KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and SportsThe legend behind Groundhog Day
Member Center:
ROCHESTER, MN (KTTC-DT) -- If you missed it, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Tuesday morning. That means, according to folklore, that we'll have six more weeks of winter.
Phil's accuracy isn't the greatest - it's only 39%, but Groundhog Day has been a yearly celebration for more than 100 years.
Why even bother disturbing a little guy that doesn't even give an accurate forecast?
Kirk Payne, an educator at Quarry Hill Nature Center, says European settlers brought the legend of the groundhog to the United States.
The half-way point through winter, about right now, is when these hibernators start to wake up.
"February 2nd is actually is about halfway through the mid point of the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, and the spring equinox, that we look forward to every March," explains Payne. "So it was a time of the winter when people celebrated having made it that far through the severe season."
Even though Phil says six more weeks of winter, other groundhogs beg to differ: both Wisconsin and New York's didn't see their shadows.
Comments Terms of Use: We welcome your participation in our community. Please keep your comments civil and on point. You must be at least 13 years of age to post comments. By submitting a comment, you agree to these
Terms of Service
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login or register See all comments |
Nominate a woman you know who's made an impact on your life, community, or business!
We have a winner. Watch all the stories. Thanks to everybody who supported Decorah, Dover, Elkton, Stewartville and Wells.
