BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Just after sunrise yesterday morning, Punxsutawney Phil popped up and then quickly scrambled back into his home after seeing his shadow. He’s back to hibernating for the next six weeks and that supposedly means another six weeks of winter for us, but Phil’s track record isn’t all that great.
In the last five years, Phil’s prediction has only been accurate once for Burlington. In 2024, the groundhog did not see his shadow, predicting an early spring. The average temperature for both February and March was above normal in 2024, giving us an early spring.
But last year, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter, and we had a somewhat early spring. The average temperature in February was pretty close to normal but the average temperature in March was above normal, especially through the middle of the month. Last March we had three 70°+ days!
So, will Phil be right this year? Only time will tell. But based on long range outlooks it is possible. The Climate Prediction Center’s temperature outlook for February shows our region staying below average. But then the 90-day temperature outlook, showing expected temperature trends through February, March, and April, has us staying near normal.
For now, we stay cold, especially this weekend with dangerously cold wind chills expected. We’re also expecting a bit of snow to go along with the Arctic air this weekend. But there is potential for our temperatures to return to average before spring officially begins. We’ll continue to keep an eye on temperature trends and see if Phil can get an A on his report card this year or if he’ll end up with another failing grade.
