
Did the Balzac groundhog see his shadow 2021? For a FREE map & guide to the area, call 1-800-752-PHIL. Visit Punxsutawney for a phun-philled time! Our mission is to promote Punxsutawney as a great destination to visit any time of the year! Up to date event and lodging information can be found by visiting and. Did shubenacadie see his shadow 2021? Can you visit Punxsutawney Phil? No shadow seen: Balzac Billy predicts Alberta headed to early spring. While today’s events were virtual, it was a special day for Willie, with Wiarton marking the 65th anniversary of this yearly local tradition. Willie also did not see his shadow in Ontario. Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and it magically gives him seven more years of life.

He has been making predictions since 1886! Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking the “elixir of life,” a secret recipe. There has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. It is claimed that this one groundhog has lived to make weather prognostications since 1886, sustained by drinks of “groundhog punch” or “elixir of life” administered at the annual Groundhog Picnic in the fall. As National Weather Service meteorologist David Unger told Live Science, “If our forecasts are about 60 percent accurate or higher, then we consider that to be a good estimate.According to the lore, there is only one Phil, and all other groundhogs are impostors. While Phil is far from infallible, human meteorologists are, too. “Out of the 15 times that he didn’t see his shadow and predicted an early spring, he got it right seven times,” Roche told Live Science. If you only look at weather records dating back to 1969, which are more reliable than earlier accounts, Phil’s job performance review gets even worse: those predictions were correct only 36 percent of the time.Īlmost starting to feel sorry for an apparently lousy employee who only has to work for a few minutes each year? According to meteorologist Tim Roche at Weather Underground, Punxsutawney Phil is much more successful when he doesn’t see his shadow. Based on data from the Stormfax Almanac, that means Phil’s accuracy rate is an abysmal 39 percent. As Live Science reports, the Groundhog Club’s records show that Phil has predicted more winter 103 times, and an early spring just 19. The stats, however, indicate that practice doesn’t always make perfect when it comes to mid-sized meteorological rodents.

Plus, considering that the legendary groundhog has been forecasting the weather since the first Groundhog Day in 1887, it seems safe to assume that he’s gotten pretty good at it by now. It certainly appears to be an apt prediction at the moment snow was falling fast throughout the ceremony, and it's hard to imagine that spring could be just around the corner for the currently frigid Northeast. This morning-Tuesday, February 2, 2021- Punxsutawney Phil crawled forth from his tiny tree trunk abode and prophesied another six weeks of winter.
