If there’s a winter heat wave in Charlotte now, this is what can you expect for spring
A wintertime heat wave has temperatures soaring well above average in Charlotte and throughout the Carolinas this week.
But the official start of the next season is weeks away, meaning there’s still a chance wintry weather could creep back into the region.
Once spring does arrive in earnest, the Farmers’ Almanac forecast calls for plenty of April showers across the southeast U.S., including in the Charlotte area, and varying temperatures across different regions of the country.
Here’s what to know about the Farmers’ Almanac’s predictions for spring 2023 in Charlotte:
When is the first day of spring 2023?
The first day of spring 2023 is March 20.
Farmers’ Almanac spring 2023 forecast for Charlotte
The Almanac predicts “near normal spring temps” for the southeast U.S. for spring 2023, including in Charlotte.
It’s also calling for “tons of showers” in the region.
Nationwide, the Almanac predicts “a wet and cool season for most places, with spring taking its sweet time to arrive.”
“Spring will be unusually active over the nation’s heartland with frequent heavy-to-severe thunderstorms predicted,” it says. “Such adverse activity will be confined chiefly to the Southeast states during March, then will spread north and west April through June.”
Is the Farmers’ Almanac accurate?
The Farmers’ Almanac, which boasts that it produces “a longer range weather forecast than any other source available,” bases its forecasts on “a specific and reliable set of rules that were developed back in 1818” that have been adapted into “a formula that is both mathematical and astronomical.”
“The formula takes into consideration things like sunspot activity, tidal action of the Moon, the position of the planets, and a variety of other factors,” the group says. “The only person who knows the exact formula is the Farmers’ Almanac weather prognosticator who goes by the pseudonym of Caleb Weatherbee.”
It claims that its “forecasts are 80% to 85% accurate,” but some researchers have questioned that figure.
One study, by Penn State meteorologist Paul Knight, called into question the secrecy behind the Farmers’ Almanac’s system.
“If you want to use that for some kind of planting purpose or guidance, more power to you,” Knight said in his report. “And if it works for you, great. But will it work regularly? No.”
