Woolly Bear says ...

“Caterpillar contest predicts mild winter

HAGERSTOWN, Maryland (AP) -- If you believe the caterpillars, maybe people in the mid-Atlantic states won't need as much wool this winter.

Children collected about 20 woolly bear caterpillars for an annual contest in Hagerstown, Maryland, this week.

A judge says the brown and black crawlers were mostly brown. Tradition dictates that means a fairly mild winter.

The Hagerstown Town and Country Almanack sponsors the woolly bear inspection.

Its 209th edition makes it the nation's second-oldest continuously published periodical. The Old Farmer's Almanac is five years older.

Government forecasters say there's an equal chance of above- and below-normal temperatures in the region from December through March.”