Can groundhogs correctly predict the weather?
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A few days ago, some furry rodents got their day to bask in the sun –or the clouds — but a few regional groundhogs had conflicting reports.
On Sunday, Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, signifying another six weeks of winter. But Ohio's own groundhog, Buckeye Chuck, did not see his shadow, meaning we will see an early start to spring.
According to weather experts, both rodents are highly inaccurate, but the current setup would favor Buckeye Chuck's prediction.
'We are in what's called a La Nina pattern,' said Kristen Cassady, NWS Wilmington meteorologist. 'And so typically for late winter, early spring, that means above normal precipitation and above normal temperatures for us. And so that is indeed what we are expecting as we go through the rest of February into March.'
While the science favors Chuck, there will be days that are on the cold side, as a result of how low pressure systems work.
'What ends up happening is you end up getting on the warm side of the front and then the colder side, you know, 24, 36 hours later. And so that results in large swings in temperatures. And those are entirely driven by the track of the low pressure system,' said Cassady.
Dayton broke a 98-year-old record high, getting to 66 degrees on Monday — but don't expect temperatures to stay that way.'Even though we had temperatures that were well above normal yesterday, we are looking at a couple of chances for some wintry precipitation over the next week,' said Cassady. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Buckeye Chuck has a 55% success rate in forecasting while Punxsutawney Phil has a 35% success rate. Who will be right? Only time will tell.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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