Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1920-02-01 | Page 34 | Weather Instinct of Ground Hog

rJ cf J u r u ia l lc Weather INSTINCT of GROUND HOG about the ground hog as a a Q QUESTIONS weather prognosticator arise with each ach recurring recurring recurring re re- Feb 2 N The marmot family to tov w which ich the ground hog 4 belongs lies dormant in winter hibernating much like the bear and the bat At the approach of cold weather in the fall they curl up asleep at atthe atthe the bottom of their deep burrows About Abou the time of the usual sual winter mid-winter thaw the ground groundhog groundhog groundhog hog comes out By a peculiar instinct he is able to foretell the weather several weeks ahead When his sagacity tells teUs him that an early breakup break break- u up is at hand he stays out When a storm period threatens he be pops into his hole again and goes to deep sleep not reappearing for weeks The question which investigators must determine determine deter deter- mine is approximately the date of the winter mid-winter thaw That determined meteorologists could r foretell the weather probabilities in a general way for the ensuing six weeks In times long gone by when statistics were not available Feb 2 was thought to be a fair average date for t the e breaking up of winter As Asa a matter of fact it is sometimes earlier and again later than that date A delve into folklore and mythology reveals Feb 2 as the accepted accepted accepted ac ac- ac- ac day Hence these weather rhymes If be fair and clear clear r I rIf Therell There'll be two winters in the year year If be fair air and bright Winter will have another flight If be clouds and rain Winter will not return again Such ideas have hae come down from a time beyond beyond beyond be be- yond memory