Here is Phil posing for a snapshot last fall. He hasn’t had much reason for hibernation this winter however that is what they do regardless of climatology, it is built into their genetic makeup.
Groundhogs burrow below the frost line snoozing throughout the winter. They chow down in the fall, building up body fat, then enter their winter burrows, lower their heart rates, and stop nearly all movement to make it through the cold, winter months.
This is why I thought it was mean to drag the sleeping critter from his nice warm den just to ask what we already know, winter is going to last another six weeks (at least).
The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds as large as 40,000 gather each year (nearly eight times the year-round population of the town). The average draw had been about 2,000 until the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, which is set at the festivities in Punxsutawney, after which attendance rose to about 10,000.
I believe in the 1800s groundhogs were a source of food so it is surprising in the early days Phil escaped with his life. Groundhogs are not only edible, but they’re also tender and delicious if properly cleaned and prepared. They live on a completely vegetarian diet and carry no life-threatening diseases for humans. Groundhogs are similar to rabbit in taste, and most recipes for groundhog have you prepare them in a similar manner. So keep this in mind for your next celebration when grilling outside this summer.
I have a large round possum who visits the cat food bowl on my side porch in the evenings. They do not hibernate so they face dire circumstances in the winter if they become snowed in. They don’t care what Phil has to say, all they need is food and they will look anywhere to get it. So free meals in our neighborhood are a godsend as we all set out cat food which he or she feeds upon daily. It is surprising to me he or she can run so fast with all the weight it has gained this winter.
In summation let sleeping dogs and groundhogs lie – they may bite you if woken from their long winter’s nap…
We may see some sun today and close to record high temps in the mid to upper 40s around the area, however, it will be breezy with gusts up to 40mph. Monday will be similar before the next system moves in to cool things off. Our next chance for a storm system looks possible on Thursday though the track is still unknown it will have to be monitored closely as it may be a significant event.
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We ended January 2020 with 11% of possible sunshine at Grand Rapids. Only 4 days had greater than 50% sunshine, while 20 days were completely cloudy. The historical trend for sunnier skies goes up from here. On top of that, we will gain 1 hour and 15 minutes of daylight by the end of February. January 2020 was warm, cloudy, and wet (but not snowy). Digging into the numbers, it was the 6th warmest on record at Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and Kalamazoo, and 6th cloudiest at Grand Rapids, (these are NWS stats).
It was awesome outside today. The sun felt so good. I sat on the porch out of the wind but in the sun- just what I needed. 🙂
So many record highs this season.
Best. Winter. Ever.
👍
Thanks for those stats, Slim.
I can remember opening the garage door just before dawn on the 3rd, and marveling at all the white stuff. I was in (ground) hog heaven!
Temp at 3:45 in Hamilton a balmy 49*
Our high for today was 50.7 in Otsego
The sun is awesome ! I even took a few pictures to recall this bright day !
New record highs set at Grand Rapids and Muskegon. With the official 2 PM reading of 49 at Grand Rapids and a reading of 48 at Muskegon a new record high will be set at both locations. The old record high at Grand Rapids was 48 set in 1903 and at Muskegon the old record was 44 set in 1987. The current temperature here at my house is now at 51. We will have to wait and see what the new record will be at both locations.
Slim
Wow! Stunning weather for the beginning of February! 50 degrees here. Halfway to a hundred.
Reminder, it is a great day to get those windows open and get some fresh air through your house! Mine are wide open right now!
Would Michael or Slim care to throw some stats out there regarding the GHD storm of 2011?
Go Shakira and Jennifer! :<)
Haha can’t forget about them too, Bernie!
Here are some snow fall totals for the so called Ground Hog storm of 2011. Grand Rapids storm total 17.2” with 6.1 on the 1st and 11.1 on the 2nd at Muskegon the total was 13.8 with 4.7 on the 1st and 9.1 on the 2nd at Lansing the total was 13.3 with 4.9 on the 1st and 8.4 on the 2nd at Saginaw the total was 12.1 with 2 on the 1st and 10.1 on the 2nd at Flint the total was 10.4 with 2.8 on the 1st and 8.3 on the 2nd and at Detroit the total was… Read more »
The official 12 pm temperature of 46 at GRR now ties 1973 for the 2nd warmest February 2nd in recorded Grand Rapids history. Here at my house it is now sunny and 50° The record for this date at Grand Rapids is 48 set way back in 1903. We shall see what GRR reading is next hour and for the rest of the day. I am getting ready to go for a walk in the warm sunshine.
Slim
Sunny and 47 – good day for groundhogs and humans alike
It is beautiful here. Sunny and not too cold at all. You will need your sunglasses today. 🙂
For about the 3 of you that are sports fans on here its a day to step away from Weather biggest sporting day of the year Superbowl Sunday is here and its a beautiful one the grill is coming out probably the first time ever i can remember the sprites are on ice and INDY is going with the Chefs tonight 38 9ers 35 a close game this just may go down as the closest Superbowl ever .. Enjoy the sunshine enjoy the game grilling chilling time …INDY
Morning INDY! Heading to the store for some meat for the Grill! Go Chiefs!!
Well it is official “spring” is just around the corner. I wonder if that holds true here where the day started sunny? At this time it is sunny here with a temperature of 36.
Slim
Winter is in full force up in Snow country! All kinds of skiing and snowmobiling going on! They are having a great winter with more to come! Incredible!
9 long years since our last blizzard! And remarkably that was also the last time I wore pants instead of shorts to work. Crazy.
FWIW – Phil did not see his shadow this morning.
Makes sense. Explains why it feels like Spring out this morning!
Watching the sun rise this morning, been a while since I’ve seen that! Record highs possible today? Just a simply perfect pattern to be stuck in this Winter.
I think the cloudiness is a fair trade off with the lower heating costs, no shoveling, and less salt on the roads.
Go Chiefs!
I’d agree with that! Our heating bill came the other day and I don’t ever remember it being that low for this time of year. And thats on top of almost no gas or salt used on clearing our long driveway.