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| Groundhog Day 2015 by Stormy on February 02, 2015 Making weather predictions hip deep in snow. Each February 2 I embark on my annual tradition of getting up early and taking a peek out. I try to get that peek while it’s still dark out. It’s got nothing to do with avoiding my shadow. It’s all about psyching myself up for what lies outside. It’s winter out there! To date I prognosticated seven times and four of the seven times saw fresh snow on the ground. Now I know that my business is winter and I’m looking to make a weather prediction, but consider this – a good prognosticator needs to take some measurements, try a few different spots to see if all the numbers match up. And it’s not getting any warmer out all this time, mind you. And then at the end of the hard scientific measurements you still need to get the traditional shot where you either see your shadow or you don’t. So you’re still standing with your naked toes in cold snow, waiting for the photographer to get the right light and the right angle and the right mood. And all this time your toes are sinking deeper and deeper into the snow and getting colder and colder. And then you see the flash and hear, “Let’s take a couple more to make sure we got it!” And we do this in the winter, not in blazing hot August. Ever. There’s a lot of psyching up required to get the job done. And a lot of hot herbal teas. Of course this 2015 is once again a snowy Groundhog Day. That makes three years snow-free and five years with fresh snow on the ground. One would guess the trend predicts how the season will go. In fact, Punxsutawney Phil already went on record with six more weeks of winter. His sunrise is two hours ahead of mine, so he hogs a lot attention by being first to the podium. Dunkirk Dave and Staten Island Chuck have made their calls already, too. These New York groundhogs are calling for an early spring. Now that the sun is coming up in the Rockies, it’s my turn to make a call on the weather. The toes are pretty cold standing in yesterday’s snow and the infinitely long field of white snow sure makes it look like winter will never end, especially since we got 9” of the stuff yesterday, but looking up, I see a low cloud base and while it’s light out, the sun is most definitely behind clouds. No shadow today. I’m going on record, siding with Dave and Chuck. I’m looking for an early spring and warmer weather to come. And believe you me, that’s hard to say when there’s ice stuck between your toes, but I am a marmot. I know this stuff. |
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