No shadow: Pennsylvania groundhog ‘predicts’ early spring

If Phil sees his shadow on February 2, Groundhog Day, tradition holds, winter will last six more weeks.

In addition, data from the National Weather Service shows the period of time from November 1 through January 31 was the warmest on record in Providence.

The members made their forecast announcement at 7:30 a.m. when the groundhog came out of his burrow and there was reportedly no shadow to be seen.

Legend dictates that if Phil does not see his shadow on Groundhog Day, there will be early springlike weather.

But before packing away your winter coats, consider the last time the rodent called for an early spring in 2013, punishing cold and snow gripped the eastern United States deep into March. Major road closures were put in place by the Colorado Department of Transportation, and numerous counties and schools closed down Tuesday. Nine years are missing from the record, but Phil has issued a forecast without exception.

Groundhog Day is upon is, and as a result the eyes of all superstitious Americans have turned to the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. “It is actually a deep coma, where the body temperature drops to a few degrees above freezing, the heart barely beats, the blood scarcely flows, and breathing almost stops”. “There is no shadow to be cast, an early Spring is my forecast!“, read Jeff Lundy, vice president of the Inner Circle of The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

“Every February 2nd, groundhog gets his day”. Other famous groundhogs included General Beauregard Lee of Atlanta, Sir Walter of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Jimmy of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

Three years later, in 2014, a groundhog was dropped on her head by New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, dying days later from internal injuries. The animal died of internal injuries a week later. He will not return to NY until Tuesday evening, his office said, long after the groundhog is out of harm’s way.