February 2nd is famous in weather trivia as Groundhog Day. This marks the midpoint between the winter solstice in December and the spring Equinox in March. Folk lore from across Europe looked at the weather conditions on that date to give an indication of what the turning of the season would bring. The prediction is that if the skies are clear and the groundhog sees its shadow, six more weeks of wintery weather can be expected. If it is cloudy, and no shadow is seen, spring weather will arrive early. There are various “official” groundhogs across North America, from Montreal, Canada to Texas. The most famous is in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. And how accurate are the forecasts – latest checks put it a less than forty percent correct.
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu