Celebrate 129th Groundhog Day on February 2
Jan 31, 2015, 10:23 PM | Updated: 10:29 pm
Groundhog Day is early on February 2. The first documented reference to Groundhog Day was found in a diary entry by storekeeper James Morris of Morgantown Pennsylvania dated Feb. 4, 1841.
He states, “Last Tuesday the 2nd was Candlemas day, the day on which according to the Germans the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow, he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out as the weather is to be moderate.”
This diary entry offers some meteorology. Winter surface high pressure in that part of the country often results in sunny skies and cold temperatures. So if the groundhog finds sunshine on Feb. 2, winter is still likely in progress. If it is cloudy, then a more moderate weather pattern is already underway.
Since 1887, Groundhog Day has been celebrated on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania each year on Feb. 2. So this year’s version will be the 129th celebration that attracts thousands of visitors to witness Punxsutawney Phil come out of his burrow and make his folklore weather prediction.
Does Punxsutawney Phil’s weather forecast apply to the Pacific Northwest? In reality no since the weather in the northeast part of the country is so much different than this region. Yet the event offers another reason to talk about the weather.
