Yesterday was a very busy Sunday: besides the Super Bowl and it being a palindrome (sequence that reads the same backwards as forward: 02/02/2020), it was also Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil apparently did not see his shadow, which predicts that spring will be arriving early this year. And from the recent temperatures we've been having this winter (70 in February?!) I'd have to say I believe was this overgrown squirrel/rodent thing has to say. However, just like most meteorologists, Phil is usually wrong, so don’t get your hopes up quite yet.
Now you might be thinking, "Why the heck do we rely on weather statements from a groundhog?" The day has roots in an ancient Christian holiday, and over time has been adopted by different cultures in Europe. "When the tradition spread to Germany, a hedgehog -- and its shadow sightings -- joined the mix. And when German settlers arrived in the colonial America, they relied on the more plentiful groundhog to do the work," stated a CNN article.
Read more about the history of the holiday and all about Phil and his prestigious Groundhog Club (that actually has its own president) here