Unless Hoosiers have been living under a rock,  they know that Indiana has some pretty crazy mood swings. When I say mood swings, I mean the weather that changes with the blink of an eye. Our state likes to change its mind almost as much as a middle school girl changes her friend group. Hoosiers can look at the weather app and see that there is a high of 45 with a low of 30, but then you step outside, and there are four inches of snow outside, and they get an e-learning day. Students are running around celebrating in their pajama pants, and then you get a full week of delays. Now that just sounds like the best week ever, but it has to leave people wondering how we can predict these weather mood/weather swings.

     Now I know what some are probably thinking. Indiana is the most unlucky state ever. We get the most unexpected snow.  But what if I told you that the Old Farmer’s Almanac actually predicted it?. Yep, that’s right, the Old Farmer’s Almanac that can probably be found in your grandparents’ restroom, for some odd reason, actually does come in handy. This old book has been predicting the weather for over two hundred years.

     This year’s Thanksgiving was followed by a snowstorm, which sounds like an over exaggeration, but it is not. According to the National Weather Service, Hoosiers got a whopping eight inches of snow on November 29, 2025. The students here at Cass had two e-learning days followed by three two-hour delays. Was this just a coincidence, or did the Old Farmers’ Almanac actually predict this weather? Well, for Hoosiers here in Northern Indiana, or the Lower Lakes as the Almanac likes to call us, the old book kind of predicted this weather. According to the Almanac, Hoosiers were predicted to get snow and for it to get colder. Oh, and the Almanac is predicting a White Christmas for us, yay! Now I know that sounds generic. Like, what do you mean the Almanac just took a wild guess of snow and cold weather? Most people see the Almanac as a book that will tell us the exact amount of rain or snow that we will get, but this is actually not true. 

     The Farmers’ Almanac is a planting guide for farmers that hints at the name. That is why it is very vague; it is a guide for the farmers. The farmers do not really pay attention to how much snow we are going to get at the end of November because planting season is already an afterthought. The Almanac is not some magic book that tells all the meteorologists what to say on the news. Meteorologists do still look at satellites that give them the short-term weather to tell the viewers the weather, but still, that can be wrong because it is Indiana. 

     If students look back at our week with two E-Learning days and three two-hour delays, they have to give the Old Farmers’ Almanac some credit. While it is a book that collects dust, it does still predict a thing or two. Especially living in a state that loves to change its mind at the last second possible, even predicting the slightest thing is kind of impressive. Next time that you go to the Meijer check out line, give the Old Almanac a quick skim through.