On the second day of February, without fail, we turn to a rodent to predict the turn of our seasons. A little suspect, I might add, when Mother Nature has even the experts fooled this year. But none-the-less, minutes after 8:30am, the sun starts to rise and we wonder, “Will he see his shadow??”
This year, as with others in the past, there were some conflicting reports. I like to believe us Canadians are optimistic; maybe that’s why two of our furry experts say spring is near. Both Wiarton Willie, hailing from Ontario, and Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam came out of their dens today, shadow free. Others perhaps, are more realistic. Alberta’s Balzac Billy and Quebecer Fred la Marmotte both saw the looming darkness of their own shadow and say at least 6 more weeks of cold and snow.
I’ll be honest, with the winter we’ve had so far here in Regina, I think I can handle 6 more weeks. Plus, those extra chilly days are the perfect excuse to avoid the gym, and instead curl up in my snugly clothes with a good book. OR bake up a storm… I’ve been meaning to try a home-made chocolate soufflé.
At the end of the day, predicting weather is never an exact science. It happened to me yesterday. All of the models I was looking at showed precipitation over southern Saskatchewan, including here in Regina, for Groundhog Day. When I ventured out early morning to take my car in for its tune-up, I was surprised to see lots of cloud cover… and no snow OR freezing rain. Throughout the day, the 2-4cm of snow I thought we would get never came. I’ll admit it, I was wrong!
Everyday, I predict the most accurate forecast I can. But it’s just that; a prediction. I like to err on the side of caution, so if it looks like it MIGHT snow, I want the folks of Regina to be prepared. But sometimes, and in this case happily, I’m over cautious and we don’t see any flakes of snow in the Queen City.
So to Balzac Billy, Shubenacadie Sam, Wiarton Willie, and Fred la Marmotte, our brave Canadian groundhogs… cheers to you. We all try to get it right, and sometimes, hopefully, that just might mean spring can come early.
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