Spring is coming early! But don’t get too excited — the rodent’s prediction is based on a very old traditions about weather, some of which were originally linked to bears.
Finally a bright light at the end of a polar vortex — spring is coming early!
Punxsutawney Phil, the world-famous meteorologist/groundhog, made his annual prediction on Saturday, emerging from his burrow at 7:30 am ET unable to see his shadow. According to lore, this means spring is on its way.
But don’t go packing away your winter clothes on the recommendation of this rodent. Phil has a pretty terrible track-record on his weather predictions: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says he’s only right about 40 percent of the time.
Every February 2, thousands of people gather on Gobbler’s Knob, a hill outside town in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. They wait for hours in the pre-dawn freezing cold, and while there are bonfires and fireworks, the highlight is a brief moment when 15 men in top hats report whether a famous groundhog — the one they call the “Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators” — saw his shadow.
