Punxsutawney Phil has declared six more weeks of winter. According to NPR, Phil, the groundhog, saw his shadow, thereby certifying that the United States is in for six more weeks of winter. To prove Phil's prediction, a winter storm moved from the mid-west to the northwest that same day.
Interestingly enough, before the forecast was delivered, the early morning rain turned into snow and the temperature dropped to freezing level. Huffington Post said the snow came down so hard that the local Department of Transportation had to lower the speed limit to forty-five mph to keep people safe. Also, due to the weather, only about eleven thousand people showed up for the ceremony, less than the attendance last year.
The announcement regarding Punxsutawney Phil's prediction was made by members of the Inner Circle, who were as usual, wearing top hats on Gobbler's Hill. The Inner Circle is made up of a group of gentlemen who are responsible for the year's events and taking care of Phil himself.
Groudhog Day is based off of the German legend that if the furry rodent were to see its shadow on the 2nd of February, then there would be six more weeks of winter. However, despite German legend, the forecast is decided upon beforehand by members of the Inner Circle, not by Phil.
The Washington Post states that Phil has been forcasting the weather since 1887. Punxsutawaney Phil has been recorded to forcast a total of 102 long winters and only 17 early springs, although there are 9 missing records.
Phil's accuracy is somewhat in question though. There are some who claim that Phil is only 39 percent accurate. Others, like the National Climatic Data Center, believe that Phil has no inkling for weather forcasting at all. However, Accuweather states that Phil is 80 percent accurate, noted Washington Post.
Phil's accuracy was questioned -- particularly in 2013 -- when he declared that there would be an early spring. That year, winter stayed on for a bit longer, despite Phil's prediction.
Phil's lack of accuracy put him in the line of fire of a prosecuting attorney from Butler County Ohio. The attorney wanted the death penalty for Phil the groundhog for his wrong prediction in 2013. Fortunately for Phil, the Pennsylvania state law stepped in and declared that the attorney had no jurisdiction to prosecute it.
Even if Groundhog Day is just a myth to some, to others, it is a tradition. There are other furry rodents across America besides Phil who forecast the weather as well. In particular, there is Staten Island Chuck, who actually opposed Phil's prediction this year. According to Chuck there will be an early spring in 2015.
