In 2017, Ohio’s own Buckeye Chuck saw his shadow and predicted more winter. In Cincinnati, temperatures for February and March of last year stayed above average. It was one of our warmest and earliest springs. So much for predictions.
But, since 2006, Buckeye Chuck has been twice as accurate as that famous furry Pennsylvanian, Punxsutawney Phil, with six correct predictions to Phil’s three.
Today, Chuck saw his shadow again. As did Phil. The moral of the story, as stated by meteorologists at Cincinnati’s News 5, is that any weather predictions further than a week out are a gamble but THEY are most likely to get it right.
What is the deal with phamous Phil? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lists Groundhog Day predictions since 1988. Only six of Phil’s last 30 predictions were correct, the NOAA reported.
Apparently, Ohio’s very own fluffy weather forecasting groundhog, Buckeye Chuck, spends his time hibernating in his native town of Marion, Ohio. This reminds me of a joke. Here it is: Do you know where Engagement, Ohio is? It is between Dayton and Marion.
So all the fuss about Groundhog Day is just that ~ a lot of fuss. I heard people on the radio today who were truly upset about it. Are you kidding me? We are going to base our moods on a mythical holiday?
Newsflash Cincinnati (and America): IT IS WINTER. IT IS GOING TO BE WINTER UNTIL IT IS SPRING. We may get 15 more feet of snow or we may see temps in the 70’s by the end of the month. And here is the real newsflash: THERE IS NOT A DANG THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. I know. We all want control. We all want concrete plans. We all want life to be what we want it to be.
I suggest we all loosen up, chill out (literally), retain your long underwear, keep the hot cocoa available and enjoy these days of winter. They absolutely have a beauty of their own.
I am actually fond of winter. I am like a plum or wild greens or mushrooms, I keep better in the winter. My hair is better. My skin is better. My wardrobe is better. I am much more a cozy fireplace, sled-riding, hot homemade soup, moonlight on the snow, cashmere sweater, UGG boots, red woolly mittens kind-of-girl. Yes, a 60 year-old girl.
If it were up to me, Phil and Chuck would crawl back into their burrows and sleep till September.