The great prognosticator has spoken-or squeaked whichever Punxsutawney Phil (the Groundhog of lore) does. The great foreshadower of weather has not seen his shadow and we are predicted to have an early spring.
Given the weather lately, we might have spring, summer and winter, all early. The Hampton Roads weather forecasters have been as lucky at predicting the weather as is the little groundhog. It is truly anyone's guess as to what tomorrow will hold, regarding weather, for our Checkered Flag fans.
Groundhog Day 2013: 'Punxsutawney Phil' Predicts Early Spring
An early spring is on the way, according to groundhog "Punxsutawney Phil."
When the Pennsylvania groundhog emerged from his dwelling at Gobbler's Knob Saturday morning, he did not see his shadow.
"And so ye faithful, there is no shadow to see, an early spring for you and me," proclaimed Bob Roberts, one of Phil's handlers.
According to folklore, if a groundhog emerges from its burrow and see its shadow, then six more weeks of winter weather is on the way.
But if it comes out and sees no shadow, spring is expected to come early.
Punxsutawney, the Pennsylvania town that is home to one of the most famous weather-predicting groundhogs, Punxsutawney Phil, has been carrying on the tradition of Groundhog Day since the 1800s, according to The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
Ever since the tradition began in 1887, Phil (and his ancestors) saw their shadows 99 times, while predicting an early spring only 16 times. There was no record for nine of the years.
Other groundhogs like New York's "Staten Island Chuck," and Atlanta's "General Beauregard Lee" are also expected to make a prediction.
Source: [abcnews.com]
I certainly hope that Phil is correct. The groundhog's ability to look into the future of Mother Nature is a true mystery, but so is the weather pattern of Hampton Roads.
For you loyal Checkeredflag.com followers, stay tuned to hear about the potential blizzard for two weeks from now, and the scorching temps two days following (I am just joking-or am I?). Hampton Roads is certainly great for giving us all seasons, too bad they have to do it without any rhyme or reason.
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