What Will The Groundhog Say About Otsego County, New York?

Admittedly, I'm a huge fan of Groundhog Day. Maybe it's Bill Murray's fault, or maybe I just like the prospect of finding warmth in the future during the winter months, as foretold by an oversized rodent.

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Groundhog Day was born out of Pennsylvania Dutch legend that says if a groundhog comes out of his burrow on February 2nd and sees its shadow, it will run back to its den, as there will be six more weeks of winter. If no shadow is seen, spring will have an early arrival.

While this is a fun and longstanding tradition, modern science has not been able to find a link between has seen, and the actual arrival of spring like weather. Despite this, some of us still believe!

The big Groundhog Day ceremony that most people think of takes place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where crowds of around 40,000 gather to see Punxsutawney Phil's predictions. Last year was the 137th celebration, and Phil saw his shadow, and called for six more weeks of winter.

Groundhog Day isn't just for Punxsutawney, though they've cornered the market. Here in New York, there is a prognosticator known as Staten Island Chuck, and Dunkirk Dave in Western New York.

I'm going to go ahead and prognosticate what the prognosticator of prognosticators will see this year. Bear in mind that I'm as much a meteorologist as Phil is, so take this with a grain of salt! The last time Phil predicted an early spring was in 2020. Since then, he's called for a longer winter.

Based on the mild winter we've had so far and knowing that the sun most likely won't be out tomorrow, I'm thinking it's time for an early spring. Plants are trying to grow, and chickens are laying eggs like it's going out of style, possible indicators that early spring is on its way.

We'll just have to tune in tomorrow to see what Phil has to say!