You've probably seen this colorful map floating around the interwebs, but beware snow lovers, it's all a hoax. The map is from EmpireNews.net, a shady "satirical" news outlet that posts fake stories to bait readers into page clicks. Even if you want to believe that we will have tons of snow this winter, here's why you need to ignore this map.
With absolutely no evidence at all, EmpireNews claims that there is a 99% chance of a "massive cold front sooner in the year than has ever happened." The article also claims Americans should expect "20 times" as much snow as last winter, because that sounds reasonable.
First of all, even the best meteorologists struggle to provide long-range forecasts. Joel Gratz of Open Snow puts very little stock in forecasts longer than 10 days out, and he doesn't guarantee powder days until he can pinpoint amounts 2-3 days before a storm.
Even annual forecast predictors like the Farmer's Almanac only provide general trends, not specifics. And these forecasts have been notoriously wrong at times.
If you want satire, ignore faux-news sites like Empirenews.net and head over to The Onion where stories will at least make you laugh. In the meantime, start your snow dances people.
· That 'record-shattering snowfall' story is a fake [Columbus Dispatch]
· "20 times" as much snow as last winter?! Why you shouldn't be fooled by this map & its article [Fox 6]
· Winter 2015 According to the Farmers' Almanac [Curbed Ski]
· The Snow Lover's Bucket List: 33 Things to Do Before You Die [Curbed Ski]