Groundhog Day: Spring Arrives Early!
Friday was Groundhog Day, when Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his winter burrow and tried his hand at forecasting. To remind you, during sunny weather Phil sees his shadow and gets "spooked", heading back into his den and we will see 6 more weeks of winter. If it is cloudy and Phil doesn't see his shadow, it means "Spring is here"!
As of 7:25 a.m. ET Friday, Phil did not see his shadow, signifying spring will arrive early! Conditions were mostly cloudy and dry in Punxsutawney, although lights from the cameras and stage certainly appeared to make a shadow under Phil. Historically Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow 106 times, about 5 times more than times he hasn't seen his shadow. All of the lights, cameras, and people could have something to do with that ...
Phil isn't all that accurate, with only about a 40% accuracy rating over the last 100+ years. Of the past 10 years, Phil has only been accurate about 30% of the time, in 2020, 2016, and 2014.
The history of Groundhog's Day started in Europe before German settlers brought the custom to Pennsylvania. The first GroundHog Day was in 1887, making this year the 137th event! Fun fact: did you know Phil is about 20lbs and 22" long?
