THE VERDICT IS IN! On Monday February 2nd at 7:25 a.m in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Phil the groundhog crawled out of his burrow and saw his shadow. This meaning that our furry little friend/ enemy is predicting there to be 6 more weeks of winter.
Last year, the groundhog’s prediction was right, BUT the year before that he was wrong. So this year will be the real test. Will this blustery winter continue or is the end of the madness near? We are just going to have to lace up our snow boots, zip up our parkas, and wrap up in our scarfs while we wait. According to weather services, this winter is predicted to be just as bad as last year’s, or possibly even worse. HOW CAN THIS BE?
Phil, the beloved groundhog, has been making shadow predictions since 1887. Throughout the years Phil has delivered 119 forecast, 102 of those occasions being where he has seen his shadow, and 17 cases in which he did not see his shadow. But don’t fret! Phil is not always 100% correct; studies have shown that the ground hog is only 80% correct.
Although there are other predicting groundhogs across the country ranging from the United States and Canada, Punxsutawney Phil is the most popular by far. Thousands gather and cheer while waiting for the rodent to emerge and predict the futures forecast.
According to Mayor Jonathan Freund’s ear, not all groundhogs are as friendly as Phil. While the mayor was reporting in live from a groundhog day celebration in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, the groundhog’s handler held the rodent up to the mayors face where the groundhog then bit down on his ear! The Mayor sent out a statement saying he was the only one that could predict the city’s groundhog’s, Jimmy, prediction.
To many, Phil’s prediction is heartbreaking but to all the snow bunnies of the world…enjoy! For all the rest, we shall wish for better luck next year! In the mean time stay warm and try enjoying all of this fluffy white stuff.