The 2009 edition of the Farmers' Almanac goes on sale this week.

Even though the publication prepares its weather forecasts two years in advance, it claims an 80 to 85-percent accuracy rate. And this time around, it predicts we could be in for a cold winter.

The almanac says at least two-thirds of the nation can expect colder-than-average temperatures, with only the Far West and Southeast in line for near-normal readings.

It says the Great Lakes and Midwest can look for above-normal snowfall in January and February. And the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions will have an unusually snowy, or at least wet, February.

The almanac says its forecasts are from a reclusive prognosticator who uses a secret formula involving sunspots, planet positions and the tidal pull of the moon. They're backed up by things like acorn abundance and fog frequency.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)