Archive for February 1st, 2010

• Monday, February 01st, 2010

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February 2nd, 2010 update!! Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning … so we will have six more weeks of winter!!

Earliest references to Groundhog Day can be traced back to February 4^th, 1841. Pennsylvania at the Historical Society of Berks County has information noted by James Morris, a storekeeper from Morgantown, in his diary on February 2^nd making reference to a German holiday known as Candlemas day (precursor to Groundhog Day) back then.

German tradition stated that if the sun comes out on Candlemas the groundhog will see his shadow and retreat back to his winter quarters for another six weeks. After arriving in Pennsylvania the Germans continued this tradition using what we know as groundhogs to predict the weather.

Groundhog Day was first officially celebrated on February 2nd, 1886 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Clymer Freas, the editor of The Punxsutawney Spirit, posted a proclamation that at the time the paper went to press the groundhog had not seen his shadow.

The following year The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club (of which Freas was a member) made the first legendary trip to Gobbler’s Knob in search of “Phil” the Punxsutawney groundhog. The groundhog’s full name, as given by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club in 1887, is “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary.” Phil’s fame has spread world-wide.

For the better part of the year Phil actually lives in a climate-controlled home at the Punxsutawney Library. On February 2^nd he is taken to Gobbler’s Knob and placed in a heated burrow underneath a fabricated tree stump on a stage. He is then pulled out at 7:25 AM to give his prediction.

People, including news reporters, travel annually to Punxsutawney, located in Western Pennsylvania about 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, to cover Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction. It is a big celebration. If you are planning on being part of this annual weather prediction plan to arrive no later than 6 AM. There is no parking at Gobbler’s Knob so you will have to take one of the shuttles. You might want to make it a weekend excursion and enjoy all of the action-packed activities ranging from a chili cook-off, trivia contests, ice carving exhibitions, the Prognosticators Ball, sleigh rides, etc. There are even groundhog day weddings and if you celebrate your birthday on February 2^nd you can share the special day with others attending Phil’s Birthday Celebration.

The amount of attention Phil receives must be the envy of our “technical” weather forecasters!

Below are 4 things you might not know about groundhogs and their role in weather prognostication:

Groundhogs, scientifically known as Marmota monax, are related to squirrels. If predators are scarce and a groundhog can find abundant alfalfa is abundant, they can grow to three feet in length (tail included) and may weigh as much as 30 pounds. Groundhogs have been known to live as long as 22 years in captivity. Zoo life agrees with them as well.
American groundhogs, mostly brown tinged with gray, are found from Alabama to Alaska. They live in the lowlands.
Groundhogs are called by many names. In some areas groundhogs are they are as marmots; in others they are called land beavers or, sometimes, “whistle pigs” because of they are inclined to sit on their hind legs near their burrows and make a whistling noise to alert their neighbors when danger (a coyote or an eagle, for example) approaches.
Regardless of the hype, groundhogs’ ability to predict the weather for the final six weeks of winter (that amount of time is fixed by the calendar) is no better than random chance.

So as Groundhog day is upon us, start your own tradition. If you do not already own a copy of the Groundhog Day movie starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, consider getting one. Curl up with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy your evening.

Here is hoping that we are NOT going to have six more weeks of winter!

Judy Conway

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