Groundhog Day

 


Every February 2nd North America turns its eyes towards Pennsylvania in observance of Groundhog Day. The age-old superstition is that if a groundhog comes out of its burrow and sees its shadow, the United States and Canada are in for an extended winter. Winter could last for an additional 6 weeks, if the animal sees its shadow. If no shadow is observed, an early spring is forecasted.

So, how accurate is Punxsutawney Phil? Of the 134 times the tradition has been observed, there are known records for 124 of these instances. The groundhog has seen its shadow 104 times and hasn’t seen a shadow around 20 times. It’s estimated that the animal is correct around 40% of the time.

More groundhog information can be found here: https://www.groundhog.org/

Breakdown of previous statistics:  
https://www.groundhog.org/Files/Admin/history/UpdatedGroundhog_Day_Predictions.pdf


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