Punxsutawney Phil Being Replaced by a Robot?
Hello and happy Monday everyone… happy February to you by the way. Tomorrow is Ground Hog Day and as legend has it, Punxsutawney Phil will forecast whether or not winter will linger for another 6 weeks or if spring is right around the corner. The largest Ground Hog Day celebration takes place in Punxsutawney Pennsylvania, which has been an annual tradition since the late 1800’s. It is quite an event for Phil who is kept in a heated house and treated like a king at Gobbler’s Knobb, but the animal activist group PETA believes Phil is being mistreated and wants him to be replaced by a robot stand-in… Could you image how much different February 2nd would be?
Other Famous Prognosticators
(From About.com)
Balzac Billy – Alberta, Canada
Also known as the Prairie Prognosticator, Balzac Billy is a young upstart groundhog in Alberta, Canada.
Buckeye Chuck- Ohio
A February tradition for many years, the Ohio General Assembly declared ‘Buckeye Chuck’ from Marion, OH, the official State Groundhog in 1979.
General Beauregard Lee – Georgia
The official weather prognosticating groundhog from the state of Georgia makes his home at the Yellow River Game Ranch.
Shubenacadie Sam
This Canadian groundhog makes his home at the Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park in Nova Scotia and makes one of the earliest Groundhog Day predictions.
Smith Lake Jake – Alabama
Jake, the groundhog, lives at the Birmingham Zoo in Birmingham, Alabama, where he makes his annual weather-predicting appearance at 10 am on Saturday, February 2. Southern groundhogs like to sleep in late!
Staten Island Chuck – New York
The Staten Island Zoo is home to groundhog Staten Island Chuck who makes his official Groundhog Day prediction each year at 7:30 a.m. on February 2nd.
Sir Walter Wally – North Carolina
This southern groundhog and his friends at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences invite you to participate in the annual statewide celebration of Groundhog Day to see Sir Walter Wally emerge from his winter digs.
How Much Snow?
Snowfall amounts through Tuesday could be around 1″ to 3″ across southern MN and IA.
This is what it looks like in the Twin Cities at the New Target Field (Home of the Minnesota Twins) – note the reduced visibilities and snow around the open air stadium.
How Much Rain in FL?
Take a look at the AlamoCam from the University of Miami – it looks a little wet doesn’t it!
Well, that’s it for now. We’ll keep an eye to the sky… Make sure to come back tomorrow. We’ll keep it light, hopefully fun and somewhat interesting. Enjoy the rest of your Monday!
Meteorologist Todd Nelson – WeatherNation LLC
