Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Early Spring

In Gobbler’s Knob, PA, at the crack of dawn on February 2, the nation’s most famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow—meaning an early spring is on its way, according to longstanding folklore.

The annual event has its origin in a German legend that says if a furry rodent casts a shadow on Feb. 2, winter continues. If not, spring comes early – Oregon Live

Phil ‘predicted’ six more weeks of winter last year and in 2021 and 2022, while in 2020, he ‘predicted’ a shorter winter and early spring when official observers last declared he did not see his shadow.

According to records dating back to 1887, Phil has predicted winter 20 times. According to the NOAA Phil is correct about 40% of the time.

Last year Phil forecasted a “long winter” when he saw his shadow and predicted an additional six weeks of wintry temperatures. In fact, the contiguous United States saw one of its snowiest winters on record across much of the western United States last year, with snow falling well into the springtime, so Phil was pretty spot on.

For Utah, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon, most of the snowpack is normal or above-normal for this time of year. A fairly dry December was followed by an active January that produced a lot of snowfall for these regions. However, that hasn’t been the case for the rest of the West.

• Related: State of the Western U.S. Snowpack: Most of Utah, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, and New Mexico at or Above Normal While California and Other States Struggle

Most of Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, California, and Arizona are sitting a below-average snowpack right now, with large portions of Montana severely hurting for moisture. California’s Lake Tahoe area is struggling with its snowpack sitting at 57% of its average for this time of year—but all that is changing now.

A rare and severe atmospheric river is currently impacting much of the western U.S. right now, bringing heavy rain and snowfall to much of the West this weekend and into next week. Could this be the season-saving storm for Tahoe, Jackson Hole, and other ski meccas that are dealing with a low snowpack right now? Will Phil be proven wrong with his prediction for an early spring? We sure hope so.