The handlers of Pennsylvania’s famous groundhog said it called for six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow at dawn Friday.
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According to Groundhog.org, all of the action came to a head at approximately 7:25 a.m. this morning when Phil was summoned from his burrow to make his weather prediction for the remainder of winter.
No one can talk to a horse, of course – or a groundhog. Spring comes early otherwise. Thousands of spectators gathered at Gobblers Knob in 17º F weather to witness the groundhog see his shadow and run back into his underground dwelling. Groans were also reported from the crowd that assembled in the western Pennsylvania hamlet for the 132nd year to hear from Phil.
These candles represented how long and cold the winter would be.
The mayor’s spokesman, Eric Phillips, says the mayor hasn’t attended in recent years and has many other events to attend.
Even though he’s been forecasting since 1887, Phil’s track record for the entire country isn’t ideal.
Punxsutawney Phil is treated in a much kinder fashion these days. Staten Island Chuck lives in New York’s Staten Island Zoo and is well-known for making weather predictions as well as biting mayors. It gets pretty weird. The original Milltown Mell died in 2015, but his companion took on the same name and the town keeps the tradition alive.
But still, even in his most successful decades, it’s essentially a coin flip, whereas most weather forecasts are accurate 80 percent of the time or more.
To determine just how accurate he is, we’ve compared USA national temperatures with Phil’s forecasts.
Western states plus the most southerly, including Texas and Florida will enjoy above average temperatures.
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Last year, both Punxutawney Phil and Buckeye Chuck agreed that we’d have six more weeks of winter. Every year, this day is observed on date February 2 in the United States and Canada. “Groundhog Day began right here in Pennsylvania in 1886”.
