How well does Punxsutawney Phil do?
February 3rd, 2013 at 4:35 pm by Natalie Stoll under Weather
Saturday, Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow.
According to folklore, that means we’re in for an early spring. Not hard to believe considering our warm temperatures here lately!
But, just how accurate is Phil’s prediction?
Here’s a comparison from NOAA.
Punxsutawney Phil Vs. the U.S. National Temperature 1988–2012
The table below gives a snapshot by year since 1988 whether Phil saw his shadow or not along with the corresponding monthly national average temperature departures for both February and March. The table shows no predictive skill for the groundhog during the most recent years of this analysis. Since 1993, the U.S. national temperature has been above normal 11 times in February, 12 times in March, below normal 6 times in February, 3 times in March, and near normal 3 times in February and 5 times in March.
| Year | Shadow | February Temperature Departure | March Temperature Departure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Yes | Above | Above |
| 2011 | No | Slightly Below | Slightly Above |
| 2010 | Yes | Below | Above |
| 2009 | Yes | Above | Slightly Above |
| 2008 | Yes | Slightly Above | Slightly Below |
| 2007 | No | Below | Above |
| 2006 | Yes | Above | Above |
| 2005 | Yes | Above | Slightly Above |
| 2004 | Yes | Below | Above |
| 2003 | Yes | Below | Above |
| 2002 | Yes | Above | Below |
| 2001 | Yes | Slightly Above | Tied Average |
| 2000 | Yes | Above | Above |
| 1999 | No | Above | Above |
| 1998 | Yes | Above | Below |
| 1997 | No | Above | Above |
| 1996 | Yes | Above | Below |
| 1995 | No | Above | Above |
| 1994 | Yes | Below | Above |
| 1993 | Yes | Below | Above |
| 1992 | Yes | Above | Above |
| 1991 | Yes | Above | Above |
| 1990 | No | Above | Above |
| 1989 | Yes | Below | Above |
| 1988 | No | Below | Above |
In 2012, the contiguous United States (CONUS) average annual temperature of 55.32°F was 3.25°F above the 20th century average, and was the warmest year in the 1895-2012 period of record for the nation. The 2012 annual temperature was 1.0°F warmer than the previous record warm year of 1998. During February, the contiguous United States experienced above-average temperatures with a national average temperature of 37.7°F. This was 3.5°F above average, making it the 16th warmest February on record. Record and near-record breaking temperatures dominated the eastern two-thirds of the nation and contributed to the warmest March on record for the contiguous United States, a record that dates back to 1895. The average temperature of 50.33°F was 8.57°F above the 20th century average for March and 0.56°F warmer than the previous warmest March in 1910. Of the more than 1,400 months that have passed since the U.S. record began, only one month, January 2006, has seen a larger departure from its average temperature than March 2012. Take a look at the February and March 2012 maps which give a pretty good idea on the distribution of temperatures across the United States. It really isn’t a “bright” idea to take a measure such as a groundhog’s shadow and use it as a predictive meteorological tool for the entire United States.
February 2012 Statewide Ranks Map
March 2012 Statewide Ranks Map
Interested in doing your own analysis? More complete data are available, on Phil’s Historical Predictions and the NCDC Historical Monthly Temperature Data on the Climate at a Glance Web page. The graphs are part of the NCDC Climate Monitoring Branch monthly products.
