Happy Groundhog day! The tradition of this holiday states that if the groundhog emerges and sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If it does not see a shadow, spring will arrive early.
Groundhog Day is the midway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox. The first official Groundhog Day was held Feb. 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and is celebrated the same day each year. History has told us that we can can thank newspaper editor Clymer Freas for the special day, as he and a group of groundhog hunters declared a groundhog from the town as the official predictor.
Last year, the groundhog predicted a longer winter; but this year could be different! The Stormfax Weather Almanac says the groundhog is only correct about 39% of the time.
Here’s hoping for an early spring: Happy Groundhog Day!