Saturday Feb. 2 marked Groundhog Day 2019, when Phil, our neighborhood meteorologist groundhog, reveals whether spring will come six weeks early or if winter will persist for an extra six weeks. It is the 133rd anniversary of the very popular tradition.
This year, Phil emerged from his burrow at precisely 7:30 a.m. and, to the surprise of many in the crowd, did not see his shadow. He thus predicted an early spring, much to the delight of people who are already sick and tired of winter.
Many people question Phil’s predictions since they are not based in science.
According to the Groundhog Club’s records, Phil has predicted 103 forecasts of more winter and 18 of an early spring. There are also nine years without any records; neither the Groundhog Club nor the Punxsutawney Area Chamber of Commerce know what happened during that period of time. According to stormfax.com, Phil has only been right 39 percent of the time (so don’t get your hopes up).
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club (PCG) oversees the festivities that come with the yearly Groundhog Day celebration. The Inner Circle of the PCG, who are in charge of handling Phil, consists of 15 members who protect and spread the legend of Phil. The club, which was formed in the 1880s, has travelled the world to visit people who want to meet Phil and learn more about the tradition and its history. For example, in 1986, Phil travelled to Washington, D.C. to meet then-President Ronald Reagan. In 1995, he appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and in 2001, he was on “Regis Philbin Live.”
The first Groundhog Day was held in 1887 at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa. This tradition began the idea that if Phil saw its shadow, there would be six more weeks of winter. If he didn’t, spring would come early.
According to history.com, this celebration has its roots in Candlemas, which is an ancient Christian tradition in which clergy would bless and distribute all candles needed for winter. The Germans expanded upon the tradition by choosing a hedgehog as a means of predicting the weather.
Because many German settlers came to Pennsylvania, the tradition continued with an exception: the groundhog replaced the hedgehog since groundhogs were more prevalent in Pennsylvania.
In 1887, a newspaper editor who was also a groundhog hunter declared that Phil, the Punxsutawney groundhog, would be America’s true weather-predicting rodent. However, other towns in the United States and Canada have adopted their own groundhogs to predict the weather forecast, including Staten Island Chuck, Birmingham Bill and Shubenacadie Sam.
Every year, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club hosts a three-day celebration of Groundhog Day that is full of events. Visitors from around the world come to see Phil and witness his weather prediction, along with taking part in various events. At 6:30 a.m. on Groundhog Day, fireworks signal that it is almost time for Phil to appear and tell the world when spring will come.
This year’s main celebration was Feb. 1 through Feb. 3. However, events began even before then, with festivities that began Jan. 26; Phil attended the crowning of Little Mr. and Miss Groundhog that day. Jan. 27 featured an opportunity to have breakfast with Phil. Feb. 1 included the Meteorologist Hall of Fame and the Groundhog Club Members Only Reception. Feb. 2’s festivities included the Groundhog Ball along with the actual prediction, which begins at 3 a.m.! Finally, Feb. 3 offered a chance to visit the Weather Discovery Center. Phil was in attendance at all of these events.
With this whirlwind of a weekend over, there is only one final question: Will Phil’s prediction be correct this year, or will we be surprised with six more weeks of winter?
