All Eyes Will Be on Punxsutawney Phil on Friday
February 2nd is Groundhog Day! Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow, meaning 6 more weeks of winter or will it be too cloudy to see his shadow which would mean an early spring?
In case you’re wondering, Punxsutawney Phil has had a 39% accuracy rate regarding his early spring/late winter forecasts. According to an EarthSky report, Phil has seen his shadow nearly 87% of the time, so the odds are for six more weeks of winter. However, cloudy and snowy conditions will occur on this day, which could increase the chances for Phil to not see his shadow and bring us an early spring. No one should rely on a groundhog to predict the remainder of this winter.
The history behind Groundhog Day, it came to America along with immigrants from Great Britain and Germany. The tradition can be traced to early Christians in Europe, when a hedgehog was said to look for his shadow on Candlemas Day.
In Massachusetts we have our own weather predicting groundhog. Since 2008, Ms. G has been delivering an annual forecast on Groundhog Day from her home at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, Ma. Her accuracy has gotten lots of media attention, and audiences and meteorologists alike always enjoy seeing her furry face on camera.
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