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Expect a below-normal winter and spring, pig spleen prognosticator predicts

'Even though it will be colder than normal, temperatures will be turbulent with drastic changes, from warm periods bracketed by being very cold and windy'

According to one of Saskatchewan’s well-known pig spleen prognosticators, the weather will be colder than normal from February to June and more precipitation than normal could occur.

Jeff Woodward has been using porcine spleens to predict the weather for the last 12 years. He took over from his late uncle Gus Wickstrom, who was well-known as the pig spleen weather forecaster for decades.

Woodward conducted his prognostication on Dec. 20, 2020 in his living room without the usual entertainment, public participation and party-like atmosphere, although some alcohol was imbibed to set the mood for the analysis, he joked in a Facebook post on Jan. 4.

The prognosticator used a single pig spleen from a free-range hog from the Cobler Farm near Gull Lake. Although he obtained several spleens from which to peruse, he said one in particular stood out from the others.

“There was an excess of fat situated on the spleen in two bands attached to the centre of one side of the spleen. Both of the bands of fat were about the same size; one representing the temperature, the second representing the precipitation,” remarked Woodward. “Oddly, there were parallel veins of fat on both bands, whereas usually the bands are perpendicular and they can be interpreted as specific dates of temperature changes or weather events.”

The spleen was remarkable since it was deformed at one end and had a scar roughly five inches in length, he continued. The scar appeared to have healed in a “strange manner” toward the end.

Based on the spleen’s fat, this winter and spring will be colder than normal and have above-normal precipitation. The weather will be above-normal in January and February, with some cold streaks thrown in. The weather will then become colder than normal in mid-April and remain that way until June.

“Even though it will be colder than normal, temperatures will be turbulent with drastic changes, from warm periods bracketed by being very cold and windy,” said Woodward.

The scar on the spleen is likely not weather-related. Instead, Woodward believes it signifies the “extremely wide gap” politically between the left and the right, especially in the United States. He believes the rift will be temporarily healed in January, “but not without some outside influence, either late January or early February.”

“This will be the toughest of winters, not because of the cold, but because we can’t play hockey,” Woodward jokingly added.

Future forecast

Based on the pig spleen, Woodward has predicted the following for January/February, March/April and May/June:

January/February
January will start warmer than usual for the first 10 days, before the temperature drops each day until about Jan. 16, when it will warm up slightly and stay warm for a few days. “Abnormally high temperatures” on Jan. 20 could produce some rain.

The warming trend will be followed by light snow and then more significant snow on Jan. 29, while the temperature will then fall toward the end of the month and into February.

Temperatures in February will become gradually colder throughout the month. A warm spell could occur on Feb. 6 and 7 and could produce rain again. Some light snow is also expected at the beginning of the month, although “a more pronounced snow event” should occur around Feb. 15 with high winds.

The weather could warm up around Feb. 26.  

“It should be noted that there will be big differences in the weather from southwest Saskatchewan in comparison to south-central and eastern portions of the province,” said Woodward. “This will be more pronounced than usual.”

March/April
March will see temperatures drop for about the first half of the month, following by a warm period for roughly the last 10 days of March. A brief warming period is expected from March 8 to 11, which could again produce rain. There could also be significant snow during this time.

Temperatures in April will remain average to above-average before cooling off significantly around April 27. The spleen predicts one major snow or rain event around April 21.

May/June
May will be colder than normal for the first 10 days and the last 10 days of the month. More normal temperatures will be seen in mid-May. Significant rainfall is expected around May 2, 18 and 21, which should provide lasting moisture for crops and fields.

June will start with cool temperatures and remain that way for the entire month. The spleen predicts that it will be significantly colder than normal at the end of June before returning to regular summer weather; some light rain is also expected by the end of June.

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