Groundhog Day
One furry fella has been predicting the weather for over 130 years. But this year, climate change is in the picture.
THE weather-forecasting groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, emerged from his burrow in Pennsylvania recently, saw his own shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter.
But a rival groundhog, Staten Island Chuck in New York, predicted an early spring.
Phil’s forecast was met with a mix of cheers and groans from thousands of revelers who had gathered in the town of Punxsutawney about 120 km northeast of Pittsburgh.
According to legend, if the groundhog emerges from his dwelling and sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter should be expected. But if there is no shadow, spring will make an early arrival.
Much of the eastern United States experienced an unusually cold winter earlier this year (said by some to be linked to climate change). Parts of Niagara Falls were frozen and iced-up water mains pipes burst.
Snow hit Florida’s capital for the first time in three decades and its governor (along with those of Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia) declared states of emergency, warning residents to expect icy roads and freezing temperatures.
New England had a “bomb cyclone” blizzard, so called when a storm’s barometric pressure drops by 24 millibars in 24 hours, greatly strengthening the storm.
Icebreakers were used in ports of Boston, New York and Philadelphia to keep shipping lanes clear.
Even though they have endured such record-breaking freezing temperatures, Americans should expect winter to stretch on, according to the furry Pennsylvania critter.
But another celebrated groundhog, Chuck in the New York City borough of Staten Island, did not see his shadow and instead predicted an early spring. Chuck is known for biting then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the ceremony in 2009.
Groundhogs, portly animals belonging to the squirrel family, have been offering weather predictions in Punxsutawney, which has a population of about 6,000 people, since 1887.
The town’s annual Groundhog Day event, made more popular by the 1993 comedy film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray, draws people from as far away as Australia and Russia. This year was the 132nd ceremony.
Canada has its own share of weather-forecasting mascots, including Wiarton Willie, an albino groundhog who made his spring prediction in southern Ontario. – Reuters