The Farmer's Almanac has long prided itself on (mostly) accurate long-term weather predictions. This is what the authors say our area is in store for this winter:

Winter will be colder than normal, with below-normal precipitation and near- to above-normal snowfall. The coldest periods will be in January, especially the mid- to late part of the month, and mid- and late February. The snowiest periods will be in mid- to late January.

But that's not all: Looks like spring and summer will also be cooler and dryer than average.

In immediate news, news headlines are predicting snow and "bitter" cold's for later this week. So, bundle up, ya'll. And, let's go ahead and start conserving water now, shall we? ... before it's government mandated (again).

And while you're enjoying your toasty-warm homes, don't forget that there are plenty of folks in our community who could use an extra coat, an extra blanket and even a warm meal. While you're out holiday shopping, consider buying a little extra that you can donate to area shelters, whose numbers are, unfortunately, swelling due in large part to the Great Recession.

Here's a video from Clothe Charlotte about the Q.C.'s homeless:

Rhiannon "Rhi" Bowman is an independent journalist who contributes snarky commentary on Creative Loafing's CLog blog four days a week in addition to writing for several other local media organizations. To learn more, click the links or follow Rhi on Twitter.