Six more weeks....
Posted on 02/02/2023 7:07:41 AM PST by shadowlands1960
A furry critter in a western Pennsylvania town has predicted six more weeks of winter during an annual Groundhog Day celebration.
People gathered Thursday at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” summoned the groundhog from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he has seen his shadow — and they say he did. According to folklore, if he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring comes early.
The “inner circle” is a group of local dignitaries who are responsible for planning the events, as well as feeding and caring for Phil himself.
The annual event in Punxsutawney, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, originated from a German legend about a furry rodent. The gathering annually attracts thousands.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration compared Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast to the national weather the last 10 years and found “on average, Phil has gotten it right 40% of the time.”
This year, Phil’s prediction came during a week when a mess of ice, sleet and snow has lingered across much of the southern U.S.
(Excerpt) Read more at fortune.com ...
The vernal equinox which technically begins spring in the northern hemisphere will be on Monday March 20th this year. Thats 46 days or 6 weeks and 4 days from now. No groundhog needed to figure that out.
“Let’s get that groundhog and beat him like a baby seal!!”
Oh no...not winter in February and March...Whatever happened to the great warming??
He sees his shadow from the 600 camera flashes going off. I’d jump back under the covers too if I was met with that on a winter morning.
Was almost 15 below this morning. Spring seems an eternity away lol
I wonder what Bee Cave Bob, the armadillo will have to say?
TN’s groundhog has yet to speak.
Nor has New Iberia, LA’s nutria. The Nutria is expected to be a wet nutria this year, and we’re not sure what that means.
I'm retired and now that Walmart will deliver my groceries...can't ask for more.
I’m in Arizona, we have Freddy the Rattlesnake, instead. He says spring is coming shortly.
The local radio station was discussing other areas’ weather predicting animals. Alaska has no groundhogs so they annoyed a marmot by pulling it out of it’s den. Nova Scotia had a lobster. I’m waiting for someone to pull a grizzly bear cub out of its den and predict either six more weeks of mother bear attack or an early death from blood loss.
Georgia’s groundhog, General Beauregard Lee, said the same thing this morning: early spring.
“Six more weeks”...until March 16th.
It’s always 6m more weeks of winter.
My mom used to say that St. Patrick’s Day was the last of the really bad weather, and she was right. But by then we’re almost at the spring equinox anyways, and the sun is just too strong and the weather too warm coming up from the south for the cold to linger.
Considering that *groundhog* is just another name for *woodchuck*, have at it.
Where I grew up (Western NY), I actually thought six more weeks of winter was good news.
Let the poor guy stay in his hole. We never have decent weather here until late April, early May. We’ve had snow on Mother’s Day here.
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