Punxsutawney Phil's prediction: more winter

[krispos42]

Source: CNN.com

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Brace yourself for more wintry weather.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Saturday, leading the groundhog to forecast six more weeks of winter.

<snip>

The tradition is that if a hibernating animal sees a shadow on February 2 -- the Christian holiday of Candlemas -- winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.

That was the forecast from Gen. Beauregard Lee, Punxsutawney Phil's counterpart in Lilburn, Georgia. Beau did not see his shadow Saturday morning at the Yellow River Game Ranch.

<more>

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/02/02/groundhog.day.ap/index.html

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Bill Murray then kidnapped the groundhog and fled in a stolen pickup. Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliot stunned.





:-)

[Billy Burnett]

1. See. What more proof do you need? Global warming is a myth.

;)

[soothsayer]

2. beatcha! but not in LBN

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2807811

[eowyn_of_rohan]

3. But Jimmy the Groundhog in Sun Prairie, WI says early spring!

Groundhog Day Prognostication
Saturday, February 2nd, 2008
Happy Groundhog Day! Jimmy arrived by firetruck to see a HUGE crowd waiting for him. He was sporting a full tuxedo...The big news is the Jimmy did NOT see his shadow and we will have an early spring.

[htuttle]

5. It sure isn't spring today in Madison!

We're having something called 'snow freezing fog' right now -- I think that's a new type of precipitation we didn't have when I was a kid. Looks like crap, though...:(

[eowyn_of_rohan]

11. yeah, what the heck is freezing fog, anyway? A brand new weather phenom?

it was supposed bo be sunny, mid-30s today. I am getting color starved!

[NutmegYankee]

4. There actually is science behind this tradition.

German Tradition: If an animal sees it's shadow on Feb 2, there is more winter to come. But why?

The reason is that if the animal sees it's shadow, then the cold continental polar air is still in control over the region, meaning more winter. But if it cannot see it's shadow because of clouds, that means that warmer maritime tropical air is moving in, and that spring is going to come earlier. It all has to do with air masses, and what controls where. In the Eastern US, the maritime tropical is the warmer air mass that dominates in summer, and the continental polar air mass is what dominates in winter.

[LiberalEsto]

6. I still hate that stinkin' rodent

and all his republican friends

[AlinPA]

16. Phil is a republican? Them's fightin' words.

[happyslug]

21. Punxsutawney PA is in Jefferson County, just north or Indiana County PA

For more on Jefferson county:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_County,_Pennsylvania
http://www.jeffersoncopacourt.org/

Looks like Punxsutawney Phil may be a Republican, Jefferson county elected a GOP Board of Commissioners:
http://www.jeffersoncountypa.com/election.htm

But is just north of Indiana County, which barely went GOP in the same election:
http://www.countyofindiana.org/Elect/default.htm

Both Counties are in Western Pennsylvania. Both Counties are borderline members of the Pennsylvania T (i.e. the T is solidly GOP but these two counties are NOT, more Democratic then GOP, but as to go north and east you run across more and more Republicans.) The 2007 election was more local then regional and as such a low voter turn out which helped the GOP.

Just look at Democratic Congressman John Murtha's District, designed to throw as many Democratic voters into it as possible (Making it easier for the GOP to win adjoining districts:

http://www.house.gov/murtha/district_map.shtml

The district starts in Green County then up the Monongahela valley cuts across southern Westmoreland county, then up Western Somerset county to include Johnstown and most of Cambria county. The district then follows two Westward pushes, one along the Kiskiminetas River to the Allegheny River grabbing southern Armstrong County, then another westward push from Cambria county to include the City (and University) of Indiana Pa. Punxsutawney is just north of this second westward push from Cambria county. All solid Democratic Population (Except Southern Westmoreland, which had to be given to Murtha to connect the other Solidly Democratic areas).

Sorry, Phil sounds more and more like a Republican, but given that he lives in a hole, maybe he is like most of the coal miners and ex-coal miners (And decedents of Coal Miners) and is a good Democrat still fighting the onslaught of the GOP from the north and middle of the state.

[Deep13]

7. It's overcast in Ohio = no shadow. nt

[librechik]

8. Big thunderstorm in my Denver neighborhood last night--while snowing heavily!

I thought we were being bombed at first. Gaaahh. That was eerie.

Gotta love that climate change crap!

[Hawkeye-X]

9. and it's just starting to warm up

beautiful weather outside, meltinig EVERYTHING into sludge until the sun warms them up more - takes about two days to get everything melted.

*mutter*

[librechik]

10. we/re starting to be one of those towns that has snow debris left all winter

instead of moderate snow followed by a nice complete melt. Ah, the good old days!

[Desertrose]

12. So did Octorara Orphie! n/t

[daleo]

13. Groundhog Day was a great movie

Although the ritual itself is a silly one.

[modrepub]

14. Shadow?!?

Not sure how they worked this. The observations from this morning at the nearest airport said overcast all morning (and its been cloudy all day here). Must be the camera lights...

[Buns_of_Fire]

15. Considering that the first day of Spring is ALWAYS six weeks and a few days from February 2,

I'd say that ol' Phil milks this a little more than necessary.

On our next show, Captain Bringdown, with the help of Emeril and some brave members of the studio audience, will demonstrate that the Easter Bunny doesn't REALLY lay itty-bitty little chocolate eggs -- they only LOOK like itty-bitty little chocolate eggs.

[OhioChick]

17. While Buckeye Chuck Predicts Early Spring

Forget Phil, Buckeye Chuck Predicts Early Spring
Ohio Groundhog Fails To See Shadow

POSTED: 10:28 am EST February 2, 2008
UPDATED: 12:28 pm EST February 2, 2008

MARION, Ohio -- It's been a warm winter for the Buckeye state, and it's apparently ending a little early this year: at sunrise Saturday morning, Ohio's own furry forecaster Buckeye Chuck failed to see his shadow.

According to tradition, that means an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter.

Under cloudy skies, before a crowd of about 200 people eating spam sandwiches and drinking hot chocolate, the groundhog was pulled from his cage at 7:42 a.m. His handlers report he looked around, but did not see his shadow.

The Ohio groundhog's more famous neighbor, Punxsutawney Phil, did see his shadow Saturday morning in Pennsylvania, and is calling for six more weeks of winter.

The Groundhog Day tradition comes from a German superstition that says bad weather is coming if an animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2, the Christian holiday of Candlemas.

Buckeye Chuck was declared Ohio's official groundhog in 1979.

Marion is 45 miles north of Columbus.

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/15202387/detail.html

[ohio2007]

18. Russian scientist says Earth could soon face new Ice Age ( Russian Bear thinks warming fad over )

Russian scientist says Earth could soon face new Ice Age

ST. PETERSBURG, January 22 (RIA Novosti) - Temperatures on Earth have stabilized in the past decade, and the planet should brace itself for a new Ice Age rather than global warming, a Russian scientist said in an interview with RIA Novosti Tuesday.

"Russian and foreign research data confirm that global temperatures in 2007 were practically similar to those in 2006, and, in general, identical to 1998-2006 temperatures, which, basically, means that the Earth passed the peak of global warming in 1998-2005," said Khabibullo Abdusamatov, head of a space research lab at the Pulkovo observatory in St. Petersburg.

According to the scientist, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere has risen more than 4% in the past decade, but global warming has practically stopped. It confirms the theory of "solar" impact on changes in the Earth's climate, because the amount of solar energy reaching the planet has drastically decreased during the same period, the scientist said.
snip
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977247425

well,the Russians are playing the wildcard in all the global warming hype


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj-4t9drUlM

[rayofreason]

19. Groundhogs are global warming deniers! n/t

[BattyDem]

20. What does Phil know? "Staten Island Chuck" predicted an early spring!

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Chuck did not see his shadow, get out your shorts and t-shirts, spring is coming quickly," said one Chuck speaking for another as New York Senator Charles Schumer announced Staten Island Chuck's prediction.

It was the first prediction for Charles G. Hogg VI, the newest in a line of prognosticators at the Staten Island Zoo.

<snip>

The 10-pound rodent made his debut in front of hundreds of fans, taking over for Chuck V who retired last year after getting it wrong when he also called for an early spring.

Still, the zoo says over 25 years of predictions, the Chucks have an 85 percent accuracy rate. So the stakes are high.

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http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=56782

[trof]

22. Yeah, it's only going up to 76 here tomorrow.

:-)