The verdict is in: Winter isn’t close to letting up, as predicted by an amateur meteorologist which also happens to be a rodent. Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog that determines when the cold season will end, saw his own shadow in the Western Pennsylvania town on Groundhog Day Thursday. Theoretically, that means there will be at least six more weeks of winter.
While Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions haven’t always been accurate, this latest one falls in line with what professional meteorologists have said for when Spring will begin this year.
The Spring Equinox was scheduled to begin March 20 at 6:29 a.m. EDT, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Specifically, the Vernal Equinox occurs when the sun “crosses the celestial equator on its way north along the ecliptic.” The season was expected to last through June 21, after which summer was scheduled to officially begin.
The word “equinox,” which is derived from the Latin language, has been translated to mean “equal night” in part because the Spring Equinox starts at the same time around the world regardless of time zone.
With spring will come longer days that will also gradually bring more hours of daylight.
This winter hasn’t been particularly as brutally cold as others in recent years, and that trend of warmer temperatures was expected to continue into the spring months, according to the Weather Channel.
Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil have been a national tradition for more than a century. The event typically turns out hundreds of people in formal wear such as tuxedos and top hats. Thursday marked the 131st annual installment of the festive ritual.
With Thursday, Phil has seen his shadow 103 times compared to just 18 times without one. There were 10 times Phil’s predictions were not recorded, though it was not immediately clear why.
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