Punxsutawney Phil at the Groundhog Day festivities in western Pennsylvania on Feb. 2, 2010. (MyFox Philly)
Groundhog Has Poor Record As Forecaster
Updated: Wednesday, 01 Feb 2012, 1:54 PM EST
Published : Wednesday, 01 Feb 2012, 11:49 AM EST
According to figures from the Stormfax Almanac , Phil is only right about 39 percent of the time.
This is the 126th year Phil and is ancestors have predicted the weather. Over the years, the groundhogs have cast a shadow 99 times, indicating an early winter; produced no shadow 16 times, suggesting early spring; and the club is missing records for nine years.
Get Forecasts For Rest Of Year: www.myfoxphilly.com/subindex/weather/trends/planner
Last year, Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. Was he right? It depends on what part of the country you were in: The South and Southeast saw an early spring thanks to La Nina , while the central part of the country was dumped with extra snow. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states saw above or below normal temperatures, but the Southwest experienced a warm, dry winter and early spring.
This year, NOAA is calling for early spring in the South and Southeast and a longer winter in the Upper Plains and Northwest.
We will have Phil's forecast live on Good Day on Thursday.