The Old Farmer's Almanac 2012 [2012 ed.] 1571985441, 157198545X, 9781571985446, 9781571985453

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elcome, friends, to the 220th consecutive

edition of this Almanac! It is our duty and pleasure to provide yes, within these pages, the ingredients that make this a true almanac—a calendar of the heavens and a time capsule of the year: timetables for the year’s astronomical events * daily weather forecasts that are traditionally 80 percent accurate (beginning on page 202)

* predictions of emerging consumer fads, fashions, and farsighted ideas (page 10)

You will also find quirky facts, timeless adages and advice, pithy quotes and profound proverbs, recipes, contests, anecdotes (and pleasantries), Best Days to do

things, and more, including these amusing and informative feature articles... The Shipping News (page 30)

Sending a box of home-

baked goodies spreads love and cheer. Our recipes for scrumptious sweet and savory treats, with packing tips, promise safe and delicious deliveries. Mac & Cheese: Outside the Box (page 44) « Julia Child

Cookbook Award—winner Ken Haedrich provides four mouthwatering makeovers for the classic combo, and we

share a special one of our own. Take a Bite Out of Winter (page 58) « Thanks to inno-

vative technology, hydroponics, a centuries-old method of gardening, is easier than ever to do at home. Meet a

The Latest Buzz (page 72) « Honeybee and hive products—honey, pollen, propolis, even venom—are effective home remedies. Bee-lieve it! Prepare yourself he

viewing Venus in transit, a solar eclipse, meteor showers, and more. (Make even better sightings by getting your local times for these events, available at Almanac .com/Astronomy.) Time to Get Organized (page 142) ¢ We call this year

2012, but astronomers and others consider it year 6725 of the Julian Period, with January 1 as Julian Date 2,455,927.5. See how this came to be and why. Create an Astronomical Garden (page 144) ¢ Any gar-

den can include a sundial; an astronomical garden can be a sundial. Choose from three plot plans that connect you to the universe or try other ideas. Vegetable Riffs (page 152)

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few folks who grow edibles like crazy this way.

The Sky Is Falling! (page 96)

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Blues guitarist Elvin

Bishop reveals how harmony in his edible garden yields a hefty harvest. €

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NUMBER

TWO

HUNDRED

AND

TWENTY

The Old Farmer’s Almanac CALCULATED

ON A NEW

AND

IMPROVED

PLAN

2012

FOR THE YEAR

OF OUR

LORD

BEING LEAP YEAR AND (UNTIL JULY 4) 236TH YEAR OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE

Fitted for Boston and the New England states, with special corrections and calculations to answer for all the United States.

Containing, besides the large number ofAstronomical Calculations and the Farmer’s Calendar for every month in the year, a vanety of

New, USEFUL, €@ ENTERTAINING MATTER. Established in 1792 by Robert B. Thomas (1766-1846)

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Las Animas

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Nothing is too small to know, and nothing is too big to attempt. —Sir William C, Van Horne, U.S.-born railroad entrepreneur and Canadian Pacific Railway executive (1843-1915)

Cover T.M. registered in U.S. Patent Office

Copyright © 2011 by Yankee Publishing Incorporated ISSN 0078-4516

Library of Congress

Card No, 56-29681

Original wood engraving by Randy Miller

Tue OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC * DusLin, NH 03444 * 603-563-8111 * ALMANAC.COM

2012

THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

CALL NOW & GET TWO FREE GIFTS, A $439? VALU E! With activation by 12/31/11.

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The Old Farmer's Almanac « 2012

About This Almanac __ ee Contact Us 402... aaa 1, 82, 84 To Pawons

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@¥:AT A GLANCE eat So

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Our Changing Culture “We can’t prevent the future from arriving, but we can cherry-pick lovelinesses from the past to bring with us as we charge forward.”

: PEOPLE ARETALKING

—-Lesley M. M. Blume, author of Let’s Bring Back

: ABOUT.

@ technology hens unplug for

ashorttime

“NEW” OLD LOVES @ record players, fancy hats, silver tea services, and typewriters — winter picnics, ice-skating parties,

Sunday dinners, parlor games, and reading aloud

=

@ handwriting: it'scebeigfor the mind— than typing |

; @ sharing or renting furniture, : clothing, and cars

: @ libraries putting reserved books, tapes, and DVDs in public lockers

:

CITY SIGHTINGS

for checkout after hours

@ fast and slow lanes on crowded sidewalks @ three-wheel cars in tiny parking spots

WORD OF THE YEAR

private driveways for rent as parking spaces

»>Halfalogue: half of a cell phone conversation, heard piston ate

HOW WE MEASURE UP 40: percent of adults who have at

A: times per week that people apologize, most often to friends, then strangers, then family or romantic partners

20: percent of people who qualify as “heroes” because they helped a stranger in an emergency or took other selfless action

34: hours, on average, that

71: percent of people who make the bed every day or almost every

day 71: percent of people who are “absolutely certain” of God’s existence

715: percent of people who plan to

commuters idle in traffic annually ves Dene

least one “step-relative”’

SOMEONES AT

cook more meals at home this year NON VVPVOEREYREL AL SN eEEEE sms

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23

AT A GLANCE

=

Food News @ learning the “lost arts” of food preparation—making sauerkraut, pickles, sausage, and cheese

@ seeking “sustainable” seafood— drum, North Carolina rockfish,

golden tilefish, tripletail, escolar, sheepshead, cuttlefish, and skate

FOOD FADS @ chocolate for breakfast—in tea, Belgian waffles, and granola @ kale, mung and pinto bean, pea, and wild rice chips @ pumpkin salsa, sweet potato butter, and butternut squash pasta sauce

BY THE NUMBERS 600: number of vintage apple varieties that Renewing America’s Food Traditions is bringing back through promotional events and free grafting material CONTINUED 9 ® »

Helping People BuildBea

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Our Animal Friends ste SERPOECHRESCROEHHEHHFOHHEHT

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APET-TICULARS "pets “sending” greeting cards to their sick or ovneetes canine e friends ® holiday newsletters written from the family pet’s point of view ® wheelchairs for injured or ill ferrets, llamas, goats, pigs, and chickens © metal-lined capes that calm dogs during thunderstorms

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: i asphalt parking lots embedded with pipes containing hot fluid that also heats adjacent buildings

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LEDGER OF LIFE 250,000: sea creatures identified by the first global marine census (750,000 are thought to remain undiscovered)

1,800,000: named species on Earth

9

as documented by the Encyclopedia of Life project

26

CONTINUED

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A Picture of Health “Research is that ‘wanting important to than “getting

verifying the old adage what you have’ is more health and well-being what you want.’”

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EMBODIMENT IS EMPOWERING

PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT...

@ paralyzed people using brain signals to walk in a full-body device @ vending machines with fruit and veggies in special packaging to keep them ripe and firm longer _

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m@ Changing your posture can change your mind. People who sit with slumped shoulders have lower testosterone levels than those who sit in “high-power poses,” occupying as much space as possible.

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> Be morerath a reader: Follow The Old Farmer's Almanac on Facebook and Twitt Get daily fun and folklore, participate in Polls,and share your |ideasandexperiences

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Stacey Kusterbeck is a frequent contributor to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

28

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home-baked treats _ d spreads love an good cheer.

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. hese baked goods—one savory and several sweet— _ were developed expressly for special deliveries. To avoid a crumby arrival and make sure that your treats arrive fresh, use our Ship Tips on pages 34 and 38.

GINGER CRISPS These spicy wafers have a delightful crunch. You won't be able to eat justoe

VA cups all-purpose flour 3, teaspoon cinnamon 34 teaspoon ground ginger '% teaspoon ground cloves 4 teaspoon baking soda '4 teaspoon salt 5/, cup (1'/2 sticks) unsalted butter,

softened 1 cup dark-brown sugar 1 large egg ¥% cup unsulfured molasses

32

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, bak-

ing soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream to-

gether the butter and sugar. Add the egg and molasses and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix well Drop the dough by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheets. Allow 3 inches between each cookie; the dough will spread

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies darker

slightly. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a rack. They will become quite crisp. Store in an airtight container or a well-sealec plastic bag away from other cookies to ensure that the) keep their crispiness. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

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> Select a variety to send: sweet, savory, crisp, soft, traditional favorites, and unfamiliar flavors.

> Remember to cater to

i Prevent aae mess: i> Inform | the recipient Siauaee | Avoid sending cookies that your package o with chocolate ingredients _ coming, to make sure during the summer.

Collect packing materials

the recipient's needs,

such as decorator tins,

food allergies, or dietary requirements.

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that hesshe wilbe home |

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to pick it up, ifnecessary. (You do not need to reveal

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> Bake soft barssuchas blondies and brownies

in disposable aluminum pans and then ship

them in the pans.

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the contents.)

: : > Plan to mail or ship early

_ inthe week, so that the

package arrives before ti

weekend.

BLUE CHEESE-WALNUT SHORTBREADS These dangerously addictive “crackers” melt in your mouth, Freeze extra dough to bake on a moment’s notice.

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces

2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoon black pepper Ve teaspoon cayenne pepper salt* *Kosher salt works nicely for this recipe because its thin flecks.adhere well to each shortbread’s surface. For special effect, use finishing salts; they add a distinctive flavor, texture, and/or color.

For example, red Hawauan sea salt adds color and a briny crunch.

34

Put all of the ingredients, except thesalt, into a food processor and process until dough just forms. Divide the’ dough in half and place each portion on a sheet of waxe¢ paper. Form each portion into a log thatis 2 inches in di ameter. Wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight, or until ready to bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets wii

parchment paper. Slice the dough into 44-inch rounds and

place them about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, oruntil lightly colored. Sprinkle wit

salt. Cool the shortbreads on the cookie sheets, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Makes about 4 dozen shortbreads. ~conti

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THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

Food

ULTIMATE RICE KRISPIES TREATS Have fun: Vary the candy bars to your taste. When shipping, make “s andwiches,” as shown; otherwise use the filling as a frosting. BARS: 2 Snickers bars (1.76 ounces each; almonds optional) 2 Midnight Milky Way bars (1.76 ounces each) 3 Heath Bars (1.4 ounces each) 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 40 large marshmallows (one 10-ounce bag) 7 cups Rice Krispies

FILLING: 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup butterscotch

Coat a large jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray. Coarsely chop the candy bars.* In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, chopped Snickers and Milky Way bars, and marshmallows. Add the Heath Bars and stir well. Add the Rice Krispies and stir until they are covered with the melted candy. Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Spray your hands with cooking spray, then shape the mixture into a /4-inch-thick rectangle. Shape the ends to be as straight as possible. Set aside to cool. Remove the rectangle from the pan and cut it in hal across its width. Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips in a pan over low heat. Stir to combine. Spread the melted chips on one half of the bars. Place the other half on top and press lightly. After the chocolate has solidified, cut inte 2-inch-square bars. Makes about 2 dozen bars.

chips

*To break up the candy bars easily, place them in the freezer for an hour,

then pound the wrapped bars several times with a rolling pin or heavy pan.

36

continuec

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THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

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Food

PACK & POST > To prevent sogginess, allow baked goods to cool to room temperature before

D>Cushion your treats well in airtight containers. If you use decorative containers, line the top,

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ee Double-box™ your baked

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LEMONPOPPY SEED— RASPBERRY SANDWICHES The festive filing brings new life to this classic flavor combination.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter ) cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract Yq teaspoon salt zest of 1 lemon, finely grated 2 cups all-purpose flour Ys cup poppy seeds seedless raspberry jam

In an electric mixer set at medium-high speed, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest until fluffy— about 3 minutes. Add the flour and poppy seeds, mixing on low speed until just combined. Form the dough into two disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a floured surface, roll out

the dough to a '4-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter (scalloped, if possible, for a pretty edge) cut rounds. 38

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meats from humanely caredfor animals, baked goods, and crafts. I tasted samples from a Vermont winery and purchased a bottle of rhubarb wine for a friend’s birthday. Peggy and I left the market with the makings for dinner and plans to share a meal and a game

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Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com.

131

Cc A L E N D A R

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SKY WATCH * Jupiter stands above the Moon on the Ist, rises soon after nightfall, remains out all night, and reaches its maximum brightness for the year by month’s end. This year’s total solar eclipse on the 13th is visible from only northern Australia and the South Pacific Ocean. The Moon hovers above low, dim Mars on the 16th and is very close to Jupiter in a beautiful conjunction on the 28th. Meanwhile, in the east before dawn, Venus rises 2 hours before sunrise, hovers to the left of the crescent Moon on the 11th, and diminishes in brightness to its minimum by month’s end. Venus and returning Saturn form a close predawn conjunction on the mornings of the 26th and 27th. ® Last Quarter 6th day 19th hour 36th minute Arozmrso @ New Moon 13th day 17th hour 8th minute © First Quarter 20th day 9th hour 31st minute © Full Moon 28th day 9th hour 46th minute After 2:00 a.m. on November 4, Eastern Standard Time is given. Purchase these pages with times set to your zip code at MyLocalAlmanac.com. > Rs

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2012

and much of the crop squirreled away in the root cellar, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that I will have a safe and healthy supply of vegetables and fruit throughout most of the winter. These days, with

fresh produce available yearround at the supermarket, root cellars are not usually a necessity, but in years past, they were as essential to a home as a refrigerator is today. A typical root cellar was a room in the north corner of the basement that was vented to the outside to keep the cellar air cool and circulating. Fruit, vegetables, and other foods that needed chilly temperatures were stored inside. Shelves were often stocked with milk, butter, jars of preserves, and crocks of salt pork, while smoked meat hung from hooks in the ceiling. Barrels of homemade beer,

cider, and wine were frequently kept there, too. Gardeners used the area to rest potted plants, such as geraniums, over the winter, and to force spring bulbs

into early bloom. My storage is limited to mostly root crops and a bushel or two of ‘Baldwin’ apples. Vines of green tomatoes hang from the ceiling to ripen over several weeks. My produce usually lasts into early spring, but if it falls a little short, I can take

another route—the one to the supermarket, 15 minutes away.

Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com.

133

Cc A L E N D A R

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DECEMBER ee

SKY WATCH % Venus continues to drop ever closer to the sunrise glare; by year’s end, it is very low and completes its magnificent apparition. Mercury dangles below Venus in the month’s first half. Jupiter reaches its closest point to Earth on the Ist and then its opposition, in Taurus, on the 2nd, dominating the sky all night with a blazing magnitude —2.8. The Moon is absent on the 13th; it will not interfere with the intense Geminid meteor shower beginning at 8:00 p.m. that night. The Moon and Jupiter form a strikingly close holiday conjunction on the 25th, with the orange star Aldebaran dangling below them. The earliest winter since 1896 arrives with the solstice at 6:12 a.m. on the 21st. Last Quarter 6th day 10th hour 31st minute DArouszmreseo New Moon 13th day 3rd hour 42nd minute First Quarter 20th day 0 hour 19th minute Full Moon 28th day 5th hour 21st minute O8@e

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luckier!

cember evokes cherished childhood memories of cutting the yearly Christmas tree from the woodlot behind our farmhouse. Sometimes, we spooked a deer on our way into the woods, adding to the excitement. I remember how proud I was on the day when my dad let me cut the tree for the first time. He pulled back hard on the branches so that the blade wouldn’t bind, while I

worked the bow saw back and forth with all the strength that a 6-year-old could muster. The balsams and spruces that we harvested back then hardly resembled

the well-shaped,

plantation-grown trees that are commonplace today. Most of our trees had a sparse side that

we hid against the wall. To fill a gap, we often had to drill a hole in the trunk and insert a branch into it. The huge spaces between the whorls of limbs were ideal for displaying the pinecones that we had gathered from the yard, the garlands of handstrung popcorn and cranberries, and the dozens of fragile ornaments that had been passed down from one generation to the next. My family still harvests Christmas trees from the same woodlot. It’s a bit shadier now,

so the trees grow with even bigger spaces between the branches. But that’s okay—our collection of decorations has increased over the years as well.

Listen to the Farmer’s Calendar at Almanac.com.

135

Cc 7A L E N D) A R

™ Many readers have expressed puzzlement over the rather obscure notations that appear on our Right-Hand Calendar Pages, 109-135. These “oddities” have long been fixtures in the Almanac, and we are pleased to provide some definitions. (Once explained, they may not seem so odd after all!) for holding the flax or wool in spinning. (Hence the term “distaff” refers to women’s DZruwzmreroa

work or the maternal side of the family.) Plough Monday (January): Tradition-

Krommes -Beth

Ember Days: The four periods observed by the Anglican church (and formerly by Roman Catholics) for prayer, fasting, and the ordination of clergy are called Ember Days. Specifically, these are the Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays that occur in succession following (1) the First Sunday in Lent; (2) Whitsunday—Pentecost; (3) the Feast of the Holy Cross, September 14; and (4) the Feast of St. Lucia, De-

cember 13. The word ember is perhaps a corruption of the Latin quatuor tempora, “four times.” Folklore has it that the weather on each of the 3 days foretells the weather for the next 3 months; that is, for September’s

Ember Days, Wednesday forecasts the weather for October, Friday for November,

and Saturday for December. Distaff Day (January 7): This was the first day after Epiphany (January 6), when women were expected to return to their spinning following the Christmas holiday. A distaff is the staff that women used

136

ally, the first Monday after Epiphany was called Plough Monday because it was the day when men returned to their plough, or daily work, following the Christmas holiday. (Every few years, Plough Monday and Distaff Day fall on the same day.) It was customary at this time for farm laborers to draw a plough through the village, soliciting money for a “plough light,” which was kept burning in the parish church all year. One proverb notes that “Yule is come and Yule is gone, and we have feasted well;

so Jack must to his flail again and Jenny to her wheel.” Three Chilly Saints (May): Mamertus, Pancras, and Gervais were three early Christian saints. Because their feast days,

on May 11, 12, and 13, respectively, are traditionally cold, they have come to be known as the Three Chilly Saints. An old French saying translates to: “St. Mamertus, St. Pancras, and St. Gervais do not pass

without a frost.” Midsummer

Day (June 24): To the

farmer, this day is the midpoint of the growing season, halfway between planting and harvest. (Midsummer Eve is an occasion for festivity and celebrates fertility.) The Anglican church considered it a “Quarter Day,” one of the four major divisions of the liturgical year. It also marks the feast day of St. John the Baptist.

Love calendar lore? Find more at Almanac.com/Calendar.

2012

Cornscateous Air (July): First used

Certain groups in this country, particu-

by early almanac makers, this term signi- , larly the Pennsylvania Dutch, have kept

fies warm, damp air. Though it signals ideal climatic conditions for growing corn, it poses a danger to those affected by asthma and other respiratory problems. Dog Days (July 3-August 11): These

are the hottest and most unhealthy days of the year. Also known as Canicular Days, their name derives from the Dog Star, Sirius. The traditional 40-day period of Dog Days once coincided with the heliacal (at sunrise) rising of Sirius. Lammas Day (August 1): Derived from the Old English hlaf maesse, mean-

ing “loaf mass,” Lammas Day marked the beginning of the harvest. Traditionally, loaves of bread were baked from the first-ripened grain and brought to the churches to be consecrated. Eventually, “loaf mass” became “Lammas.” In Scotland, Lammastide fairs became famous

as the time when trial marriages could be made. These marriages could end after a year with no strings attached. Cat Nights Begin (August 17): This term harks back to the days when people believed in witches. An Irish legend says that a witch could turn into a cat and regain herself eight times, but on the ninth time (August 17), she couldn’t change back,

hence the saying: “A cat has nine lives.” Because August is a “yowly” time for cats, this may have initially prompted the speculation about witches on the prowl. Harvest Home (September): In Europe and Britain, the conclusion of the harvest each autumn was once marked by festivals of fun, feasting, and thanksgiving known as “Harvest Home.” It was

also a time to hold elections, pay workers, and collect rents. These festivals usually took place around the autumnal equinox. 2012

the tradition alive. St. Luke’s Little Summer (October):

This is a spell of warm weather that occurs on or near St. Luke’s feast day (October 18) and is sometimes called Indian summer. Indian Summer

(November): A pe-

riod of warm weather following a cold spell or a hard frost, Indian summer can

occur between St. Martin’s Day (November 11) and November 20. Although there are differing dates for its occurrence, for more than 200 years the Al-

manac has adhered to the saying “If All Saints’ (November 1) brings out winter,

St. Martin’s brings out Indian summer.” Some say that the term comes from early Native Americans, some of whom be-

lieved that the condition was caused by a warm wind sent from the court of their southwestern god, Cautantowwit. Halcyon Days (December): This re-

fers to about 2 weeks of calm weather that often follow the blustery winds of autumn’s end. Ancient Greeks and Romans experienced this weather around the time of the winter solstice, when the

halcyon, or kingfisher, was brooding. In a nest floating on the sea, the bird was said to have charmed the wind and waves so that the waters were especially calm during this period. Beware the Pogonip (December):

The word pogonip is a term used to describe an uncommon occurrence—frozen fog. The word was coined by Native Americans to describe the frozen fogs of fine ice needles that occur in the mountain valleys of the western United States and Canada. According to their tradition, breathing the fog is injurious to the lungs. OO

THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

137

Cc A L E N D) A R

Holidays and Obser va For Movable Religious Observances, see page 107. Federal teneee listed inbold.

Jan. 1

New Year’sDay

July1

F

July 4

Jan. 16 |Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday |(observed)

=| Canada Day (traditional)

Independence Day

a

_

July 24 | Pioneer Day (Utah)

hae

Aug.1 | ColoradoDay

Jan. 19 | Robert E. Lee Day ___(Fla., Ky. La, S.C.) Feb.2_ Groundhog Day _ Feb. 12 _Abraham Lincoln's Birthday

Aug. 6

Civic Po

(Canada)

aakad

Drowzmrro Feb. 14 Valentine” S Day pirat

Feb. 15 | Susan B. Anthony’s Birthday (Fla., Wis.) National Flag ofCanada Day

ee.

Feb. 20

Washington’ s Birthday

|

_ _ (observed) -

A

Feb. 21 |Mardi Gras (Baldwin & Mobile ___ counties, Ala.; La.) _

Feb. 29 |Leap Day _ Mar. 2

Mar.6

Son

"Texas Independence Day a

| Town Meeting Day (Vt.)

Ws

Mar. 15 Andrew |Jackson Day (Tenn.)

sere 423 | Child HealthDay Oct. 8

Columbus Day (observed) Native Americans’ Day (S.Dak.)

Mar. 17 | St. Patrick’s Day Evacuation Day (Suffolk Co., Mass.) Mar.26 Seward’ S Day (Alaska) _ Apr. 2 | Pascua Florida Day oo

Oct. 9

Apr. 21 | San Jacinto | Day (Te Tex.)

oet.2 26 Nevada Day

_

a

ThanksgivingDay (Canada) Leif Eriksson Day

Apr. 16|PatriotsDay(Maine, Mass.)_

| Will RogersDay (Okla.) Nov.6 |ElectionDay

: "Cinco de Mayo. Truman Day (Mo.a

May 13° iaMother'ss Day

May. 19

’

EES Forces Day

| National Maritime| Day ; Memorial Day (observed) _ ‘World Environment Day King ‘Kamehameha I I Day, (Hawaiied

Nov. 11 | Veterans Day

Nov.22 | ThanksgivingDay

Acadian Day(La.) Dec. 7 | National Pearl Harbor eks> a Remembrance Day _

a

u

June 14

FlagDay

Dec. 15 |Bill of Rights Day

June 17

Father’s Day

Dec. 17 |Wright BrothersDay

Bunker HillDay (Suffolk Co.,, Mass.) June ) 19° Emancipation Day (Tex.) jo |

June 20

138

West Virginia Day

ete

_____| Remembrance Day (Canada) Nov. 19 |Discovery Day (Puerto Rico)

Dec. 25 | ChristmasDay

+

Dec. 26 | Boxing Day (Canada ve

First day of Kwanzaa

Love calendar lore? Find more at Almanac.com/Calendar.

2012

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AroZzmreseo

19 |20 26 |27 |28

18] 19) 20 |21 |22 25 |26 |27 |28 |29

140

Love calendar lore? Find more at Almanac.com.

2012

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The Original Prayer of Jesus the Christ by Juan De Santos, Jose Lopez & James FE. Cullinan

eA woman carried the prayer on her and witnessed an incredible change in her life — and that was only the beginning! ¢ Another woman found the true love that eluded her. eA man, in danger of losing his job because of his abrasive manner, experienced a remarkable change. ¢ Elderly woman found hope and inspiration — and at last the fulfilment of her dreams.

¢ Man loses everything on the stock market — only to get it all back again. This booklet tells the real meaning of prayer. ... such is the power of the Original No wonder so many prayers go unanswered, for we’ve Prayer of Jesus the Christ. all been given the wrong information about prayer! But we must stress that the revelation here has nothing If your prayers have not been with any theories about Jesus’ supposed family, was answered then you need this booklet. tohe docrucified or wasn’t he — all of which you may consider There is a reason prayers are not answered — and it is not because God is not listening!

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2012

THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

141

=

io

Seeatiesec tons UPGF ios wee g suk 4 On

Ges
Time to Get Organized rench astronomer Joseph Justus Scaliger (1540-1609) was fascinated by universal

history,

the notion

that

different ways of keeping track of time across the centuries could be combined

into a coherent whole. His goal was to standardize calendar years so that all historical eras would fall on a single time line and all years would be consecutive

and positive. As a result, he developed

by Heidi Stonehill

142

|

calendar art, The Granger Collection, New York

the Julian Period in the 16th century. To create his time line, Scaliger merged three calendar-related cycles al-’ ready in use: the Solar, Golden Number,

and Indiction cycles.

= The Solar cycle is a 28-year cycle after which the dates of the Julian calendar again fall on the same days of the week. (The Julian calendar was commonly used in Scaliger’s time.) ™® The Golden Number cycle is the 19-year Metonic cycle, used in ancient times, after which the Moon phases fall (approximately) on the same calendar dates; each year of the cycle is given a Golden Number.

® The Indiction is a 15-year ancient Roman tax cycle that was used as late as the Middle Ages to date legal documents.

Then Scaliger did the math: 28 x 19 x 15 = 7,980. He found that every 7,980 years, the starting dates of these three cycles would coincide. Scaliger called this time span the “Julian Period” because of its relationship with the Julian calendar. Scaliger now needed to choose a date on the historical time line when the first Julian Period would start (all cycles would begin at year 1). He wanted it to be a year for which no historical record existed, in order to prevent confusion

in record-keeping. Following calendar tradition, he based his calculations on

an epoch—the year of Christ’s birth as determined by Dionysius Exiguus, a 6th-century scholar. Scaliger knew that in that year, the Solar, Golden Number,

and Indiction cycles were at 9, 1, and 3, respectively. He used this information to determine that the year of Christ’s birth corresponded to year 4713 of his newly devised Julian Period. Working backward, he found that year 1 of this Julian Period began on January 1, 4713 B.c. (Julian calendar date). In 2012, we are in year 6725 (4713 + 2012) of the current Julian Period. The next Julian Period will start in A.D. 3268 (for both the Julian calendar and the Gregorian calendar, which is commonly used today). The current Solar, Golden Number, and Indiction cycles, as well as the Year of the Julian Period, are cited

in “How to Use This Almanac” on page 107.

It's a New Day (at Noon) stronomers use the Julian Period to [eemin the Julian Date, whose

umber represents the total of full days and fraction of a day since the start

of the current Julian Period. Julian Date 0 occurred on January 1, 4713 B.c. A Julian day starts at noon Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time) so that one night’s astronomical events all occur on the same Julian Date. For example,

on February 14, 2012, at noon, the Julian Date is 2,455,972.0. On February 15, 2012, at midnight (12:00 A.M., the start

of the day on a common calendar), the Julian Date is 2,455,972.5. OO Heidi Stonehill, a calendar editor at The Old Farmer’s Almanac, was born in year 6677 of the current Julian Period.

143

Gardening

‘Create an

e’ve all heard of botanical,

Any garden can

vegetable, and zoological gardens, but an astronomical

include a sundial;

cancel

an astronomical

garden can be

For over 25 years, I have been an avid gardener and professor of astronomy. Inspired in 1992 by an astronomically aligned stone circle, or Sunwheel, that I saw on former

a sundial.

——_—

Blackfeet Indian territory in Montana, I decided to blend my interests by creating one to use in teaching astronomy at the University of Massachusetts

by Judith Young

at Amherst. In so doing, I began my

-illustrations, Renée Quintal Daily

adventure in astronomical gardening.

Gardening

An astronomical garden should contain elements that have a direct connection to astronomy or the sky. The connections can be simple: e

plants with appropriate names, such as sunflower, moonflower, ‘Summer Sky’ coneflower, and ‘New Moon’ iris

¢ a plot in the shape of a heavenly body, such as the Sun, with its rays; a crescent Moon; a planet (e.g., Saturn, with its rings); a constellation; or a spiral galaxy.

Le s

e flowers of a single color—red for Mars or | white for the Moon, for example ‘However, an astronomical garden of the most elegant kind is

one with celestial alignments that connect you to the universe and remind you of your place in it—or simply make you look up. The best-known and oldest example of an astronomical garden is probably Stonehenge in England. With its 25-foot-tall stones and alignments

ae

with the rising and setting Sun on the solstices, it is a indcearee ew

locale, a calendar, and an observatory. In a home garden, Stonehenge-scale stones are not practical, but alignments must be true to the sky. Because of this, it is necessary to observe each alignment.

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CE Mack: mir 4 @ @ ©Cececcececeecccsececs

Details of the local horizon—hills, buildings, trees, atmospheric refraction, altitude, and other factors—will influence

:

where you see the Sun rise. First, choose what to mark or include in your garden. If you choose to include ™ alignments with celestial events, your gies interests ‘andeee space will determine these:

eo OO® : peccccsccccccsccs

= during which a boar was

leading the way in testing the use of toxic baits, and patented poisons (known by trade names

> peace and plenty, who rode on > his boar to a Yuletide festival

reduce boar populations there.

: sacrificed in his honor.

;

:

3

Here, we have a wider variety of midsize

;

mammals (black bears, for example) that could

If scientists and trappers accidentally consume poisoned bait intended for wild pigs. pigs, then, says Dr. West, can devise a bait delivery system that will target only scrofa management on this Sus toxic bait could come to play an important role in

continent.

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man Institute, will be held The biannual Wild Pig Conference, sponsored by The Berry

behavior and genetics to in April 2012 in San Antonio and cover wild pig topics from trapping techniques. Attendees in damage assessment and control measures, including ed representatives from private 2010 came from 29 states and 7 nations and includ scientific disciplines. For more industry as well as from wildlife management and other information, see www.wildpigconference.com. OO

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boar Almanac, lives and writes in North Carolina, where Andrea Curry, a frequent contributor to this into the wild in the 1920s. imported for a game preserve in 1912 escaped

183

Husbandry

Gestation and Mating Tables — Ewe Ram Mare Stallion

Cow

Proper Age for First Mating

| Period of i : Fertility (yrs.) |

1 yr. or 90 Ibs. 12-14mos,

|

By 7

well matured

i

142-154 50-757 / 35-40°

1 e29

3 yrs.

|

12-15

:

|

10-14

336 | 310-370

|

283:

|279-2907

i

! 10-12

262-300°

Bull

1 yr., well matured

Sow

5-6 mos. or 250 Ibs. |

250-300 Ibs.

6

Doe goat

10 mos. or 85-90 Ibs.

6

Buck goat

well matured

i

5

/

30

Bitch Male dog

16-18mos. 2-16 moe

| VET

8 BE

|

8-10

50*/thousands’

:

6-8

6s

50°/35—40°

Pe

|

15.)

110-1

|

150

| 145-155

|a

58-67

Queen cat

12 mos.

i.

6

Tom cat

12 mos.

i

6

Buck rabbit

6 mos. 6 mos.

eee | 5-6

Doe rabbit

ge :

| 40-45*/record 252° |

|

Boar

_—|_ Period of Gestation (days) AVERAGE RANGE

Sibed

3 yrs.

15-18 mos.°

Number of Females for One Male

oe eee |

63

60-68

30-32 30

)

'For fine wool breeds. 7Hand-mated. Pasture. “Natural. Artificial. “Holstein and beef: 750 Ibs.; Jersey: 500 Ibs. 7Beef; 8-10 days shorter for Angus. ®Dairy. Incubation Period of Poultry (days) Chickens sheeens fase eas 2) Duck ose cance 26-32 GO0SBi Se Caeas 30-34 Guineas eso eee 26-28

Average Life Span Cat (domestic). ........... Chicken (domestic) ......... Dog (domestic) ........... Duck (domestic) ..........

:

Estral/Estrous Cycle (including heat period)

Mare

AVERAGE

RANGE

21 days

10-37 days

Length of Estrus (heat)

|

AVERAGE

RANGE

5-6 days

2-1ldays

of Animals in Captivity (years) : 14 Goat (domestic)........... 14 8 Goose (domestic). ......... 20 13 HOYSe try oS eee ee 223 10

Rabbit (domestic) ..........

/

: j

Usual Time of

|

Ovulation

| 24-48 hours before

When Cycle

| Recurs If Not Bred |

}_endofestrus Sow

Ewe

Doegoat Cow

21 days

18-24 days

2-3 days

162 days | 14-19days

i | 30hours

2idays | 18-24days | 2-3 days 21 days

18-24 days | 18 hours

i

Bitch Queen cat

24 days

;

16-30 days | 7 days : 15-21 days | 3-4 days, ifmated

184

l-Sdays

21 days

| 30-36 hours after

21 days

| 12-24 hours before

16 days

___ Start of estrus

24-32 hours

6

end of estrus

1-4 days 10-24hours

|Nearendofestrus |

21 days

| 10-12 hours after

21 days

endofestrus

9-10 days,in | absence of male

1-3 days after |__first acceptance

|

| 24-56hours after

| Pseudo-pregnancy

coitus

There’s more of everything at Almanac.com.

Pseudo-pregnancy

|

2012

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Outdoors

HVULTWUVANAUUHTUEETTTAATALLLE

To mark als

centennial ofthe founding of the Aig Scouts of the !USA, as well as the : awarding ofthe

InACUAUUNHTTUUUL

TOTTTTTT

TTT

You forget to bring matches or a lighter on a camping trip. You can produce flame by using... a. a magnifying glass

b. a flat piece of softwood and a straight piece of hardwood c. a battery and fine steel wool d. a steel knife and a rock such as flint or

quartzite e. any of the above

a. ey aSL anine ereto focus sun ohton tinder until a flame starts.

b. Make a hand drill: Put one end of the hardwood (spindle) into a

depressed area of the softwood (fireboard). Spin the

Qs

°

spindle between your palms, moving them up and down the spindle to impart downward force and create friction in the depression. When an ember is produced, move it to the tinder. To learn more about it, go to Almanac .com/HandDrill. c. Use batteries from a flashlight, headlamp, etc. (e.g., 9-volt, C, D, or AA; if you use AA, you will need to hold two of them together end to end). The steel wool must touch both the positive (+) and the negative (-) terminals

Outdoors

uit PPT

iittM

MT

TUITE

LLL

LLC

of the battery at the same time. Hold—do not rub—the steel wool on the terminals. Very quickly, the steel wool will become hot and glow. Transfer it to the tinder carefully, blowing on the wool to keep the flame going, if necessary. Note: Holding the steel wool on the terminals too long will quickly drain the battery. d. Place the rock near tinder. Scrape the knife’s sharp edge across the rock is to produce sparks that land on the tinder. Blow gently whenever a spark

transferred to the tinder.

While hiking, you startle a grizzly bear. It huffs, stands on its hind legs, and seems to look at and smell you. You should... run at a right angle to the bear, while moving your arms up and down rapidly and screaming. b. drop an inedible item, such as a hat; move away slowly, diagonally, unless it starts to follow, in which case, stop (it might charge if it thinks that you are fleeing); avoid eye contact; speak in a low monotone; and move your arms up and down slowly.

c. climb a tree, while avoiding eye contact; make loud, bearlike huffing noises.

encourage it. The dropped item might distract the bear, while food might movement, arm Talking helps the bear to identify you as human, as does bear might run which also makes you appear a little larger than you are. The ng a tree is after you if you flee; bears can run faster than humans. Climbi attacks because seldom recommended; many bears can climb, too. If the bear play dead, and ground the to drop it has been surprised or feels threatened, as a predator, ng attacki be to while protecting your neck and face. If it appears , it’s country bear fight aggressively with whatever you have at hand. In make a can s recommended that you carry bear pepper spray. Using firearm bear even more dangerous. ever see a bear. The best prevention is to make lots of noise before you Most times, it will avoid you.

continued

187

Outdoors

While doing strenuous exercise on a hot day, you feel nauseous

and dizzy and experience muscle cramps, a headache, and general weakness. Your skin becomes

a. Immobilize the leg; use a splint if needed, but do not wrap the leg tightly. i—a.

clammy and you begin sweating heavily. You get thirsty and notice a rapid, weak pulse. You likely have...

open mouth on it, and suck out the

venom. Spit out—do not swallow— the venom. a

a. heat stroke

b. heat exhaustion

Put a tourniquet above the bite mark to restrict the flow of venom to the rest of the body. Make a crosslike incision near the bite, put your

. Apply an ice pack to the wound and keep the leg still.

c. heat cramps

To alleviate heat exhaustion, cool down

immediately (get into air-conditioning or shade, direct a fan at yourself, and/ or apply cool water to the skin) and rest. Drink cold, nonalcoholic, noncaf-

feinated beverages. Heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke, which can result in high body temperature (above 103°F); rapid,

strong pulse; flushed, nonsweating skin; confusion; and possible seizures. Call 911, if necessary.

A snake that might be venomous bites your friend on the leg. You can’t transport your buddy to the hospital and a medical crew is on the way, but it will not arrive for 20 to 30 minutes. You should keep the affected area below the heart and...

Also, remove any constricting clothing and, if possible, gently wash the bite with soap and water. Except in special cases, tourniquets may contribute to loss of limb or life. Removing venom by suction is ineffective, especially if help comes within 30 minutes. Applying ice may lead to localized limb damage.

You are stranded on an island and want to signal a boat or plane with fire at night. To send an international distress signal, you could build fires in the shape of... . atriangle . an arrow

an X 188

aos an H

LLL MMMM TT TTT TTT

Outdoors

Three fires (30 to 50 feet apart) in a triangle or a straight line (about 80 to 100 feet apart) are both internationally recognized as meaning “require assistance.” (Ignite the fires using one of the techniques in question 2.)

A hurricane has struck, and your water supply is contaminated with bacteria. To purify drinking water, you should keep it at a rolling boil for at least . . .

Indoors, go to an interior room on the lowest level available (basement or

ground floor). Because tornadoes in the United States often (but not always!) approach from the southwest, that side of a basement can be the most dangerous when the house shifts. Opening windows causes more harm than good, since wind speed is the destructive factor during a tornado, not

a. 30 seconds b. 1 minute c. 5 minutes

d. 10 minutes

pressure.

In a car, you should . . . a. Get out and take shelter under an overpass.

b. Get out, find a ditch or low-lying Boiling water will kill microorganisms, such as most bacteria, viruses, and parasites. (Let the water cool before drinking it.) Boiling water for any amount of time will not purify water containing other contaminants, such as chemicals, oil, or

sewage.

A tornado warning has been issued in your area.

area, and lie flat, face down, with

your hands protecting your head and neck. Answer: b. When you are outdoors during a tornado, it is best to be as low to the ground as possible, on the lowest ground. The area under an overpass acts as a wind tunnel, causing even higher winds

that can hurl debris—and you.

OO

At home, you should... a. Take shelter under something sturdy in the basement.

b. Open the windows to equalize the pressure between the house and

The first-ever Old Farmer’s Almanac

jigsaw puzzle, “Everything Under the Sun,” by artist Joel Nakamura, promises hours of fun. See it and buy it at Almanac.com/Jigsaw.

outdoors so that the building doesn’t explode. 189 aT I mae a ea Teale a Se

Red ants,

orth America’s pioneers were a hardy lot. A testimony to their resilience can be found in how many of them survived. Pioneer families seldom saw a doctor. Most doctors lived many miles away and would expect payment in cash— not a ready commodity for those stalwart folks. What’s more, prior to 1874, anyone claiming to be a physician could practice medicine, whether he had studied for the profession or not.

Taking a chance with elixirs, brews, and rituals seemed the best course of action for frontiersmen and -women. They believed that these curatives were magic, not medicine,

which explained why many could be helpful to humans yet detrimental to bugs and other critters.

190

—The Granger Collection, New York

Pioneers also thought that they could rid themselves of disease by transferring the — illness to another person, animal, plant, or object. As difficult to fathom as this may seem today, faith in these formulas gave settlers hope and helped them to find relief. By the way, we don’t recommend that you try these at home, but you might have some fun talking about them. (Forreal relief, go to Almanac.com/NaturalRemedies.)

Arthritis: Find a tree stump that has “spunk” water (rainwater)

collected in it. Put the @* water on an Bi Alc joint.

Baldness:: Smear the

: Pinkeye: Catch and kill

: Cuts: Apply alargered

a chicken snake. Fry it until some grease collects in the pan. Rub the grease on the

“+ ant so that i. its jaws > grip-each

side of the : “wound. Pinch off the ant’s body right behind the head. The jaws will keep the

: edges of the wound clamped

: sore eye. | Rheumatism: Fry

: pill bugs (aka sow bugs or rollie-pollies) and eat them.

Pas : together while it heals.

i:

_ the blister with earwax.

: piece of black thread, soak the

= head with fresh cow manure : : / Fever blisters: Coat to “fertilize” theane

=

Sor e throat: Tienine khots.in 2

= Headache: Lean your ~ : thread in turpentine, and

“) head against a tree. Have: wear it around your neck. ~4,someone on the opposite

+-side of the tree drive anail

~#: into the trunk. ‘

Sty: Stand at a

: crossroads and repeat : these words: “Sty, sty,

i Hiccups: Lay a broom on’ | leave my eye: Catch the : the floor and jump over

init three times.

: next one passing by.”

|

When someone passes the

crossroads, your sty will

= be gone. + Lockjaw: Steep

* cockroaches in,hot water.

/ Drink several cups ofthe.

Li resulting tea.

LAT

See

: Lice: Undress and put

your clothing on an anthill. he ants will devour the

| Toothache: Spit intoa

: frog’s. mouth and ask it to

| leave with the toothache.

:Warts: Dip the eye of a

i dead cat in spunk water and = place it on the wart. i

OO

Martha Deeringer, of

: McGregor, Texas,isthankful

: that she’s never needed.a cup : of cockroach tea. 191

~Dr. Robert F. Griggs/National Geographic Stock

n June 6, 1912, citizens of the lively fishing village of Kodiak, Alaska, were bustling about, hauling in and canning their salmon catch, when they heard a distant boom. In that moment, the world changed.

Novarupta, a volcano located 100 miles to the northwest on the TEESELUE

nuinvnni TREE

192

Alaskan Peninsula, had exploded. (Residents of Juneau, 750 miles away, heard the boom a full hour later.) Ash and gases spewed fom the earth, forming a huge cloud that surged toward Kodiak within 4 hours. It ultimately engulfed the area in a hot, suffocating haze of sulfur and jagged pumice.

Weather

oicanic eruptions ean mean eather disruptions. y EvelynEpeas Garriss ft: For 4 hours on June 6, ‘982, thick plumes smoke spewed violently from the Novarupta Icano, rising 20 miles into the atmosphere and tually engulfing the Alaskan Peninsula in hot, D ating gases and debris.

plow: Katmal National Park and Preserve,

king The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, h theNovarupta eruption filled with up to

For 3 days, an impenetrable,

dark, ash fog hung over the region, cutting off radio communication and obliterating even the light of a lantern held at arm’s length. Lightning knifed through the acidic fog, setting buildings and woodlands on fire. As ash accumulated like snow up to a foot deep, roofs collapsed. The corpses of millions of birds and animals that had been blinded and choked by the soot littered the wilderness. Water in streams became undrinkable and thousands of fish died. (Seven years passed before the salmon industry recovered.)

ovarupta’s lavadome—a 300-foothigh pile s all that remains of the 1912 volcanic

ionthat devastated the region.

By June 9, acid rain had disintegrated garments hanging on clotheslines in Vancouver and sulfurous ash had fallen on Seattle. By June 10, the ash had passed over Virginia. On June 17, it reached Algeria in North Africa. The eruption finally ended after 3 days, but its ash lingered in the McGimsey/USGS -R. atmosphere for years. Some scientists now believe that Novarupta’s ash contributed to the cold, dreary rains that filled soldiers’ trenches during World War I as well as to chilly temperatures in 1912 and 1917— the two coldest years in official U.S. records. Recent models also indicate that the cool land temperatures,

another outcome of ash in the atmosphere, disrupted global monsoons, killing crops as far away as Egypt and India. continued Iwatsubo/USGS -G.

193

Weather

All that remains of Novarupta’s mighty blast is the _ eerie, ash-covered Valley of ' Ten Thousand Smokes and a 300-foot-high pile of lava rock. Why did Novarupta impact weather across the globe? Because of the altitude that the ash reached. The higher a column of volcanic debris (rock, chemicals, and

volcanic glass) rises, the longer it lingers in the atmosphere and the longer it affects Earth’s weather and climate. Novarupta’s ash plume rose 20 miles into the atmosphere.

% Volcanic ash reflects incoming sunlight and absorbs infrared radiation (heat). As a result, less sunlight reaches Earth’s surface. When land and ocean surfaces receive less solar warming, they cool.

Altitude Matters Fr’ to 70 volcanic eruptions occur on Earth each year, on average. Despite more than 200 years of study, we know neither how to predict volcano eruptions accurately nor how to model a specific one’s effect on weather. We do know, however, that each eruption

# The chemicals in volcanic ash, particularly sulfur and hydrogen chloride, combine with moisture in the atmosphere to create aerosols. These form clouds that block incoming sunlight, resulting in cooling on Earth. This cooling effect is particularly strong if the clouds have a high sulfur content, which will

make them shiny enough to reflect the sunlight back into space.

is different in size, location,

and chemical composition and that each one affects weather differently. Even moderate explosions with ash clouds that rise 3 miles have four effects on climate, three of which are considered undesirable:

194

Low concentrations of volcanic aerosols form translucent clouds (left). High concentrations (right) form dense clouds that reflect light back up into space, lingering for

Weather

How Big=

HOW TO MEASURE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

How Bad

The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEl)

a" VEV/Description

Plume Height _ Volume ofDebris

fis

_ O/Nonexplosive..........- “U0 as

3.53 x 104 ft.3

'

5-3 mi... -.... 353x107 ft3

;

|——_Explosivity Index (VEI)

BrijGentle. 0.6.0... 330-3,300ft......... 3.53x10> ft$ ene

ee

eee

2-9mi........... 353x108 ft3 ae 3.53x 109 ft SO SSW

i

PISS Mo me Cn _ 7/Supercolossal.........- S16 SMa:

@ SMALL ERUPTIONS, with a Volcanic

Lager than 3 miles high, affect

: |

hours or days.

|

131x109 yds3

1.31 x 10! yds3 131x10l yds?

os Geral Nama lest

i ___

local areas for only

= @ ~MODERATE ERUPTIONS,

_ 8/Megacolossal.......... PISS ML... Summer 2009 was one of the coolest in recent U.S. history, with some 300 low- . temperature records, despite the presence of an El Nifio that warmed the tropical Pacific. Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcanic ash plume as seen from space on May 11, 2010.

= The eastern half of the United States endured almost endless rainfall.

the impact of northern volcanoes, and

what they discovered was startling. The impact of a polar volcano (between 60° and 90° latitude) is very different from that of a tropical one. While global winds spread the debris from tropical volcanoes worldwide, the

196

™ From the Canadian prairies to the U.S. Midwest, farmers struggled with a cool, delayed planting season and sluggish crop development. ™® In September, the El Nifio blessed Canada with warm temperatures, while the United

On June 12, 2009, Russia’s Sarychev Peak erupted. The 13-mile-high column of volcanic ash and debris that it produced contributed to many disruptive weather

patterns that year.

bi

Station Space Internati ~Astron team,

States suffered through the slowest harvest in 35 years, with farmers gathering waterlogged crops well into December.

= In winter 2009-10, the plunging jet stream caused unusually warm and dry conditions in Canada, while record-breaking blizzards slammed the mid-Atlantic states and bitterly cold Arctic air engulfed the U.S. plains, the East, and the Deep South.

A volcano on the scale of Novarupta could happen again. According to the U.S. Geological Service: “Of the numerous volcanoes scattered across southern Alaska, at least ten are capable of exploding in a 1912-scale eruption.”

=> Europe shivered through its coldest winter in decades, and hundreds died.

=> Beijing suffered its coldest winter in AO years, and numerous snowfalls crushed thousands of buildings in northern China and East Asia.

® The Indian subcontinent endured a 25 percent drop in average precipitation, causing a drought that affected 700 million people— primarily due to the northern volcanoes and the El Nifio that disrupted the South Asian monsoon.

Observatory Volcano —Alaska

The active lava dome of Alaska’s Mount Redoubt spews a plume of smoke on May 8, 2009, several weeks after its March eruption.

continued

197

istoric Blowouts

- Weather

. [ 8

] MOUNT REDOUBT, #1 ALASKA

Le

E

Se NOVARUPTA, ALASKA,

1912

With a Volcanic

A

My EYJAFJALLAJOKULL,

ICELAND, 2010 VEI4

2009

VEl:4

* 4

\

Explosivity Index

(VEI) of 6 anda

20-mile-high plume, this

Equator

Tropic of

- == )*apricofn ©

This blowout had a VE of 5 and a 19-mile-high column of ash that lowered global temperatures by 0.2°F.

:

;

ws

EL CHICHON, MEXICO,1982 VEI: 5

Evelyn Browning Garriss, author

of the Browning Newsletter, has been analyzing and reporting on weather for more than 30 years.

Read her weekly blog at Auman ee

198

ee Q

rane

This plume was smaller in volume than that of Mount St. Helens and contained

less ash, but it had 40 times more

sulfur-rich gases. Its effect in lowering

global temperatures was three to five times greater than that of Mount St. Helens,

Weather

Here are some volcanic eruptions that have affected weather around the globe: “|

MOUNT

vl THE

PINATUBO,

PHILIPPINES,

SARY CHEV PEAK,

1991

Ee With aVEI of 6, this was the second ~|

RUSSIA,

largest eruption in the 20th century. Ash from itcooled the globe 0.9°F.

2009 VEI:4

isso spcrtemtcien Pe ren

DUTCH EAST INDIES,

: KRAKATAU, DUTCH EAST INDIES,

1815

This was the largest known eruption In more than 1,600 years, with a VEI of 7. Its dust and chemicals contributed to the infamous “year without a summer”— 1816—when cold temperatures prevailed and summer frost occurred in the Northeast, causing crops to fail.

1883

199

er__ How We Predict the Weath e derive our weather forecasts from a secret formula that was devised

by the founder of this Almanac, Robert B. Thomas, in 1792. Thomas believed

that weather on Earth was influenced by sunspots, which are magnetic storms on the surface of the Sun. Over the years, we have refined and enhanced that formula with state-of-the-art technology and modern scientific calculations. We employ three scientific disciplines to make our long-range predictions: solar science, the study of sunspots and other solar activity; climatology, the study of prevailing weather patterns; and meteorology, the study of the atmosphere. We predict weather trends and events by comparing solar patterns and _historical mamra>ms

weather conditions with current solar activity. Our forecasts emphasize temperature and precipitation deviations from averages, or normals. These are based on 30-year statistical averages prepared by government meteorological agencies and updated every 10 years. The most-recent tabulations span the period 1971 through 2000. We believe that nothing in the universe happens haphazardly, that there is a causeand-effect pattern to all phenomena. However, although neither we nor any other forecasters have as yet gained sufficient insight into the mysteries of the universe to predict the weather with total accuracy, our results are almost always very close to our traditional claim of 80 percent.

How Accurate Was Our Forecast Last Winter? ™@ We predicted that winter season temperatures would be below normal, on average, in regions | through 10, above normal in regions 11 through 15, and near normal in region

16. The accuracy of those forecasts is shown below, using a city selected from each region. © We were correct in the direction of departure from normal in every region, our forecast was within 0.6 degrees F in every region, and our forecasts differed from actual conditions by |

less than 0.2 degree F, on average. We were also correct in our forecasts of where snowfall would be above Sonal: however, the areas of above-normal snowfall were larger than we forecast. We expected — above-normal snowfall in the Mid-Atlantic, but it extended north through most of the North- i east; in western New York, but it extended west through the Lower Lakes; and in northern — Minnesota, but it extended south to North Texas and west through the northern High Plains.

The Northeast and Ohio Valley had more precipitation than we forecast, while Texas _ and Oklahoma had less. In the remaining 13 regions, we were correct in the direction of _ precipitation departure from normal in all or much of the region, or 81 percent accurate. Thus, our winter temperature and precipitation forecast was 90.6 percent accurate. Region/

Dec.-Feb. Temp. Variations From Normal (degrees F)

City

1/Burlington 2/Philadelphia 3/Harrisburg 4/Raleigh 5/Miami 6/Chicago 7/Charleston 8/Nashville

200

PREDICTED

ACTUAL

Region/ City

Dec.-Feb. Temp. Variations From Normal (degrees F) PREDICTED ACTUAL

9/Minneapolis 10/Topeka 11/Oklahoma City 12/Denver 13/Boise 14/El Paso 15/Eugene 16/Los Angeles

Get your local forecast at Almanac.com/Weather.

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201

THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

2012

Region

Forecast

- Northeast SUMMARY: Winter will be a bit colder than normal, on average, with below-normal precipitation and nearnormal snowfall. The coldest periods will occur in late January, early to mid- and late February, and mid-March, with the snowiest periods in mid-December, mid- to late January, and mid- and late February. April and May will be much cooler and drier than normal. Summer temperatures will be near normal, on average, with near- to below-normal rainfall. The hottest periods will be in early to mid-June, late July, and early August. September and October will be warmer than normal. Precipitation will be above normal in the north and below normal in the south.

NOV. 2011: Temp. 34° (1° above avg.); precip. 2" (1.5" below avg.). 1-5 Rainy periods, quite mild. 6-8 Flurries, cold. 9-16 Snow north, showers south, then sunny, chilly. 17— 23 Rainy periods, mild. 24~-27 Snow, then sunny, cold. 28-30 Snow north, . rain south; milder. DEC.

2011: Temp.

Showers, then sunny, cool. 8-12 Rainy

Ca

periods, cool.

.

» © ~

13-17

Rain

and snow

showers, cool. 18-24 Sunny, turning

warm. 25-30 Showers, cool. MAY 2012: Temp. 50° (6° below avg.); precip. 3" (0.5" above avg.

north,

1.5" below

south).

1-5 Snow

north, rainy periods south; chilly. 6-12 Rainy periods, cool. 13-17 Sunny; chilly nights. 18-24 Showers, then sunny, cool. 25-31 Sunny, very warm.

29° (5°

above avg. north, 1° below south); precip. 3" (avg.). 14 Rainy periods, quite mild. a oe oe 5-8 Flurries, seasonable. 9-16 Snow showers; mild, then cold.

JUNE 2012: Temp. 66° (avg. north, 2° above

17-21 Blizzard, then windy, cold.

south); precip. 2.5" (2" below avg. north, avg.

i

22-23 Heavy snow, seasonable. 24— : 29 Snow showers, mild. 30-31 Sunny, cold.

south). 1-5 Showers, warm. 6-9 Sunny, hot. 10-18 Showers; cool, then warm. 19-22 Sunny, nice. 23—30 Scattered t-storms; warm, then cool.

JAN. 2012: Temp. 23° (3° above avg.); precip. 2" (1" below avg.). 1-8 Sunny, then snow show-

JULY 2012: Temp. 70° (2° above avg. north, 1° below south); precip. 5" (1" above avg.). 1-9

ers, mild. 9-12 Sunny, cold. 13-19 Snow north, showers south, then sunny, mild. 20-26 Snowstorm, then snow showers, seasonable. 27-31

Snow showers, very cold.

FEB. 2012: Temp. 14° (7° below avg.); precip. 2" (0.5" below avg.). 1-3 Sunny, turning mild. 4-7 Snow showers, very cold. 8-12 Snow, then

sunny, very cold. 13-16 Snowy periods, mild. 17-20 Snow showers, cold. 21—25 Snow, then sunny, cold. 26-29 Snowstorm.

MAR. 2012: Temp. 29° (4° below avg.); precip. 1.5" (1.5" below avg.). 1-2 Sunny, cold. 3-6 Snow north; sunny, mild south. 7-13 Snowy periods, then sunny, very cold. 14-19 Snow, then sunny, mild. 20-23 Showers, seasonable. 24—26 Sunny, warm. 27—31 Rain and snow, cold.

APR. 2012: Temp. 41° (4° below avg.); precip. 2.5" (2" below avg. north, 1" above south). 1-7

oe

NOV.

DEC.

JAN.

FEB.

MAR.

APR.

Scattered t-storms, seasonable. 10-14 Sunny, warm. 15—18 T-storms, humid. 19-28 Scattered

t-storms, seasonable. 29-31 Sunny, warm.

AUG. 2012: Temp. 65.5° (1.5° below avg.); precip. 3.5" (1" above avg. north, 2" below south). 1-10 T-storms, then sunny, seasonable. 11-15 T-storms, warm. 16-20 Sunny, cool. 21—

27 Rainy periods, cool. 28-31 Sunny, nice. SEPT. 2012: Temp. 60.5° (1.5° above avg.); precip. 4" (2" above avg. north, 1" below south). 1-5 T-storms, then sunny, cool. 6-13 Sunny, warm. 14-18 Rainy, cool. 19-23 Sunny, then showers, warm. 24-26 Sunny, warm. 27-30 Showers, then sunny, cool.

OCT. 2012: Temp. 49.5° (1.5° above avg.); precip. 3.5" (avg.). 1-4 Rainy, mild. 5-8 Sunny, cool. 9-16 Showers, mild. 17—24 Rain, then sun-

ny, chilly. 25-31 Rainy, mild, then sunny, cool. MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUG.

SEPT.

Evan mlm | PS aa arg | a Ee

uu

= Normal

ZT

eis

mg -7 202

Get your local forecast at Almanac.com/Weather.

OCT.

a

Q

-2"

2

Normal s

2012

Forecast

SUMMARY: Winter will be drier than normal, with near-normal temperatures but above-normal snowfall. The coldest periods will be in mid-December and early and mid-February. The snowiest periods will be in mid-December, mid- and late January, and late February. April and May will be much cooler than normal. Rainfall will be above normal in the north and below normal in the south. Summer will be cooler and rainier than normal, with the hottest periods in early and mid-July. September and October will be cooler and drier than normal.

Boston 2

NOV. 2011: Temp. 46.5° (0.5° below avg.); precip. 1.5" (2" below avg.). 1-5 Rainy periods,

warm. 6-9 Sunny, cool. 10-16 Showers, cool. Hartford ,

avg. northeast,

1° below

Philadelphi

south-

ers, warm.

5-9 Rain and snow,

then sunny, cool. 10-12 Sunny, warm. 13-16 Rain and snow, then sunny, cold. 17-20 Snow-

storm, Rain, 28-31 JAN. above

13-20 Showers,

south.

cool. 21—24

Sunny, nice. 25-30 Showers, cool.

17-22 Rainy periods, mild. 23-27 Showers, then sunny, cold. 28—30 Sprinkles. DEC. 2011: Temp. 38° (1° above east); precip. 3" (avg.). 1-4 Show-

north; t-storms, warm

§

MAY 2012: Temp. 56.5° (5.5° below avg.); precip. 3" (2" above avg. north, 2" below south). 1-8 Rainy periods, cool. 9-13 Sunny, turning warm. 14-17