HOUSTON — OK, so most of us don’t actually rely on a hibernating rodent for our forecast but that hasn’t stopped the tradition of Groundhog Day. However, back before meteorologists and weather satellites, people relied on more unusual methods to predict their weather.
German tradition hedgehog shadow
In Germany, there was a belief that if a hedgehog saw its shadow on Candlemas day there would be six more weeks of winter. When German immigrants came to Pennsylvania, they brought the tradition with them, switching to the more common groundhog.
1887 Punxsutawney Phil
In 1887, according to History.com, a newspaper editor declared that a groundhog in Punxsutawney named Phil was America’s best weather-predicting rodent. The tradition has continued ever since with a series of groundhogs named Phil telling us if there will be six more weeks of winter.
However, you would be right to question his reliability. According to estimates, he is right only 39% of the time.
Groundhogs hibernate
There might be a good reason for this according to Science Focus. While groundhogs do come out of hibernation around February, it has less to do with predicting the weather and more to do with looking for a mate.
Since groundhogs are not pack animals, they need some time to find a partner before the mating season starts in early March. So these furry little guys might be a better mascot for Valentine’s Day instead.