Good morning! Today is Groundhog Day, as most of you already know. The legend of the weatherwise woodchuck dates back to the early 1840's in Morgantown, PA. According to the story, when the groundhog comes out of its burrow on Candelmas Day (February 2nd), if it sees its shadow, then it will duck back underground, and winter will continue for six more weeks. If it's cloudy, and there's no shadow, then the groundhog will stay out, and Spring will arrive early.
The most famous of all groundhogs is, of course, Punxsutawney Phil, made even more famous by the 1993 Bill Murray film, "Groundhog Day!" There are plenty of other local groundhogs around the country that make similar predictions. Groundhog Day fans claim an accuracy rate of up to 90%, but the National Climatic Data Center, along with a study of 13 cities done in Canada, both agree that the accuracy rate is closer to 39%.
So, will Winter end early this year? Probably not, if you go by the groundhog prediction, as it is sunny this morning across the northeast, so Phil will almost assuredly see his shadow. So even if the weather remains winterlike for the next few weeks, we can at least enjoy the 45-50 degree temperatures that are on tap for today in Connecticut.
Oh, and one more thing....GO BIG BLUE!!!
