Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Famous groundhog augurs more winter
Eager for spring? Pick another prophet
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — 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 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.
According to records dating back to 1887, Phil has predicted winter more than 100 times. Ten years were lost because no records were kept, organizers said.
The 2021 and 2022 forecasts also called for six more weeks of winter.
SHARING THE LIMELIGHT
Rodents predicting weather trends. Why?
Just as fair a Groundhog Day question, though, is this: Why not? And more importantly, why should Punxsutawney Phil always get to, well, hog the press?
The spring-heralding (or spring-delaying) small animal has taken firm root in some swaths of American culture. And while Phil and his Pennsylvania ilk are the most celebrated, there is an astonishingly broad selection of other critters who have felt the need (or, at least, their handlers have) to put reputations on the line to “predict” meteorology in the dead of winter.
■ JIMMY THE GROUNDHOG, Wisconsin: Caused controversy in 2015 after biting the mayor of Sun Prairie on the ear.
■ MILLTOWN MEL, New Jersey: Event got caught up in problems with state law this year after the previous prognosticator expired.
■ WOODY THE WOODCHUCK, Michigan: Emerged from a tiny green door in a small, man-made tree stump on Thursday.
■ WOODSTOCK WILLIE, Illinois. Saw his shadow Thursday. Site of where the best-ever PR around the day — the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” — was filmed.
■ OCTORARO ORPHIE, Pennsylvania: Predicts from a home base in Quarryville in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Because of Pennsylvania Dutch folklore, which helped give birth to the Groundhog Day tradition, that region has several on the job, including Mount Joy Minnie and Dover Doug.
■ STATEN ISLAND CHUCK, New York: Longtime predictor in the New York City borough. This year, the current mayor didn’t attend.
■ BUCKEYE CHUCK, Ohio: Another Chuck, this one farther inland. This year, according to reports, the Chuck used publicly was a stuffed one after an animal-rights group objected to how a live one had been treated.
■ GEN. BEAUREGARD LEE, Georgia: Claims high accuracy rate. Contradicted Phil this year.