'Cold and snowy': Farmers' Almanac forecasts brutal winter for Toronto

Farmers' Almanac predicting bitterly cold winter From CTV Kitchener's Zayn Jinah: This year's Old Farmers' Almanac is predicting a bitter winter, but how accurate are its forecasts?

If you’re not a fan of frigid temperatures and snow, take advantage of the final days of summer because the Farmers' Almanac is forecasting a brutal winter for Toronto.

“It will be an exceptionally cold winter,” almanac editor Peter Geiger told CTV News Toronto.

Geiger says the forecast, which predicts the weather using a formula that's over 200 years old, is calling for frigidly cold temperatures in Ontario starting in November.

“We expect yet another wild ride with extreme temperature swings and some hefty snowfalls."

Gieger said the forecast is calling for snow in Toronto well into March, delaying the start of spring 2020.

A frigid winter is forecast for Toronto. (The Canadian Press)

When it comes to whether Toronto will have a white Christmas, Geiger says the forecast is too tough to predict.

“There will be rain and wet snow in December, so it’s a tossup whether it will be a white Christmas.”

The forecast was released in the Farmers’ Almanac and uses a formula developed in the 1800s.

“Over the course of 203 years we’ve had only seven prognosticators,” Geiger said.

“Sunspot activity, the effect the moon has on the earth, all of that with the formula allows us to do it (forecast) two years in advance.”

“Does it mean I’m going to be 100 per cent accurate? No. But it does mean that I’m going to get the gist of what the winter is.”