It’s Groundhog Day … Again.
In an annual tradition of weather prognostication, the nation has turned once more to the vagaries of oversized squirrels in the hope of finding relief from freezing temperatures.
As is often the case with the weather forecast, the prediction of an early winter or six more weeks depends on which groundhog you ask.
Punxsutawney Phil, perhaps the most famous harbinger of late winter weather, made his annual trek to Gobbler’s Knob early Tuesday morning. As he has over 100 times since 1887, Phil saw his shadow, predicting another 6 weeks of winter. While Phil’s “Inner Circle” claims 100% accuracy, review of the groundhog’s predictions shows somewhere closer to 35%.
For a more local prediction, one could turn to Nebraska’s Official Groundhog, Unadilla Billie, from the small town east of Lincoln.
“No shadow I see,” said Billie in a statement, “thus an early spring it must be.”
Related to squirrels, groundhogs, also known as whistle pigs and woodchucks, are becoming more common in western parts of the state due to ongoing changes to grassland ecosystems, such as tree plantings common in towns, farms, and shelterbelts. These man-made mixes of prairie and woodland provide a favored environment and cover for the weather-forecasting rodent.
The folklore of weather-predicting woodchucks likely dates back to European traditions associated with the celebration of Candlemas, and earlier Celtic traditions.
In the meantime, for a more detailed and relevant prediction of the weather that will affect you, be sure to keep your radio tuned to KCNI and KBBN – Central Nebraska’s Weather Source.
