Stan Suther's Real Estate and Stuff

The North Carolina Town of Banner Elk recently held their annual Wooly Worm Festival.  This is an important occasion each year because this publicizes the prediction for what kind of winter we’ll be having for the coming season. 

Not Wilbur

According to the experts, wooly worms have an 80-85% accuracy rate, so they do bear watching.  At the festival, they hold Wooly Worm Races.  The ultimate winner is judged to be fittest and therefore the best to check for the long-term weather prediction.  This year’s winner is named Wilbur and is from Chapel Hill, NC.  Here is his prediction:

- Week 1 – Flurries
- Week 2 – Cold With Flurries
- Week 3 – Snow
- Week 4 – Flurries
- Week 5 – Cold
- Week 6 – Cold
- Week 7 – Cold
- Week 8 – Light Flurries
- Week 9 – Below Average Cold
- Week 10 – Below Average Cold
- Week 11 – Snow
- Week 12 – Flurries
- Week 13 – Flurries

Considering the number of acorns I’m seeing around here (another great weather predictor), I’d say Wilbur was likely on the money.  This is all relative.  We in North Carolina still have some of the best all around weather in the nation.  That’s one reason why people still want to move here and become our new neighbors.

For more information about how this works, click HERE to go to the Wooly Worm Festival web site.  It’s chocked with wooly worm information that inquiring minds want to know.