Punxsutawney Phil ‘says’ it is so
A hush fell over the crowd gathered at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania early this morning (at 7:20 a.m. Eastern Standard Time), awaiting the emergence of the groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil. After three taps of a cane on Phil’s tree-trunk cage, his door was opened, and the animal emerged – initially not too happy about being disturbed.
Groundhog Day (always February 2) is a tradition in both the United States and Canada that celebrates a groundhog’s emergence from his winter den. This year, Groundhog Day was on a Tuesday. The superstition is that if a groundhog sees his shadow as he leaves the burrow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If the groundhog does not see his shadow, expect an early spring.
And Phil says . . . there will be an early spring; no shadow was seen by America’s most iconic weather forecaster.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gives Phil an accuracy level of about 45%. NOAA’s October predictions for America’s winter included colder and wetter than normal conditions for the Southeast, mild weather in the West and warmer weather in the Midwest and Northeast.
So, for those hunkered down in their homes in southwestern and southcentral Minnesota, just ignore that blizzard you see snowing and blowing about outside your windows. Spring will be here soon! (Take it from Phil)
But, if you do find an interest in taking a look at winter’s wrath, join me in taking a peek:
