Groundhog Day is coming! Will the groundhog see his shadow? If we were in the middle of an El Niño, he might just see it. Behind the rodent folklore is an odd bit of science trivia.
The Folklore—Look at the legend that has had folks trekking to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania since 1887. According to the folklore, if Phil the groundhog comes out of his hole and sees his shadow on February 2, it means there will be six more weeks of really crummy weather. If not, the rest of winter will melt away.
This legend is a holdover from European folklore. Since medieval times, people watched hedgehogs, badgers, bears or wolves to see if they saw their shadows on Candlemas, February 2. Once people settled in America, the local groundhogs took the place of bears, badgers and other critters.
According to the National Climate Data Center (NCDC), the tradition became publicized in 1887 when a newspaperman wrote about local hunters who celebrated February 2 by going on a groundhog hunt, followed by a jolly groundhog barbecue. He embellished the story with tales of the forecasting skills of Punxsutawney Phil. The rest is history.
The Science—When people continue a weather tradition, it is usually because it contains at least a small grain of truth. Historically the grain of truth for Groundhog’s Day in America is related to the El Niño.
The El Niño, an abnormally warm Tropical Pacific current, warps global wind and weather patterns. In North America it usually produces a warm winter starting along the West Coast and expanding eastward. By mid-winter, the warmth of a moderate to large El Niño usually reaches the Great Lakes and Midwest. Then, as the El Niño weakens, the warmth retreats and normal winter returns to the East.
In large parts of the East, this means an El Niño frequently produces a cool early winter, warm mid-winter and cool late winter. If a large rodent was wandering around in the relatively mild mid-winter, there might be enough sunshine to see his shadow. Then the El Niño would weaken and winter would literally come storming back.
It should be remembered that the Groundhog tradition persisted in America during the 1700s and 1800s, during the last stages of the “Little Ice Age.” What occasionally worked during those chilly times may not work now. The NCDC claims that since 1988, groundhogs have only had a 39% accuracy rate.
Accurate or not—it’s a great holiday and a good excuse for a party or barbecue.
Is the weather mild enough that a groundhog would see his shadow in your area? Do you think the rest of winter will be harsh or will it finally ease up?
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I think we are going to see a replay of the winter of 1996 on the east coast. Large snow storms followed by rain storms in between making it seem like winter is over until the next snow storm hits
Hey guys! We are talking about El Nino because the mid-winter thaw happens around Feb. 2 during El Nino years...SOOOooOOooo, it will PROBABLY not work here, in a La Nina (sort of) winter! HISTORICALLY, we se the groundhog's accuracy based on a short warming trend at this time, ESPECIALLY during the mini Ice Age....
If you want perfect predictions, wait until next year, look into the records and predict 2011's weather in 2012 using 20/20 hindsight.
OR....you can get into the fun of it and cheer on your own particular favorite greasy vermin infested rodent! After which I suggest we all get back to the BBR and know back a few brewskies, tell lies about the weather when WE were kids & envy Bill Murray for being stuck with Andy McDowell for 1,000 Groundhog Days.
In Georgia, we rely on General Beauregard Lee at the Yellow River Game Ranch for our Groundhog Day prediction.
not sure why you are banging on about El Nina when we are in the middle of a La Nina weather pattern...
More importantly, Candlemas is an old cross quarter day, halfway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. Whether we like it or not, there are in fact six weeks left of winter.
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