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The Southern Prairies can expect a significant break from frigid temperatures this winter, according to the newly released 2026 Canadian edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The highly anticipated long-range forecast predicts a season that is warmer than normal with below-average snowfall.
“Winter is typically what everybody wants to know about,” Carol Connare, editor-in-chief for the Almanac, said in an interview.
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“We’re calling for warmer than normal with above-normal precipitation and below-normal snowfall. We’re calling for the coldest times in Moose Jaw and that area in late November and early December, and early February, and the snowiest times will be during that cold snap in late November, early December.”
The forecast calls for a sustained warming trend throughout the entire winter.
“For the temperature, we’re saying that November and December will be 2°C above normal, and it kind of warms up the rest of the winter,” Connare explained. “January, we’re calling 4° above normal; February and March 3° above normal.”
Looking ahead to the 2026 growing season, the forecast suggests a potentially welcome shift for local producers. Connare noted a split spring forecast, with the south sitting between cooler conditions to the east and warmer to the west, followed by an encouraging summer.
“Summer, we’re seeing warmer and wetter than usual, which of course growers like to hear,” she said. The forecast calls for July precipitation to be anywhere from 10 mm to 60 mm above average in the region. “That’s significantly above normal.”
Connare acknowledged that the Almanac’s predictions align with broader climate trends, referencing the recent federal update to Canada’s Plant Hardiness Zones.
“I think your hardiness zones just got updated too… and I know lots of places ticked up half a zone or a full zone,” she said.
The 2026 edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac is available now and includes features on gardening, cooking, and unique Canadian culture, in addition to its famous long-range weather predictions. For more free tools and information, readers can visit almanac.com.
