A pattern of cold temperatures and snowy weather could continue across much of the nation if an infamous prognosticator is right.
In front of a crowd of thousands gathered at Gobbler’s Knob in western Pennsylvania on Monday, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow and saw his shadow.
According to folklore, when the groundhog sees his shadow, it signals a longer winter season extending beyond the typical meteorological months. If no shadow is spotted, an early spring is said to be on the horizon.
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club says the tradition dates back to at least 1886 and has turned into a national and even international spectacle.
Despite all the fanfare, NOAA says the groundhog’s predictions are accurate only about 35% to 40% of the time.
Just last year, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter, but temperatures from coast to coast actually came in above average for February and March - the opposite of the groundhog’s prediction.
Dozens of communities outside of Pennsylvania also celebrate the special day, but not all involve a groundhog.
Animals such as hedgehogs, a tortoise and even an owl annually offer their winter predictions.
Georgia’s General Beauregard Lee, a groundhog based outside Atlanta, also saw his shadow, indicating six more weeks of winter.
The animals' expectations of an extended winter aligns closely with forecasts that are based on scientific data.
Long-range outlooks from NOAA and recent computer forecast models suggest that colder-than-average conditions may persist across parts of the eastern United States, including South Carolina, through much of the remainder of meteorological winter.
With Carolinians still digging out from a historic snowstorm, the colder-than-average forecast may already be proving itself, at least in parts of the Southeast.
Across the state, the recent winter storm caused a light ground covering over the Lowcountry, while communities near Interstate 95 north of Florence reported totals approaching a foot.
Most areas across the Midlands and Pee Dee regions reported between three and six inches of snow.
While these amounts fell short of all-time snowfall records, several long-standing weather observation sites did break daily snowfall records for Jan. 31.
In addition to the snowpack, an influx of Arctic air helped drive temperatures to dangerous record lows.
On Sunday, downtown Charleston dropped to 22 degrees, while Columbia fell to 16 degrees and gusty winds pushed wind chill values close to zero.
While the atmospheric ingredients may not repeat themselves this season for such a historic event, snowfall has been reported in the Palmetto State as late as April and even in May.