Can Wooly Bears Actually Predict Winter Weather in New York?

Fall is officially here and winter is right around the corner. You know what that means - colder temperatures in New York. So where are you going to turn to find how cold it will go in the Empire State?

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Your weather app or local meteorologist seems like a good idea or even the Old Farmer's Almanac. But what about the wooly bear caterpillars? Also known as the wooly worm, they are famous for being able to let forecast the kind of weather we will have this winter in New York.

By the way, it isn't a real bear and if you were to touch it, it doesn't feel very wooly either. The caterpillar comes in 13 different sections and it'll be either rusty brown or black. The black is usually on both sides with rust-colored segments in the middle. The 13 different sections on their body go along with the 13 weeks of winter.

How the Wooly Worm Forecasts the Winter Weather

Folklore tells us that the wider the rusty brown section or the more brown segments on the wooly caterpillar, the milder the winter. The more black that there is, the more severe the weather.  If the tail end is dark, the end of winter will be cold.

The longer the black band, the longer, colder and more severe the winter will be. The wider the middle brown band is, the milder the winter will be. So keep an out eye for the wooly bear caterpillars and take a picture of it.

Take notice of the 13 different segments and see how close the worm is to correctly predicting the upcoming winter weather.