Groundhog Day 2012: Punxsutawney Phil Has Competition

The Punxsutawney Area Chamber of Commerce announces that Groundhog Day 2012 is a bust for spring lovers. Punxsutawney Phil was coaxed out of his burrow at 7:25 a.m. and delivered a wintery prediction. Do fellow groundhogs concur?

The community of Wiarton in Bruce County, Ontario, has Wiarton Willie. According to the Canadian Press, Wiarton Willie did not see its shadow this morning. As a result, an early spring should be expected. Shubenacadie Sam, the main character for Groundhog Day in Nova Scotia, concurs. Both rodents directly oppose the prediction made by America's Punxsutawney Phil.

Phil also faces some domestic detractors. The Coshocton Tribune points out that Buckeye Chuck, the weather-foretelling groundhog from Marion, Ohio, also failed to see its shadow. Staten Island Chuck, New York's resident rodent meteorologist, fell in step with Buckeye Chuck. The Associated Press highlights that Mayor Bloomberg -- amidst shouts of "Go Giants" -- held up the groundhog that had just predicted an early spring. Perhaps the most serious opposition comes from General Beau Lee, Ph.D., the Lilburn, Ga., groundhog. The Yellow River Game Ranch website reports that Groundhog Day 2012 points to an early spring.

Which rodent is correct? Is Punxsutawney Phil correct in its call for six more weeks of winter, or is its meteorological prediction flawed? The groundhog's track record shows that Phil is not the most reliable rodent in the business. The Stormfax Almanac has tallied its predictions and found that there were 100 instances in which the animals saw its shadow and 16 instances of no shadow. When comparing the data to meteorological charts, its turns out that Punxsutawney Phil's winter forecast accuracy rate is a low 39 percent.

PolitiFact specifically compared General Beau Lee to Punxsutawney Phil. Although the organization only spot-checked weather forecasts made by the rodents with National Weather Service data ranging from 2001 to 2010, the results speak for themselves. The General came in with a 60 percent accuracy rate -- compared to Phil's 30 percent.

Perhaps all the attention paid to Punxsutawney Phil is misplaced. If its prediction fails to materialize -- and foreign as well as domestic groundhogs are proven correct -- next year's Groundhog Day attention should be rightfully focused on General Beau Lee, Ph.D.