BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Early Thursday morning, a disinterested-looking Punxsutawney Phil was pulled from his ornamental winter hideaway and ‘predicted’ six more weeks of winter.
It was no surprise, given the fact that the world’s most famous marmot has ‘predicted’ a longer winter 78% of the time he’s been plucked from his burrow.
But this year, preposterous and Punxsutawney go together like peas and carrots.
In other words, the idea of six more weeks of winter seems downright ridiculous. Here’s why:
A record-setting January
The Lehigh Valley just had its warmest January on record, with an average temperature of 38.3 degrees — 8.2 degrees above average.
According to the Northeast Regional Climate Center, temperatures were unusually warm with 9 other major climate sites having their warmest January on record and Philadelphia and Central Park continuing their longest streak of days with above-normal average temperatures.
Meanwhile, much of the region has had almost no snowfall this winter, with 10 major climate sites seeing their least snowy January on record.
The Lehigh Valley measured just 1.5 inches of snow for the month.
More to come in February and beyond
Forget the cold arriving this weekend. The Climate Prediction Center’s 8-to-14 day outlook is red hot.
“The largest probabilities for above-normal temperatures are forecast throughout the Midwest and East where the ensemble means depict daily temperature anomalies of +10 to +15 degrees F on days 6 and 7,” a prognostic discussion said.’
The 30-day outlook also shows a high probability of warmer temperatures coupled with above-average chances for precipitation.
Winter is warming faster than any season
Data shows winters are warming faster than any other season.
According to Climate Central, between 1970 and 2022, data was collected from 238 locations across the country. Around 97% of the locations had warmed on average 3.3 degrees.
It also shows that winter has warmed the most in the Great Lakes and Northeast.
Early plant growth
Take a walk around the Lehigh Valley, and evidence of early plant growth is everywhere.
Small yellow flowers known as winter aconite are blooming in Allentown’s Lehigh Parkway. These pop from bright green leaves, but they’re typically not seen until March or April. This year, they were spotted in the Parkway in mid-January.
Drooping white blooms known as snowdrops are also popping up, and on the city’s East Side, daffodil bulbs are already sprouting.
Active wildlife
According to the National Wildlife Federation, animals become active in spring because, with the warmth, plants grow and food becomes more abundant.
Squirrels are already particularly active, insects have crawled from their hiding spots and – if you look and listen – you’ll notice trees have already become broadcasting sites for birds. You can hear them chirp and whistle, responding to what’s happening with the temperature.
