Natural signs, including an increase in spiders indoors, suggest the UK could be set for a harsh winter, according to the Farmers' Almanac. The publication, established in 1818, is used to forecast weather patterns months ahead, and points to indicators such as larger-than-usual spider webs or more spiders appearing in homes.
Last Winter's Weather Review
Last winter was not among the coldest on record, but meteorological experts at the Met Office described it as one of the wettest. In their review of winter 2025, extending into January and February 2026, they stated: "Winter has seen above average temperatures and rainfall for the UK overall, with notable regional variation. The weather has been unsettled, with four named storms and a strong jet stream and blocking high over Scandinavia causing extended spells of wet weather for some areas and an unusual rainfall pattern."
December was very unsettled in the first three weeks. January started with cold and wintry weather, with Storm Goretti bringing widespread snow to Wales, the South Pennines and parts of the West Midlands as well as damaging winds to Cornwall. The month then turned wet and unsettled with two more named storms, Ingrid and Chandra, bringing heavy rain and strong winds. Cornwall and County Down saw their wettest Januarys on record, and February saw a continuation of wet conditions with persistent rain and temperatures around average.
Rainfall and Temperature Records
Overall, the UK recorded 113% of average winter rainfall. England had its eighth wettest winter on record in a series from 1836, Northern Ireland had its ninth wettest and Southern England its fourth wettest. In contrast, Scotland had a dry winter with only 86% of average rainfall, with the northeast of Scotland seeing very high totals while the west was unusually dry. Last year also marked England's warmest winter since records began in 1884.
Spiders and Other Natural Indicators
Specialists point out that spiders live in homes throughout the year, simply becoming more conspicuous as temperatures drop. Geoff Oxford of the British Arachnological Society said in 2012: "It is unlikely that the large specimens we see in our houses in autumn have come in from outside, as is commonly assumed. They will have spent their entire lives in our company without us being aware of it."
Rob Crawford, from the Seattle Burk Museum, offered an alternative explanation for the surge of spiders entering homes. He said: "House spiders colonize new houses by egg sacs carried on furniture, building materials and so forth. They usually spend their entire life cycle in, on or under their native building. If a large number appear at a specific season, it is usually late summer (August and September) - not a notably cold time of year! - rather than fall, and their appearance coincides with the mating season of the given species. What you are seeing is sexually mature males wandering in search of mates."
Other indicators of an approaching harsh winter according to the Farmers' Almanac include thicker than normal onion skins or corn husks, woodpeckers sharing a tree, early arrival of the Snowy Owl, early arrival of crickets in the hearth, early departure of geese and ducks, early migration of the Monarch butterfly, tick hair on the nape of a cow's neck, heavy and regular fog during August, mice chewing to get into homes, pigs gathering sticks, ants marching in a line, early seclusion of bees into a hive, more acorns than usual, squirrels gathering nuts early, and halos around the sun or the moon.
