Editor's Notebook

8 More Reasons To Hope the Groundhog Doesn't See His Shadow

Sunday, Feb. 2 is Groundhog Day.

This Saturday, superstitious Americans and fans of folklore will sit rapt, waiting for a corpulent, beaver-like rodent to stick his head out of his burrow in upstate New York. So the tradition goes, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow and returns to his burrow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, we'll have an early spring. I, for one, am not sure I can take six more weeks of subzero temperatures. The Atlantic Monthly has put together a list of the eight cities with the crummiest winters, but Minneapolis is only a runner-up for "Snowiest." Truly, they haven't been out here lately, but I will have some sympathy for New Yorkers and their yellow-grey snow if Phil turns tail on Sunday. If your idea of celebrating Groundhog …

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Five Little-Known Facts About Groundhog Day

For one, the meteorological rodent is married.

How accurate will Phil’s weather prediction be for 2012? Make sure to take the Patch Poll below! On Feb. 2 of each year, according to tradition, the world’s most famous groundhog announces whether or not winter will soon end by either climbing out of his western Pennsylvania burrow, or retreating back to bed. If this is any indicator, I’m guessing that Punxsutawney Phil will not only leave his hole in the ground, but will likely set out a lawn chair and enjoy the early spring. But how did a groundhog graduate to meteorologist? Here’s a few little-known facts about : 1. The first Groundhog Day was celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in 1886, but it has far deeper roots than that. Historians trace its origin back to Candlemas, a …

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