
Rippey Expects Another Six Weeks Of Winter
This Sunday is Groundhog Day, and it will be the 139th time Punxsutawney Phil has forecasted the weather, letting us know if we have six more weeks of winter in front of us or if we can expect an early spring.
"I would not be surprised to see clear skies and a forecast for another six weeks of winter," noted USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey.
Especially, he pointed out, with cold air still present in the northern regions of the earth. Rippy said a ridge of high pressure east of Pennsylvania plus southerly winds Sunday could bring cloud cover. But, Rippey said when you look at the statistics, he’s preparing for more winter ahead.
"There has been an early spring predicted only 20 times in 139 years. So, that's about one in seven," Rippey said. "So, most years we do have a prediction for winter continuing another six weeks. Now, just like we see with the warming trend across the last five decades or so, we have had early springs, though, forecast more frequently in recent years by Punxsutawney Phil, perhaps a nod to the fact that we are at a warmer regime than we were, say, back in the late 19th or early 20th century. So, even though the Groundhog is not always right, we have seen already seven predictions of an early spring in the 21st century, compared to 13 during the entire 20th century.”
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