Punxsutawney Phil’s forecasting skills open to question

– News from elsewhere as well as locally covered by Quincy Quarry News.

Now, take your paws off of the steering wheel . . .
A Columbia Pictures image

The famous Punxsutawney Phil’s winter weather forecasting skills are called into question.

While New England residents are surely relieved that the woodchuck did not see his shadow and thus a short winter is to be expected, Phil’s track record of forecasting success is only 39% over the years.

In other words, worse than just flipping a coin.

Further troubling, yesterday’s sunny, warm – if not downright balmy – weather in the Greater Boston area gave rise to plenty of shadows.

Get your finger outta there!
A Punxsutawney woodchuck photo

Conversely, however, local Woolly Bear Caterpillars have tended to be more brown than black and so it is believed by some to be foretelling 9f a mild winter.

Longer term weather forecasts and the Farmer’s Almanac, on the other hand, are all over the map with their projections.

Even so, Quincy Quarry is going to go out on a whim to suggest that locals should probably expect less snow than last winter.

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