The groundhog somehow manages to see spring: Can we trust Punxsutawney Phil?
As the Midwest battles depressingly severe storms, Groundhog Day's most celebrated forecaster insists that winter's end is near. What does he know, anyway?
The video: The (extremely mild) suspense is over. Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania's marmot meterologist, has emerged from his hole to give his annual Groundhog Day prediction to winter-weary Americans. This year, Phil failed to see his shadow, which traditionally means that spring is just around the corner. The groundhog's suspect forecast may (or may not) reassure Americans, as a huge storm continues to blanket two-thirds of the country with snow, ice, and freezing rain.
The reaction: "We all want to believe, but how good is Phil's word?" asks Aaron Couch at the Christian Science Monitor. Not good, unfortunately. A look at Punxsutawney's historical records finds that "the rodent weatherman was right only about 39 percent of the time." He'd be better off tossing a coin (if anatomically capable of doing so). With a record like that, he should just give up, says Chris Menning at Buzzfeed. "You're a groundhog," Phil. "You didn't even go to meteorology school," and what's more, "your top hat looks ridiculous." See Punxsutawney Phil make his widely dismissed prediction:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date
Speed Read The former president's fraud bond has been reduced to $175 million from $464 million
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published