Woody vs Phil: Which Groundhog Is Right About Winter?

Today is a big day for the weather prediction enthusiasts out there as it is the time of year when we rely on a groundhog to determine whether we have a long spring or a long winter. Fool proof science.

Everyone knows about Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog who has the mighty task of dictating whether we will have an early spring or a long winter. No one in history has had a more important shadow than this groundhog. However, you may not know this, but Michigan has its own groundhog superstar in the form of Woody the Woodchuck, and her shadow told a very different story.

Phil vs Woody: What they had to say

This year, Phil had news that everyone will be excited about: we are (allegedly) having an early spring. The 138th annual celebration ended with Phil not seeing his shadow, to the cheers of many. However, Howell Nature Center's Woody the Woodchuck had a very different prediction: six more weeks of winter (oddly, also to the cheers of many). What does this mean for us? Who do we trust?

Who Is Right?

Though Woody has been predicting the weather for only 24 years in comparison to Phil's 138 years, she has a much better track record. Howell Nature Center says that Woody has a 70% success rate to Phil's 30% success rate. I feel like it is only fitting to determine that Woody's prediction is more valid considering that Michigan, even while experiencing a below-average winter, still had a more intense winter than Pennsylvania. 

It is only right for the groundhog who has more experience in winter to determine when it will be ending, and no, I have no bias whatsoever in the decision-making. It is as dependable a science as it is to rely on a shadow for predictions. If you want to watch Woody's dramatic 30-second prediction, you can below.