15 Signs Idaho Could Be In For a Harsh, Unforgiving Winter This Year

Deep down, we have a feeling the big wigs at Starbucks were also tired of hearing “it’s too early for Pumpkin Spice” from the negative people in their lives that clearly are allergic to joy. 

2024 brought Idaho the earliest return of the PSL in history and with it came a number of fall drinks suitable for sipping when temperatures were still in the 90º: Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai, Iced Apple Crisp Cream Chai and an Iced Apple Crisp Shaken Espresso. And technically, August 22, the day these tasty treats arrived, was only 10 days before the start of “fall.”

READ MORE: Farmer’s Almanac Predicts the 2024 First Frost Dates for Idaho

Don’t look at us like that. We know you’re looking at your calendar, saying “but Fall doesn’t start until September 22.” Touché, but we’re not talking about astronomical fall that lasts from September 22 through December 21. We’re talking about meteorological fall that lasts from September 1- November 30. 

Get our free mobile app

And listen, we’re ready for fall. Summer 2024 has been down right oppressive! In the Boise area, we experienced 20 triple digit days, including a run of nine which tied the record most consecutive days of triple digit heat in a row. Yeah, we’re more than ready for fall. 

The Farmer’s Almanac is already thinking beyond that. They’ve issued their long range winter forecast for 2024-2025 and gave it the cute nickname “Wet Winter Whirlwind.” Their map shows most of the Pacific Northwest, including Idaho, under a shade of green labeled “chilly, wet.” That’s consistent with the La Nina pattern that we’re expected to see this year. Typically La Nina years do result in colder and snowier conditions in Idaho. 

Most good meteorologists will tell you long-range forecasts beyond 10 days are bogus, but you have to remember that the Farmer’s Almanac won’t reveal their “forecasting formula.” They say that it includes things like sunspot activity, tidal action of the moon and the position of the planets…and is calculated two years in advance with no edits.

We’ll always be curious about what things make it into the formula because they also share a list of not-necessarily-weather-related signs that a cold and harsh winter is ahead. To us, it sounds like a bunch of hocus pocus…but then again we’ve noticed one of these things happening A LOT at our Southeast Boise apartment and Downtown Boise studio. 

“Spiders spinning larger webs and entering your home in large numbers” appears on the list. The webs that the spiders have left on our breezeway at home are disturbingly large. As for entering our “home?” There are quarter sized spiders that keep getting in the studio that we’ve called our supervisor to kill on an uncomfortable number of occasions. 

What other signs should you look for? Here’s what the Farmer’s Almanac says.