The Old Farmer’s 2027 Almanac Winter Map, Translated for Skiers

The 2027 edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac — the yellow book founded in 1792, published by Yankee Publishing Inc., not the similarly named Farmers’ Almanac — is out with its long-range winter map. Glance at the blues and you will misread it. Most of the Lower 48 is labeled mild. The ski story lives in the exceptions: a colder stretch from central New England through the Appalachians and Ohio Valley, plus Hawaii; snowier-than-normal patches in parts of the Northeast and Appalachians, the Intermountain West, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska.

That is the promotional map. The official write-up behind it, from Almanac meteorologists Bob Smerbeck and Brian Thompson, dated August 29, 2026, splits the country into 18 regions and names the coldest and snowiest windows. The trap for an East skier is treating “Appalachians” as a smear that covers every ridge from Nellysford to Snowshoe. The Almanac’s own city lookup does not work that way.

Look up Snowshoe, WV, and the Almanac files it under Ohio Valley — region 7 — not Appalachians region 3. Canaan, WV, Elkins, Marlinton, and Beckley land in the same Ohio Valley bucket. Look up Wintergreen’s Nellysford, VA, or Massanutten, VA, and those are Appalachians region 3. The snowfall lines are not the same.

The one-sentence forecast

The Almanac’s own summary, not ours: temperatures “mostly mild, with a colder stretch from central New England through the Appalachians and Ohio Valley, plus Hawaii.” Wetter than normal across much of the West and in parts of the South, Midwest, and Florida; drier than normal in parts of the East, Plains, and Southwest. Snowfall “snowier in parts of the Northeast and Appalachians, parts of the West, and Alaska.”

Editor-in-chief Carol Connare put it plainly: “Winter won’t look the same everywhere this year. While much of the country is headed for a milder season, some areas will still see plenty of cold and snow. Check the forecast for your region to see what’s ahead.”

“Above normal” temperature still means winter. A mild Intermountain day can still bury a pass. A cold Ohio Valley week can still need every snow gun on the hill if the storm track misses you.

How to read the map without getting fooled

Each blob is a two-word combo: temperature mood plus moisture type. Mild and cold are relative to that region’s normal, not a national thermostat. Snowy vs wet vs dry is the ski-relevant half.

• Cold, snowy: hills the Almanac files in Appalachians region 3 and the southern Northeast.
• Cold, wet (Ohio Valley): snowfall “Slightly below normal,” precipitation above normal in the east and below normal in the west. That is Snowshoe’s region.
• Mild, snowy: Cascades, Intermountain West, Alaska. Flagstaff, AZ, is Intermountain region 13, not the desert.
• Mild, wet: a wet winter at low elevation. The Almanac does not give a rain-versus-snow line by altitude.
• Mild, dry: Phoenix is Desert Southwest. Denver and the Front Range are High Plains, not Intermountain.
• Cool, wet (Hawaii): the only “cool” label on the map. Not a ski story.

Two traps. The map and the 18-region essay do not always use the same words. Atlantic Corridor is mild and dry on the art and “slightly below-normal snowfall” in the text. Ohio Valley is COLD WET on the map and “Slightly below normal” snow in the text. Appalachians is the cold, snowy stripe, with snowfall “Above normal, especially in the north.” The Old Farmer’s Almanac and Farmers’ Almanac are different publishers.

What they say is driving it

The Almanac’s method, in its own words: solar science, climatology, meteorology, historical weather patterns, current solar activity, climate data, and large-scale climate signals. For 2026–27 they highlight a strong El Niño after last winter’s La Niña faded. “This year’s El Niño is expected to be strong, with unusually warm waters across the equatorial Pacific.” Treat that as narrative, not gospel. NOAA and the Climate Prediction Center publish probability maps for a reason. Yankee Publishing Inc. is not the National Weather Service.

The Mid-Atlantic read: two regions, not one ridge

Ohio Valley (official region 7) — Snowshoe, Canaan, and the Almanac’s Marlinton, Elkins, and Beckley lookups. Temperatures: below normal. Coldest periods: mid- and late January. Precipitation: above normal in the east; below normal in the west. Snowfall: “Slightly below normal.” Snowiest periods: mid- and late January, mid-February, and early March. The map’s Ohio Valley paint is COLD WET.

Snowshoe Mountain’s own 26/27 winter dates, from snowshoemtn.com, are November 25, 2026* – March 21, 2027*, weather permitting.

Appalachians (official region 3) — Wintergreen (Nellysford) and Massanutten. “Winter will be tough in the Appalachians, with colder and snowier conditions, especially in the north. Overall, precipitation will be below normal.” Temperatures: below normal. Coldest periods: mid-January and mid- to late February. Snowfall: “Above normal, especially in the north.” Snowiest periods: mid-January and early and late February.

Atlantic Corridor (region 2): above-normal temperatures, below-normal precipitation, slightly below-normal snow. Cold shots early to mid-December, early to mid-January, and early and late February.

Practical booking: opportunistic January and February nights on Wintergreen and Massanutten if you are chasing the Almanac’s Appalachian snow line. Treat Snowshoe as the Ikon destination week — official season November 25, 2026* to March 21, 2027*, weather permitting — not as proof the Almanac filed West Virginia in region 3.

New England and the lakes: south snowy, north milder

Northeast (region 1) is split on purpose. South of the region: harder winter, below-normal temperatures, above-normal snow. North: above-normal temperatures and below-normal snow. Snowiest periods: mid- and late December, mid-January, and early and late March.

Lower Lakes (region 6): warmer than normal, wetter than normal, snow near to below normal — they still flag a “classic winter January,” with cold early January and early February.

The West: do not file Flagstaff with Phoenix

• Pacific Northwest: above-normal temperatures, precipitation, and snowfall. Snowiest late December, mid-January, mid-February. The Almanac calls it, “to no one’s surprise, a wet winter with above-normal snowfall.”
• Intermountain (region 13): warmer and wetter, snowfall “Above normal,” with travel trouble in the outlook. Peak windows late November, late December, early February. Flagstaff, AZ, is Intermountain on the Almanac’s city page — above-normal snow.
• Pacific Southwest mountains: warmer and wetter; mountain snow “near to above normal” in mountain areas, especially after the new year. Stormiest late December, mid-January, early and late February, early and late March.
• Desert Southwest (region 14): Phoenix’s region. Warmer, drier, “below normal in areas that usually receive snow.” That is not Flagstaff.
• High Plains (region 12): Denver and the Front Range. Warmer, drier, below-normal snow. Not the year to bet a Front Range foothills trip on natural coverage alone. That sentence does not apply to Flagstaff.
• Alaska: still cold, but above-normal temperatures and above-normal snow.

South, Plains, and Hawaii in brief

Southeast: milder, with wetter north and drier south; snowfall “Normal,” with northern chances in early January and late February. Florida: milder, wetter north, drier south. Deep South: warmer, drier north / wetter south, below-normal snow. Texas–Oklahoma: warmer and drier, near-normal snow. Heartland: warmer and wetter, snow near to below normal. Upper Midwest: starts milder, turns colder mid- to late January; wetter east, drier west; snow near to below normal. Hawaii: cooler than normal and wetter — the map’s “cool, wet.”

18 regions, one table

Condensed from the official 2026–2027 winter outlook on almanac.com. Wording is the Almanac’s.

How we would actually plan the season

1. Hold January and February on the Virginia Appalachians hills if you are buying the Almanac’s snow line. Region 3: Wintergreen and Massanutten. Coldest mid-January and mid- to late February; snowiest mid-January and early and late February. Snowfall “Above normal, especially in the north.”
2. Ski Snowshoe on its own calendar, not as region 3. Official 26/27 dates on snowshoemtn.com: November 25, 2026* – March 21, 2027*, weather permitting. Ohio Valley snowiest windows: mid- and late January, mid-February, and early March. Snowfall “Slightly below normal.”
3. Keep a western week after New Year’s if you hold Ikon or Epic. Intermountain snowfall above normal — Flagstaff included. High Plains (Denver / Front Range) below-normal snow. Desert Southwest, including Phoenix, below-normal snow where snow usually falls.
4. Do not over-trust a coastal Mid-Atlantic season pass if the Atlantic Corridor stays mild and slightly light on snow.
5. Re-check in December. This is a seasonal outlook, not a Thursday-night forecast.

What this is not

It is not a promise that Snowshoe will have a record base, or that Killington will be brown, or that Alta will ski like 2017. Seasonal maps erase individual storms. Snowmaking, elevation, and aspect still decide whether a Virginia weekend is ice, corn, or closed. Yankee Publishing Inc. has the 2027 Almanac on sale September 1, 2026.

For the primary source, read the Almanac’s own 2026–2027 winter forecast. For the city lookup that assigns Snowshoe and Nellysford, use the Almanac’s long-range place pages.

If the Almanac is right, the Virginia Appalachians are the snowier Mid-Atlantic bet, and Snowshoe is the colder Ohio Valley Ikon week.

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