In the most recent issue of the Farmers' Almanac, which was released August 26, it predicted that winter in New England is going to be very raw in 2013 and 2014.

The Farmers' Almanac, which has been a New England staple since 1818, is predicting a viciously cold and snow-packed winter for the Northeast.

Also, if the Almanac is correct, another year with a major February storm could be in the works, according to the predictions.

Should that hold true, it would follow a winter that brought Portland 98 inches of snow, which is above the 30-year average of 62 inches, according to the National Weather Service Metereologist Mike Kistner in Grey.

That increase can be attributed to the storm dubbed Nemo by The Weather Channel. That storm dumped 30 inches of snow February 8 in Boothbay and along the coast.

“A lot of that (total) came from one storm,” Kistner said. “That one storm represented about 30 percent of the total.”

Kistner said that while many people use the Almanac as a guide, it isn't something that typically finds its way into the hands of meteorologists.

“We're more concerned with the next 10 days, at most,” he said. “We never look ahead that far.”

Some of the predictions, such as a large February storm, do hold some merit, Kistner said, but that's based on history, not predictions.

“If you look back to 1948, February is when you see the most intense, most frequent storms,” he said. “Generally, the severe storms come in February or early March.”

The first 10 days of February are predicted to be wild, with diving temperatures and driving snow in time for Super Bowl XLVIII, which is slated for February 2 in New Jersey.

The Farmers' Almanac uses lunar cycles, sunspot activity and other factors, but the exact recipe for predictions has remained a secret for 197 years. The Lewiston-based magazine is used by farmers to predict harvesting and planting times.

Another almanac, New Hampshire's Old Farmers Almanac, is printed later in the fall.

But not all farmers use it.

Jan Goranson of Goranson Farm in Dresden said the farm doesn't put much thought into what weather the future holds.

“No, we don't plan according to the Almanac,” she said. “In fact, I don't think I've ever even bought an almanac. I don't think my dad ever bought one, either.”

Regardless if it comes from new climate charting technology or a 197-year-old secret formula, not much thought is given to long-range weather planning on the farm, Goranson said.

“We live by that good old saying ‘One day at a time,’” she said. “We just watch the weather as it comes. I haven't even noticed any woolly caterpillars.”

An old farmer's myth is that if woolly caterpillars are more black than brown, a bad winter is in store. Like the Farmer's Almanac, Goranson said she had never used the fuzzy bugs to forecast future weather.

Ben Bulkeley can be reached at 207-633-4620 or bbulkeley@boothbayregister.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BBRegisterBen.