Punxsutawney Phil Has Spoken
On this day since 1887 our eyes have been glued to a little tree stump in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania while we wonder if we're getting an early spring or more winter.
This year marks 135 years of Punxsutawney Phil giving us his weather forecast. Usually, this lovable groundhog would bring out 20,000 adoring fans. However, this year, it was eerily silent. But not even a global pandemic could keep Phil away from his duty. This year, his prediction was six more weeks of winter.
To this southern boy, that's okay by me. I was actually hoping for a longer winter than normal. I'd much whether be cold than hot, and the summers around here are miserable.
Each year, two scrolls are prepared for the ceremony: one for an early spring and another for six more weeks of winter. Only the president of the Inner Cicle, the organization that runs the ceremony, knows how to speak Groundhogese to translate whether or not Phil has seen his shadow.
According to Punxsutawney Phil's website, he's been accurate fifty percent of the time over the last ten years, and Wikipedia says his overall accuracy is around forty percent.