Is spring in the air? Ask a groundhog! These 6 amazing weather-predicting marmots are famed far and wide for prognosticating on the prospect of an early spring.
Punxsutawney Phil
Leading the pack of weather-prognosticating groundhogs is the one, the only and the original meteorological marmot, Punxsutawney Phil! Since 1887, Phil has promulgated a total of 116 predictions of which only a surprising 16 indicated an early spring. So, how’s he doing? On the whole, Pennsylvania’s radiant rodent has scored a somewhat lamentable 39% accuracy rate. Phil Connors could probably do better – or Phil Collins for that matter.
Speaking of weathermen in Punxsutawney PA, expect the iconic Bill Murray comedy film “Groundhog Day” to hit the nation’s TV screens on or around February 2nd – again – and be sure to tune in if you can’t join the happy throngs in person at good old Gobbler’s Knob.
Wiarton Willie
If having multiple groundhogs giving conflicting weather reports on Groundhog Day is confusing, having multiple weather-forecasting woodchucks named Willie is positively head-spinning! Regardless, Wiarton Willie of Wiarton, Ontario, Canada has no plans to cease the February 2nd prediction’s he (or she) has been promulgating since the early 1980s.
All Wiarton Willies (there have been at least two or three) are albino woodchucks with fur as white as the driven snow, of which there’s quite a lot of in Wiarton in early February.
