Groundhog Day!

Groundhog Day has been celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, since 1887. But the history of Groundhog Day can be traced to early Christians in Europe and the custom of Candlemas Day, which marked the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The Candlemas Day believe was that clear and sunny conditions signified a long, harsh winter and cloudy conditions meant warm weather was on its way.

This custom was adopted by the Germans and used a hedgehog and the belief that if the animal cast a shadow during sunny skies on Candlemas Day, it indicated six more weeks of winter.

When German settlers arrived in Pennsylvania in the 1700s, they brought the tradition with them.  Because hedgehogs were scarce in the region, they were replaced with the more abundant groundhog, which was also considered sacred among the local Native Americans.

A groundhog is a woodchuck and is a rodent that can weigh almost 9 pounds! Besides the most famous weather groundhog in Pennsylvania, here is a list of other groundhog weather predictors. 

·      Punxsutawney Phil, Punxsutawney, PA - No Shadow

·      Staten Island Chuck – Staten Island, NY - No Shadow

·      Milltown Mel – Milltown, NJ - Shadow

·      Essex Ed – West Orange, NJ

·      Stonewall Jackson V – Wantage, NJ – No Shadow

·      Malverne Mel – Long Island, NY - No shadow

·      Holtsville Hal – Holtsville, NY – No shadow

·      Pierre C. Shaddeaux – New Iberia, LA - Shadow

·      Sir Walter Wally – Raleigh, NC – No Shadow

·      Buckeye Chuck – Marion, OH – No Shadow

·      General Beauregard Lee – Lilburn, GA – Shadow

·      Smith Lake Jake – Graysville, AL -

·      Dunkirk Dave – Dunkirk, NY – No Shadow

·      Potomac Phil - Washington, DC, - Shadow*

*In addition to the spring prediction, if Potomac Phil sees its shadow, it portends six more months of political gridlock – who didn’t see that coming?

Canada also celebrates the tradition of Groundhog’s Day:

·      Wiarton Willie of Wiarton, - Ontario,  Canada – No Shadow

·      Shubenacadie Sam – Nova Scotia, Canada – Shadow

·      Balzac Billy – Balzac, Alberta, Canada -

So, the majority of rodent weather prognosticators suggest we are in for an early spring.  My personal opinion is that the weather at Disney World today is a high of 77° and we can go find spring right now.  Also, I am fairly confident, the first day of spring will be March 20^th.  Let us help you plan your Spring Break trip right now and get you down to Florida and enjoy the already "spring-like" weather!

And in case you were wondering: A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.