15 weird warning signs that winter 2019 could be a frigid hellscape

Winter seems pretty far away when you’re sweltering and slapping mosquitos on a muggy August afternoon. However, the Farmers’ Almanac is looking ahead to the cold months. And its extended weather forecast predicts a “polar coaster” of frigid temperatures and “copious” amounts of snow, sleet, rain, and ice.

To arrive at this frosty foreboding conclusion, the almanac plugs in a proprietary formula that’s been around since 1818. It’s famously guarded by a prognosticator who goes by the pseudonym of Caleb Weatherbee, who considers sunspot activity, tidal action of the moon, the position of the planets, and a variety of other factors to come up with the prediction. (The validity of the almanac’s predictions have been frequently called into question.)

Other ways to guess at what the weather may have in store are steeped in folklore. Country Living pointed to several possible signs in nature. Here are some of the quirkier signs they say to look out for this fall to predict how harsh the winter will be:

Thicker-than-normal corn husks
Woodpeckers sharing a tree
Early departure of geese and ducks
Early migration of the monarch butterfly
Thick hair on the nape of a cow’s neck
Heavy and numerous fogs during August
Raccoons with thick tails and bright bands
Mice chewing furiously to get into your home
Early arrival of crickets on the hearth
Spiders spinning larger-than-usual webs and entering the house in great numbers
Pigs gathering sticks
Ants marching in a line rather than meandering
Unusual abundance of acorns
Squirrels gathering nuts early to fortify against a hard winter
Frequent halos or rings around the sun or moon forecast numerous snowfalls

This post has been updated.