Groundhog Day: Weather Predictions from the Animal World

A groundhog from the small town of Punxsutawney in the state of Pennsylvania again predicted that North America would have six more weeks of winter.

On Thursday, thousands of people gathered around a hill called Gobbler's Knob to watch the yearly event. A group of men in black coats and top hats woke up the groundhog from his long winter sleep. It was as if the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, told them, "I see a shadow...It's six more weeks of winter weather."

Since 1887, tradition says that if Punxsutawney Phil does not see his shadow on Groundhog Day, February 2, spring will come early.

Groundhog Day is believed to have come from the ancient European tradition of Candlemas Day. On that day clergy¹ would bless and give out candles to Christians² for the long winter.

Some versions of the ancient story say that in parts of Germany, people thought that if a hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a "Second Winter" — or six more weeks of bad weather. As Germans migrated to what is now the state of Pennsylvania, they chose another animal, and Groundhog Day was born.

Not just groundhogs predict the weather

The tradition is celebrated³ in many places around the United States and Canada. Countdown to Groundhog Day keeps a list showing 157 such celebrations in North America.

But the animals do not always agree — and not all of them are groundhogs.

Staten Island Chuck, a groundhog once known for biting the finger of then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, predicted it would be an early spring. It is hard to argue with that since the National Weather Service said on the social media service Twitter that the lack of snow in the northeast "has been extremely unusual" this year.

In the state of Connecticut, Beardsley Bart, a prairie dog in Bridgeport, also predicted it would be an early spring this year. But Scramble⁴ the Duck, Jr. said it would be a long winter in nearby Eastford.

In the state of Ohio, Benny the Bass⁵, a fish, ate a minnow - or a small fish - soon after its release. The Buckeye Lake Region Chamber⁶ of Commerce Winterfest said it means there will be an early spring. Tad and Lil, two frogs from Snohomish in the state of Washington, agreed that spring would come early on their own "Groundfrog Day" celebration.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric⁷ Administration compared Punxsutawney Phil's forecast in the past 10 years to the actual weather. The agency found that "on average, Phil has gotten it right 40 percent of the time."

Still, Phil remains⁸ the most famous weather predictor thanks to the movie Groundhog Day. In 1993, actor Bill Murray played a weather reporter in the film. The reporter finds himself stuck in time and wakes up on the same day, over and over again, while visiting Punxsutawney.

The movie popularized the usage of "Groundhog Day" to mean something is happening again and again.

Words in This Story

groundhog –n. a mammal that lives in the ground, eats grass and bites wood

top hat –n. a tall head covering, or hat, that was traditionally worn at very formal events in the United States and Europe

bless –v. to make something holy by saying a special prayer

candle –n. wax that is formed into a shape with a piece of string in it that can be burned to provide light

1 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

4 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

5 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。