snowfall totals

It was only a week ago Wednesday that we Northern Illinois residents were flung headlong into the deep-freeze, with area temperatures dipping as low as -23 in places like Rochelle, while Rockford hit -19.

Not to be confused with the Farmer's Almanac, which is the new kid on the block compared to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the Old Farmer's Almanac has, according to their website, been at this weather prediction game since 1792 (229 years). The Farmer's Almanac is the relative newcomer, publishing their first almanac in 1818, the year Illinois became a state.