Spring Is Imminent: Punxsutawney Phil

Forget that white stuff flying around outside, the 15 degree temperatures and gusting winds.

The great weather prognostigator, Punxsutawney Phil, says warm temperatures are near. Cleveland weather says differently.

"After the groundhog was summoned from his burrow at the Gobbler's Knob hill in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, observers proclaimed that 'the prognosticator of all prognosticators' had not seen his shadow," according to CNN.com.

Groundhog.org, the home site of Punxsutawney Phil, put it more eloquently:

"Punxsutawney Phil, the King of the Groundhogs,
Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of Prognosticators,
Weather Prophet without Peer,
was awakened from his borrow at 7:28 am
with a tap of the President’s cane," the site said. 

"And so ye faithful,
there is no shadow to see
An early Spring for you and me."

That might not be good news. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), "The table shows no predictive skill for the groundhog during the most recent years of this analysis."

Stormfax.com is more specific.

"The groundhog's seasonal forecasting accuracy is somewhat low.
Phil's Winter prognostications have been correct only 39% of the time," the site says.

So there it is. Phil says sping is coming early. But probably not.