Groundhog Day 2007, Punxsutawney Phil did
NOT see his shadow. According to legend, if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
Here is Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/07 at 7:28 a.m. at Gobbler's Knob:
El Nino has caused high winds, heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures in the west.
Here in the East with much mild winter weather we have been blessed.
Global warming has caused a great debate.
This mild winter makes it seem just great.
On this Groundhog Day we think of one thing.
Will we have winter or will we have spring?
On Gobbler's Knob I see no shadow today.
I predict that early spring is on the way.
Here is link to many other groundhogs and their forecast.
Below are just a few of the FAQ on Punxsutawney Phil's web page that I thought were interesting.
>Punxsutawney Phil is the only true weather forecasting groundhog. The others are just impostors.
>How often is Phil's prediction correct? 100% of the time, of course!
>Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking the "elixir of life," a secret recipe. Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and it magically gives him seven more years of life.
>Phil's forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle. After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese"(a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world.
>Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887.
>So the story goes, Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br'er Groundhog.COLD WEEKENDOk Phil says an early spring, I don't know about you but with the weekend forecast the way it looks now...spring better get here soon. High temperatures will be a few degrees above and below zero. I got to thinking, how often do we see high temperatures below zero. So I contacted the man who would know. Harry Hilliaker is the State Climatologist for Iowa. He has all kinds of data at his fingertips. Looking back to 2000, I was a bit surprised. I guess I try and forget about these real cold days. Here are the coldest high temperatures from the past 7 years up to January 28, 2007
Waterloo
2006-07 8F 1/28/2007
2005-06 4F 12/6/2005
2004-05 -1F 1/14/2005
2003-04 -3F 1/30/2004
2002-03 11F 2/24/2003
2001-02 8F 3/3/2002
2000-01 -4F 12/24/2000
Cedar Rapids
2006-07 5F 1/16/2007
2005-06 4F 12/7/2005
2004-05 -1F 1/14/2005
2003-04 0F 1/30/2004
2002-03 9F 1/23/2003
2001-02 11F 3/3/2002
2000-01 -3F 12/24/2000
Dubuque2006-07 15F 1/28/2007
2005-06 1F 2/18/2006
2004-05 2F 1/14/2005
2003-04 1F 1/30/2004
2002-03 8F 1/23/2003
2001-02 12F 12/29/2001
2000-01 0F 12/22/2000
Iowa City2006-07 12F 1/16/2007
2005-06 8F 2/18/2006
2004-05 4F 1/14/2005
2003-04 2F 1/30/2004
2002-03 11F 1/23/2003
2001-02 13F 3/3/2002
2000-01 0F 12/24/2000
All winter long I get e-mails, phone calls and photos from viewers saying they saw the first robin. Robins are in Iowa all year and yes that does include the winter months. "Although the appearance of a robin is considered a harbinger of spring, the American Robin actually spends the winter in much of its breeding range. However, because they spend less time in yards and congregate in large flocks during winter, you're much less likely to see them. " For more information click here. 
