62 Days of Snow Predicted This Winter
By Stephen Smoot, The Pendleton Times
One of the regular autumnal rituals in the mountains is observing woolly bears, or worms, to discern the likelihood of a rough or mild winter.
It is unlikely that American Indians used these observations, but the tradition dates back to the original frontier settlers.
Pendleton County, like so many other communities in West Virginia, has its own expert who applies countless time of study and application of a “secret formula” to provide a prediction.
Robin Kile has shared her prediction for the upcoming winter.
The Woolly Bears Have Returned! Woolly Bear Winter Weather Forecast for 2025-26
“The woolly bears have been predicting winter snows in Pendleton County since 2013-14, except for last winter when none of the caterpillars could be found to make a forecast,” Kile reports. “This fall, however, the little fuzzy ones returned and once again have made their prediction. Twenty-five woolies were captured by Jack Hedrick and delivered to Kiser Gap where the black and brown bands on each caterpillar were counted. The caterpillars were then released. This information was plugged into the “secret formula” and according to that data, Pendleton County should have 62 days of snow falling from the sky this winter (Nov. 1 – March 31). Based on 11 years of woolly bear information, 62 is the average number of snow days for this area. Whether a snow lover or hater this should bring one joy, as it also means there will be 89 days of no snow!”
