Phil predicts more winter, but is he right? Forecasts say no
To the dismay of those who were looking forward to an early spring, beloved prognosticator Punxsawtawney Phil decreed that winter will go on for six more weeks when he saw his shadow on Groundhog Day.
One thing Phil is not is a certified meteorologist, and as far as Butler County is concerned, the first few weeks after Groundhog Day suggest Phil may have gotten this one at least partly wrong.
According to the National Weather Service, the next three to four weeks will be leaning above normal in temperature. They also are likely to be leaning above normal in precipitation — either rain or snow.
The forecasts call for a high temperature of 54 degrees and partly cloudy conditions on Monday, Feb. 3.
“We're gonna be well above average tomorrow, but drop back down into the 30s Tuesday and Wednesday, and then back up into the 50s again on Thursday, and then come back down on Friday.” said Matt Brudy, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. “So it's going to be a pretty variable week as far as the highs go.”
Temperatures are expected to crash into the high 20s on Monday night, Feb. 10, and there is a 30% chance of snow. A slight chance of snow also is in the forecast for Wednesday morning.
However, Brudy says no significant snow accumulation is expected on either day.
For those who were looking forward to early spring, don’t let Phil’s forecast sour your mood. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Phil has only gotten his prediction right seven times in the last 20 years. This ranks him 17th out of 19 active weather-predicting animals in the U.S., only beating out Michigan’s Woodie the Woodchuck and Nevada’s Mojave Max, a tortoise.
