The weather predictions for the first part of the winter of 2010-2011 are coming in. Without question, in New England there will be snow, cold, rain, rain-snow mixes interspersed with fair and warmer days. In Massachusetts, there will be less snow than in Maine – mostly because Maine is bigger and further north. But suffice it to say, with precipitation, snow or rain or sleet come hazardous road conditions – both while the rain, snow and sleet fall and in the aftermath, because of the potholes they leave behind.

The Farmers’ Almanac predicts the first widespread snow mixed with rain and ice sometime between November 4 and 7. More rain and wet snow is predicted for the mountainous areas (Massachusetts Berkshires, New Hampshire White Mountains, Vermont’s Green Mountains), as is typical.

In a year characterized by voters who resist government growth and increased taxes, seven of nine San Francisco Bay-area counties are proposing auto registration fee hikes in a voter referendum. Wherever Proposition AA passes – if it passes – drivers in those counties will pay an additional $10 per year. An additional $18 vehicle registration surcharge is being voted on in a separate statewide proposition (Proposition 21).

What will the money fund? The county-by-county vote is to fix potholes and shore up public transportation. The maximum total of $54 million raised per year by Prop AA would be allocated among local streets and roads (50 percent of funds raised), public transportation (25 percent) and bike- and pedestrian-safety (25 percent) projects. The statewide registration hike would fund its park system and wildlife programs (registered vehicles would receive state park access free of charge).

We are not sure why there are competing farmers in the world of Almanacs, and why neither of them had the good sense to set up their own cable weather channel. Instead of Jim Cantore standing in sideways wind and talking about storm surges during every hurricane, we might have gotten someone losing their John Deere hat while talking about the benefits of rain.

But it is reassuring that year after year, the Farmers’ Almanac and the Old Farmer’s Almanac are still published. And their predictions, when proven true, are highly touted the following year. For the winter of 2010 – 2011, here is what they tell us to look forward to in the Northeast/New England states:

Few words send chills up the spine of landlords like “premises liability.” This is an area of personal injury law that enables an injured party – renters, guests of renters, even delivery people – to sue the owner of the property for failure to provide a safe environment. Every day, there are 25,000 slip, trip and fall accidents in the U.S., which account for 21 percent of all ER visits, according to the National Safety Council.

So what could lead to such accidents and the possible lawsuit to follow? Broken sidewalks, rotted steps and slippery, just-mopped floors are among them.

But just because something like a sidewalk has a few chipped up, loose or otherwise deteriorated sections should not require a complete reconstruction of that walkway. The labor and materials involved could costs many hundreds and even thousands of dollars, which is not something most property owners relish in a time of significantly-reduced real estate values.

Potholes are in the news, twelve months out of the year – which defies the popular perception that potholes are simply the result of winter freeze-thaw cycles. In some cases, the newsworthy potholes of summer are holdovers from six months prior, but even winter-free tropical regions get chuckholes from moisture, solar heat and traffic wear and tear.

This is the pothole report from the summer of 2010. It was a bad time for racecars, parades and restaurants in unfortunate locations. Some local leaders had the Solomonic task of choosing between golf courses and navigable streets. And at least one pothole protest group has adopted the unusual strategy of stocking potholes with fish – to celebrate their country’s newly-proclaimed National Pothole Day.