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As many of you know, today (February 2nd) is Groundhog Day. In honor of this event I decided to post some information pertaining to the Pennsylvania groundhog Punxsutawny Phil.
Punxsutawney Phil, the “seer of seers and prognosticator of prognosticators,” is a groundhog resident of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, USA. On February 2, (Groundhog Day) of each year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates the beloved groundhog with a festive atmosphere of music and food. During the ceremony, which begins well before the winter sunrise, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler’s Knob, located in a rural area about 2 mi (3.2 km) east of town. According to the tradition, if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, the United States will have six more weeks of winter. If Phil does not see his shadow, spring will arrive early. The date of Phil’s prognostication is known as Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada. During the rest of the year, Phil lives in the town library with his “wife” Phyllis.
A select group, called the Inner Circle, take care of Phil year-round and also plan the annual ceremony. Members of the Inner Circle are recognizable by their top hats and tuxedos.
Here is a list of Phil’s past predictions:
2008-09 6 more weeks of winter
2007 Early spring
2000-06 6 more weeks of winter
1999 Early spring
1998 6 more weeks of winter
1997 Early spring
1996 6 more weeks of winter
1995 Early spring
1991-94 6 more weeks of winter
1990 Early spring
1989 6 more weeks of winter
1988 Early spring
1987 6 more weeks of winter
1986 Early spring
1984-85 6 more weeks of winter
1983 Early spring
1976-82 6 more weeks of winter
1975 Early spring
1971-74 6 more weeks of winter
1970 Early spring
1951-69 6 more weeks of winter
1950 Early spring
1944-49 6 more weeks of winter
1943 No appearance (WWII)
1942 Partial shadow
1935-41 6 more weeks of winter
1934 Early spring
1903-33 6 more weeks of winter
1902 Early spring
1901 6 more weeks of winter
1900 6 more weeks of winter
1898 6 more weeks of winter
1890 Early spring
1887-88 6 more weeks of winter
*Please note: Of these 112 predictions on record so far, Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early spring 14 times (13%). As to his accuracy, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, he is 100% accurate. However, according to StormFax Weather Almanac, his accuracy is just 39%.
For more information on this topic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punxsutawney_Phil
