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
Comments