On Groundhog Day 2011, Punxsutawney Phil will emerge from this simulated tree stump at Gobbler's Knob to harsh winter weather. Image: CC abbamounse/Flickr

Groundhog Day, a tradition that began in the Dark Ages, is Wednesday, Feb. 2. Punxsutawney Phil, the rodent who gives the town of Punxsutawney, Penn., its annual moment in the national spotlight, is not likely to see his shadow on Groundhog Day 2011. The forecast there is for a wintery mix, which may give the northeast false hope that its harsh winter of 2010-11 may not continue for another six weeks.

Punxsutawney Phil right 39 percent of the time

Groundhog Day is a festive celebration in Punxsutawney, Penn., a town boasting a groundhog zoo and a huge statue in the Town Square of Punxsutawney Phil. Up to 40,000 people descend on this town of 6,300 to celebrate the occasion. On Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil will emerge from his burrow in the neighborhood of Gobbler’s Knob. The rodent will whisper his forecast into the ears of a group of dignitaries called the “Inner Circle,” who translate his forecast from “Groundhogese” to an anxious nation. In the past 119 Groundhog Days, Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow 99 times. But according to the Stormfax Almanac, Phil has only been right 39 percent of the time.

Groundhog Day origins

Groundhog Day can be traced back to medieval Europe, where ancient Pagan, Christian and Roman customs merged to become “Hedgehog Day” in Germany. “Imbolc,” a pagan Celtic festival involving weather superstitions, is Feb. 1. On “Candlemas,” a Christian holiday on Feb. 2, clear skies became associated with a longer winter. Romans also believed that conditions the first of February would portend future weather. Farmers in Germany would watch for a hedgehog to emerge from hibernation in late winter and believed that if it saw its shadow it would go back to bed. German immigrants brought the tradition to Pennsylvania, where the more common groundhog became the rodent of choice.

Groundhog Day 2011 weather

On Groundhog Day 2011, 21st century technology will merge with ancient superstition. Up until Feb. 2, people can sign up to receive Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction by texting “Groundhog” to 247-365. Those who do should keep in mind that they will be asked to submit an e-mail address that will be sent tourism-related promotions. Punxsutawney Phil will emerge to a 90 percent chance of snow, sleet and rain with a high of 33 degrees and a low of 11 degrees. According to the National Weather Service the seasonal outlook for the northeastern U.S. is for above normal precipitation and below normal temperatures.

Sources

National Geographic

Christian Science Monitor

Weather.com

National Weather Service

“Do you know where that dead crab has been?” (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/Josh McGinn/Flickr)

On the Thanet Coast near Kent, England, tens of thousands of dead crabs have washed ashore. The Huffington Post reports that scientists do not believe that there is a link between the dead crabs and other recent mass animal deaths.

Hypothermia caused dead crabs

It would be easy to assume that a toxic agent is acting as a causal link between the mass deaths of fish, crabs and the birds that feed upon them, but geography destroys that theory. Experts interviewed by LiveScience say that cold weather – leading to hypothermia – is the culprit causing the dead crabs of Thanet Coast. Tests have found no related toxin or disease.

This is the third consecutive year that velvet swimming crabs have been found dead near Kent. The ranks of dead crabs number approximately 40,000 so far this year.

Dead birds and dead fish: Fireworks and frigid water

On New Year’s Eve, thousands of dead birds fell from the skies over Beebe, Ark. Local authorities attributed the deaths to fireworks. Just a few days later, 500 more bird deaths were reported approximately 300 miles south of Beebe in Louisiana. While the two incidents have yet to be connected, power lines are believed to have played a role in the latter case. Fifty dead birds were also found in Sweden, and hundreds more fell from the sky over Kentucky last week.

About the same time that the dead birds were discovered, dead fish were popping up on a much larger scale. Two million dead fish surfaced in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, and very similar instances of mass fish deaths were uncovered in New Zealand and Brazil. Inclement weather and other environmental factors are currently believed to have produced the dead fish, but testing continues.

What about the dead bumblebees?

While this story has garnered less press than dead birds, dead fish and dead crabs, Sustainability Ninja reports that the number of bumblebees in the U.S. has declined by as much as 96 percent for some species in a phenomenon scientists are calling Colony Collapse Disorder. As all the dead animals in recent news play vital roles in their ecosystems, the deaths are all the more troubling.

Sources

Huffington Post

Sustainability Ninja

Blame it on a rapid drop in temperature