Punxsutawney Phil Did Not See His Shadow – Get Ready for an Early Spring

Apparently, the cold winter daze that most of us have been walking around in here in the tri-state will soon be uplifted, with warmer, spring like temperatures just around the corner. At least that is the consensus according to “Punxsutawney Phi,” who upon emerging from his Pennsylvania home at Gobbler’s Knob, earlier this morning, did not see his shadow.

According to Groundhog’s Day folklore, if a groundhog sees its shadow after emerging from its burrow, then six more weeks of winter can be expected. However, if the furry beast does not see its shadow, spring weather is said to be rapidly approaching.

And while it does teeter on the heavy side of lunacy to trust the weather predictions of a wild animal, Punxsutawney Phil, and a long line of ancestors, has been forecasting winter’s end since 1887. Since then, the groundhogs have seen their shadows 99 times, with 16 predictions of an early spring.

Perhaps Phil could be onto something - this week, Evansville's high temperatures are expected to reach the lower 50s by Thursday - not too shabby for the first week of February.