Groundhog Day

By Joanne McQuarrie editor@columbiavalleypioneer.com

February 2 is the day folks find out if winter carries on six more weeks or if spring will arrive early. That’s if you follow Groundhog Day, one of the more entertaining traditions.

Groundhog Day is observed in Canada and the United States. It comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition, says Wikipedia, that if a groundhog comes out of its burrow on February 2 and sees its shadow due to clear weather, it’ll retreat to its den and winter carries on for six more seeks. If the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early.

The tradition is popular these days, but studies have found no consistent association between a groundhog seeing its shadow and the subsequent arrive of spring.

With the weather as it has been this week, it’s a good guess that winter’s here for a lot longer. A year ago, says Wikipedia, between January 5 and 7, the temperature in Whitehorse went all the way down to -44.8 C, the coldest temperature in almost 17 years. At Watson Lake on January 6, the temperature fell to -52.2 C.

There are other places in Canada that experienced bone-chilling temperatures years ago, that might make this week’s -22 in the area seem balmy. In Smith River, B.C. a temperature of -58.9 degrees Celcius (C) (-74 degrees Fahrenheit(F)) was recorded on January 21, 1947. It was c-c-c-cold in Alberta on January 11, 1911 in Fort Vermilion: -61.1 C (-78 F). In Norway House, Manitoba, on January 9, 1899, it was slightly warmer: -52.8 C (-63 F).

Snow is part of this winter equation. Revelstoke holds the Canadian record the snowiest single winter. During the winter of 1971-72, 2,447 centimetres (cm) (that’s 963 inches (in)) of snow fell on Mt. Copeland outside town. That’s just over 24 metres (80 feet (ft)) of snow. The townsite received 779 cm (307 in) and snow levels were higher than many roots around town by more than a few metres!

Whether you choose Groundhog Day as the indicator of weather to come, or if you go by more science-based information, its a safe estimation that toques and mittens and heavy socks and thick jackets are still the fashion choice for a while longer.