Sunspots, Planetary Positions and the Effects of the Moon

We've started the early fall pattern: distinctly cool mornings, much warmer afternoons. I ate lunch on the deck today not only because it was clear and warm, but because such opportunities will dwindle in number as September and October pass by.

Speaking of the change of seasons, why is it a news story when the Farmers' Almanac predicts a mild or hard winter? I spied such a story by the AP today. For what it's worth, the FA is predicting a colder than normal winter for much of the nation.

Not sure the prediction is worth that much. According to the article, bylined by Clarke Canfield and datelined Lewiston, Maine, the publication "issues annual forecasts using a formula based on sunspots, planetary positions and the effects of the moon."

In other words, that old editors' standby, "making it up." Canfield goes on to say that the forecast is "at odds with the National Weather Service, which is calling for warmer-than-normal temperatures across much of the country because of an El Nino system in the tropical Pacific Ocean."