Phil Says 6 More Weeks of Winter

Today is Groundhog Day! That’s right! It’s February 2, 2023! As the custom goes, folks gathered in a place called Gobbler’s Knob, a small hill very close to the town Punxsutawney, PA to engage in the annual tradition of finding out if Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog and local celebrity, would see his shadow.

Here’s how the shadow thing works: If Phil sees his shadow, we should expect six more weeks of winter. However, if he does not see his shadow, that is a prediction of an early spring.

According to Phil’s handlers, he saw his shadow and we should expect six more weeks of winter. I also know that Phil’s predictions have been about even or 50/50 as he has been correct some of the time. To Phil’s credit, the United States is currently experiencing some cold weather from the north, and ice and snow has been moving from west to each across Texas and into the southeastern United States.

Phil’s prediction comes as parts of the county are being slammed with cripplingly cold temperatures in the west, the south, and the north and Midwest. That said, whether Phil has fine-tuned his predictions, we are in for six more weeks of winter. How do I know? Because according to the astronomical seasons, Spring doesn’t begin until March 20, 2023. Either way, shadow or no-shadow, we are only half-way through winter. To Phil’s credit, Woodstock Willie, the local groundhog seer in Woodstock, Il, also saw his shadow this morning.

OBTW-1: I can’t end this post without telling you that the movie, Groundhog Day, turns 30 this month. Groundhog Day was released in the US in February 1993, and we’ve been talking about it or making references to it ever since. Bill Murray’s feeling of deja vu reigns supreme!

OBTW-2: The movie, Groundhog Day, was filmed in the Chicago suburb of Woodstock, IL.