The Old Farmer's Almanac, established in 1792 by Robert B. Thomas, is quite a piece of Americana.

It's known for its amusing articles, interesting tidbits, and probably most of all, its weather forecasts.

To make its forecasts, this almanac uses parts of an original secret formula used by Thomas, but there have been a few modifications to it over the years.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac takes things like sunspots, ocean currents, and weather records into account, and relies on a belief that weather comes in cycles.

In this year's edition, they feature an article saying that years ending in eight have had strange weather, such as the droughts of 1988 and a major New England blizzard in 1978.

In the 2008 edition, the Almanac says, "Overall, we expect that the coming year will be the warmest of the past century."

They claim an overall 80% accuracy in their forecasts, but that's been disputed by the research of some meteorologists.

Many meteorologists can attest to the fact that because of the many variables involved in predicting weather, accurate forecasts beyond a few days are difficult to produce; even using the most well-researched methods, let alone secret formulas.

Still, The Old Farmer's Almanac's office gets calls every year from brides and event planners who want a forecast for a day several months down the road.

"There are not too many organizations that put out a long-range forecast the way we do,” says Mare-Anne Jarvela, Senior and Internet Editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

But Jarvela also admits that most people nowadays get their forecast for the week from television, radio, or online sources.

Do farmers regularly rely on the forecast, though?

After all, it is The Old Farmers Almanac.

Mike Wildeck, a dairy agent for UW-Extension, says it was more common for farmer's to bring up The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s forecast in conversation 25 years ago.

"I just don't run into people who are really using it as a matter of practice in farming so much anymore," Wildeck says.

However, there is plenty of useful and fun information in The Old Farmer's Almanac, including planting tables and astronomical and weather facts, making it an educational and enjoyable read - whether you choose to put faith in its forecasts or not.

For northern and central Wisconsin, The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting above normal temperature readings for the winter.

The Almanac also says that while our precipitation amounts will be close to normal, snowfall should be well below normal.

But if you’d like to find out whether the Almanac thinks we’ll see a white Christmas, or what next spring’s and summer’s predictions are, you’ll have to check out The Old Farmer’s Almanac for yourself.