FEBRUARY 4, 2010 ISSUE
Question Around the Office
How Accurate is Punxsutawney Phil?
As many of you know, this past Tuesday, February 2, was Groundhog Day—a tradition that dates back to 1887 that annually places our winter fate in the hands of a furry little fellow, Phil, that either comes out of his hole in Punxsutawney, Penn. and sees his shadow, meaning six more weeks of winter are on the way, or doesn’t see his shadow, which means we’ll enjoy an early spring. This year, Phil saw his shadow, which, oddly enough, you could have learned from a text on your cell phone—for 2011, try texting “Groundhog” to 247365 for up-to-the-minute Phil updates on Groundhog Day. Is nothing spared from technology?
Now, whereas this tradition means very little to High Countrians who are usually buried in snow, enduring cold temperatures and could care less what a Northern groundhog has to say about our tumultuous and unpredictable winter weather, we wondered how accurate the furry forecaster is. After all, in the land of the Woolly Worm Festival, we know a thing or two about the accuracy of furry forecasters.
According to the National Climate Data Center, Phil’s predictions have been correct 39 percent of the time, whereas Phil’s Club—the governing body of Groundhog Day—claims that Phil has been correct, well, 100 percent of the time. Go figure.
According to statistics from Phil’s Club, Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, has not seen his shadow 15 times and nine years are unaccounted for since the tradition began in 1887. One of those years that lack statistics fell during Prohibition, when, according to Groundhog.org, Phil threatened to impose 60 weeks of winter on the community if he wasn’t allowed a drink.
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