Six more weeks?

Keep your winter coat and gloves handy. According to furry meteorologist Punxsutawney Phil who saw his shadow on Wednesday morning, there will be six more weeks of winter.

It would have been hard to argue with his prediction on Groundhog Day in Ekalaka, as the high was predicted at a brisk 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures are supposed to warm up throughout the rest of the week and weekend though, with a high of 49 degrees predicted by Monday.

Hopefully some moisture will fall in the next six weeks as well, and if Phil's prediction holds true that might just come in the form of snowfall. Ekalaka totaled only 12.69 inches of moisture in 2021, more than 2.5 inches below the average since 1896 and the least in a calendar year since 2012, according to National Weather Service data.

In 2020, the area had 13.75 inches of precipitation, also below average. In January of this year, 0.44 inches were recorded.

However, the groundhog's accuracy is only about as good as a random guess. Over the past decade he's been right about half the time, and in the last century he's shooting a whopping 40 percent.

Groundhog Day itself derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on February 2nd and sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den, and winter will go on for six more weeks. If it does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early. The tradition began in 1887.

Whether spring comes early or winter stays late this year, it would be nice if ole Phil could send some moisture this way.