The Groundhog, Exposed!
According to news sources, Punxsutawney Phil, the official groundhog in Pennsylvania, saw his shadow and was scared back into his hole this Saturday morning. This, of course, means six more weeks of winter.
(Cheesetastic) Ben Hughes, one of the handlers of the weather predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, holds Phil in the air after removing him form his stage stump on Ground Hog's Day in Punxsutawney, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008. The Groundhog Club said Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
But back in 2005 we caught this picture of Phil using AccuWeather.com to make his forecast (any resemblance of his desk to mine is purely coincidental).
And I have to admit, knowing the location of Punxsutawney [Google Map] (not all that far from State College, Pennsylvania, home of AccuWeather HQ), and looking at this visible satellite animation this morning...
I don't see HOW he could have seen his shadow. The truth is, since technically there are always 6 more weeks of (the season of) winter after Feb. 1, statistically you want him to see his shadow, so I'm sure there is some fudging of the data going on.
Report a Typo