Just days ahead of the famous Punxsutawney Phil’s annual weather prediction, Lancaster’s own Poppy the Skunk has made her forecast—an early spring!
Groundhog Day, celebrated every year on February 2, is a long-standing tradition in the United States and Canada where a groundhog’s behavior is used to predict the next six weeks of weather. According to folklore:
- If the groundhog sees its shadow, six more weeks of winter are expected.
- If no shadow is seen, spring is said to arrive early.
The most well-known Groundhog Day celebration takes place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where Punxsutawney Phil has been making predictions since 1886. However, Ohio has its own weather-predicting animals, including Buckeye Chuck and now, Lancaster’s Poppy the Skunk.
This year, Poppy skipped the shadow routine and instead made her pick based on food. She selected the spring food option, signaling that warmer weather is coming soon. But is her forecast accurate?
According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, Punxsutawney Phil has only been correct about 30% of the time. Ohioans will have another prediction to consider on Sunday, when Buckeye Chuck weighs in on the forecast.
Will Poppy be proven right? Only time will tell!
