“Six more weeks of winter there will be,” said Punxsutawney Phil through his spokesperson after he saw his shadow this snowy morning. It’s Groundhog Day in America.
Every February 2, Punxsutawney Phil, of Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, emerges from his burrow to observe weather conditions and look for his shadow in order to make a prediction about the weather ahead. If he sees his shadow, the prediction is for six more weeks of winter; if he doesn’t see his shadow, look for warmer temperatures and an early spring.
Usually crowds of people gather in person to wait for the forecast from Phil, the most famous of the woodchuck prognosticators across the country, but this year the event went virtual. The members of the Inner Circle of The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club wore formal attire and masks as they conducted the ceremony in front of cutout figures sent in by Phil’s fans.
Phil has accurately predicted the coming of spring 40% of the time, according to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as reported in The Old Farmer’s Almanac. For the past two years, he has predicted an early spring after not seeing his shadow. However, studies have proven no strong correlation between a groundhog spotting its own shadow and the subsequent arrival of spring, as National Today, a website on holidays around the world, tells us.
The Groundhog Day holiday, celebrated at Gobbler’s Knob since 1887, comes from a Dutch superstition and originated with German settlers. According to the Almanac, most people don’t realize that Groundhog Day has roots in astronomy—and the movement of the Earth around the Sun. In the Northern Hemisphere, February 2 traditionally marks the midpoint between the winter solstice in December and the spring equinox in March. The Almanac puts it this way, “If he sees his shadow, we’ll have six more weeks of winter; if he doesn’t, it’ll be six weeks until spring.”
Groundhog Day is about prediction, National Today says. “If Phil predicts early spring, people can turn a miserable winter into sun and, if he doesn’t, they know what’s to come and so can plan ahead. So, win-win for everyone.”
We may not have a Punxsutawney Phil at CJ Logistics America, but we can help you assess, predict and preempt change. We leverage business intelligence and analytics to translate the patterns and possibilities, using data and information to draw insights and support our findings. Our insights enable our customers to mitigate risk, be out in front and gain competitive advantage.
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