Punxsutawney Phil the Groundhog May Want to Quit His Day Job

In case you missed it, this past February 2^nd was Groundhog Day. Since 1887, that’s the day all eyes turn to one preselected groundhog prognosticating the length of winter by the visibility, or lack thereof, of his oversized shadow. Supposedly, when this bloated rodent, Punxsutawney Phil, spies the shade of his formerly hibernating silhouette, he begs a hasty retreat into his germ-infested hole, signifying six more weeks of winter. Conversely, if Phil emerges on an overcast day, he is less likely to retreat from his shadow, thereby heralding an early spring.

I never put much faith in the reliability of buck-teethed weather barometers, but there’s something about this time-honored tradition that makes me want to drop everything and pop that Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day, in the DVD player. For some reason, I never tire of it.

Furry Phil is more than just an excuse for non-stop partying in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. He’s a symbol of Americana, the embodiment of Poor Richard’s Almanac, and poster child for Seasonal Affective Disorder. Phil’s spring forecast inspires hope in winter wallflowers, his disappearance act, a reason to sink back under the covers in bed. There aren’t many animals that can live up to that kind of hype. Perhaps not even the all seeing all knowing Phil.

As a faithful devotee of the Gregorian calendar, I already know winter officially ends approximately six and one half weeks after Phil’s close-up. We would all feel stuck in the winter doldrums with or without the sexy beast. Therefore, he's only useful as a harbinger of early spring.

I decided to find out the number of times Phil had accurately made this prediction over the past twenty-five years using i-Lighter to organize my results. Comparing the records of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club against weather records for Du Bois, Pennsylvania,  Phil didn’t do so hot.

In 1983, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2007, all years he didn’t freak about his shadow, the average March 20^th temperature was about 33 degrees farenheit. Yet in 1986, a year when spring was expected prematurely, it was a frigid 22 degrees. And in 1998, a year when winter was predicted to last until spring, the average temperature on March 19^th was a balmy 45 degrees.

Just in case anyone was wondering, this past February 2^nd, old Phil spotted his shadow and disappeared. But don’t let that worry you. Something about global warming suggests as a weather forecaster, Phil’s days are probably numbered.