janice Stillman, editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, says, “Be prepared—there’s plenty in the forecast to cause all sorts of mayhem: blizzards, droughts, and hurricanes!”  Again, the emphasis is Stillman's.

So far The Farmer's Almanac, which boasts an eighty percent accuracy rate, has been on target so far in predicting October's weather.  Predicting rainy but mild temperature before Halloween, that has indeed been the case.

For November the average temperature is predicted to be approximately 37-degrees with average precipitation of approximately 3.5 inches.  The weekly forecast for November is as follows:

• Week One                      rainy periods, mild
• Week Two                     flurries and sprinkles
• Weeks Two to Three     rain to snow, turning cold
• Weeks Three to Four    snow showers
• Thanksgiving Week       snow showers

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Weather and Climate Prediction has created the weather map below for the next three months:

What does the weather mean for the cold and flu season?  The Weather Channel has posted a National Flu Report Map based on data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.