The folks at the Farmers� Almanac can be forgiven for feeling smug: The 198-year-old publication correctly predicted the past nasty winter while federal forecasters blew it.

Memories of the polar vortex and relentless snowstorms won�t soon be forgotten. And the editors of the publication are predicting more of the same for the coming season.

�Shivery and shovelry are back. We�re calling for some frigid conditions, bitter conditions,� said managing editor Sandi Duncan.

The latest edition, which officially goes on sale this week, forecasts colder-than-normal and wetter-than-usual weather for three-quarters of the country east of the Rocky Mountains. Drought-stricken California, along with the Pacific Northwest, will see normal precipitation and cool temperatures this winter, the almanac said.

The publication, not to be confused with the New Hampshire-based Old Farmer�s Almanac, uses a secret formula based on sunspots, planetary positions and lunar cycles for its long-range weather forecasts.

Modern science doesn�t put much stock in the formula.

But even modern meteorologists can stumble on long-term forecasts. The national Climate Prediction Center forecast a strong likelihood of above-normal temperatures from last November through January.

�Not one of our better forecasts,� Mike Halpert, the Climate Prediction Center�s acting director, said at the time. There�s still no good explanation as to why the polar vortex moved so deep into the U.S., he said.

Of the Farmers� Almanac, he said, �Good for them if they got it right last year, and I�ll leave it at that.�

The almanac�s editor, Peter Geiger, can also gloat over his Super Bowl forecast. The almanac forecast a snowstorm Feb. 1-3 in New Jersey. It was 49 degrees at the start of the Super Bowl on Feb. 2, but a snowstorm created havoc the following morning.

The almanac wasn�t spot on everywhere: The Pacific Northwest was wetter than expected, and California and the Southwest were drier than projected.

The almanac also contains gardening tips, trivia, jokes and natural remedies, like catnip as a pain reliever or elderberry syrup as an immune booster, in this year�s edition.

But it�s the weather prognostications that tend to grab headlines.

The editors encourage readers to be prepared � and to make the best of it. �When it snows you have two choices: Shovel or make snow angels,� Duncan quipped.

(AP)