Some Real Weather Data on Groundhog Day
No, Punxsutawney Phil can't predict the weather (and neither can Chattanooga Chuck, pictured here):
(Photo/Tennessee Aquarium)
But what we can do today is look at the past weather for Groundhog Day, February 2nd, in Punxsutawney where thousands have gathered for 135 years to see what Punxsutawney Phil has to say.
Surprisingly (considering they have a weather center I've visited there!) we have to look a little outside of town for official weather records.
The closest weather station that maintains records these days is the Putneyville Dam (PUTNEYVILLE 2 SE DAM, PA) , about two miles away (unfortunately data only goes back to 1994).
According to the SC ACIS Version 2, on Groundhog Day, that station has been as warm as 64 in 1989 but as cold as -21 in 1961.
As much as 21 inches of snow was on the ground in 1961, but no more than 3 inches of snow has fallen on February 2nd (see my detailed report on Groundhog Day snowfall last year).
This morning's low temperature of 6 degrees (measured at the nearest real-time reporting station, Dubois Airport, about the same time, 7:20 AM, as the groundhog emerges) puts it in the Top 10 Coldest Groundhog Days, but the high of 39 is just a little bit above average.
As to today's prediction of "an early Spring" -- AccuWeather thinks not. AccuWeather’s full 2019 US spring forecast - which will break down the season across the country - is set to publish on Wednesday, Feb. 6.
