Groundhog Day

Since The Magic Woods can be anywhere, today we are magically transported over to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where we can visit with the Prognosticators of Prognosticators: Punxsutawney Phil. Although this whole event plays off like a great big silly party--which, of course it is, complete with fireworks at dawn and a showing each year of the classic Groundhog Day with Bill Murray--there is a modicum of science and meteorology to this affair.

As you may know by now, Phil did NOT see his shadow and has predicted an early Spring. Here's why this is plausible. If Phil had seen his shadow, that would mean that the sun was shining, which is what happens on cold winter days when the air is too cold to hold any moisture, and thus, there are no clouds, and we get those deep blue skies and the temperature at night plummets. This means that the predominant weather system is coming from the North, and thus we will have six more weeks of Winter. Oh, and by the way, February 2nd is six weeks from the first day of Spring.

If Phil does not see his shadow, it means that overcast skies have filtered in, and during the Winter months, these moisture laden clouds are usually coming from the South and bringing the weather up from the Gulf of Mexico. An early Spring is predicted because the weather patterns are emanating from the South where the air is warmer.

Make sense? Let's test it this year and see if we don't start getting milder weather in early March.




- Until we meet again, Go Well with Good Blessings.



"I got a lot more accurate after I
got the Weather Channel!"

Location:Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania