Hope predicts early spring, but Mother Nature sends a winter storm

HOPE – With an all-day rain well underway, there was no doubt what prediction would be made by Hope, the groundhog on Wednesday morning.

As about 50 spectators looked on, the almost two-year-old prognosticator did not see her shadow during the annual Groundhog’s Day ceremony in the Hope Town Park shelterhouse  Folklore suggests that means spring will soon be here.

Several in attendance said they aren’t worried about the winter storm that arrives tonight and is expected to stick around through early Friday morning putting a damper on Hope’s prediction.  Instead, they expressed confidence that Hope will turn out to be correct in the long run.    

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — There will be six more weeks of winter, Punxsutawney Phil predicted as he emerged from his burrow Wednesday to perform his Groundhog Day duties.

Thousands of people from around the nation and other countries gathered at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” summoned him from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he had seen his shadow, a message they said Phil communicated in “groundhogese.” After Phil’s prediction was announced, the crowd repeatedly chanted “six more weeks!”

According to folklore, spring would come early if he didn’t see it.

The event took place virtually last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, depriving the community, which is about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, of a boost from tourists. It was streamed live and seen by more than 15,000 viewers worldwide at one point. About 150 cardboard cutouts of fans were there to “watch.”

The annual event has its origin in a German legend about a furry rodent.

According to records dating back to 1887, Phil has predicted winter more than 100 times. Ten years were lost because no records were kept, organizers said.

The 2020 forecast called for an early spring.

Punxsutawney Phil may be the most famous groundhog seer but he’s certainly not the only one, and one competitor disagreed with his prediction. New York City’s Staten Island Chuck expects an early spring, according to Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon, who presided over a ceremony that was livestreamed from Chuck’s home at the Staten Island Zoo.

“He did not see his shadow. We will have an early spring,” McMahon announced.

New York Mayor Eric Adams did not attend the ceremony but said in a videotaped message, “Chuck has been very accurate in his predictions since 1981. I think I can speak for all New Yorkers when I say, ‘Chuck, please don’t see your shadow.’”