There’s a good chance Buckeye Chuck will predict the weather correctly this Groundhog Day.
The forecast indicates a pleasant Friday, but not necessarily the warmest of Februaries, according to Jim Sullivan, a meteorologist with the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service.
“If folks like winter, it should make them happy,” Sullivan said.
The Groundhog Day legend − a tradition with roots in Europe − is that if Buckeye Chuck sees his shadow, then winter will continue for the next six weeks.
If it’s too cloudy for shadows on Groundhog Day, then warm weather will certainly be on its way soon.
‘A pretty tranquil week’
The weather leading up to the rodent’s big day will be a bit warmer than normal for late January.
A fast-moving system was forecast for Tuesday night that Sullivan said could “produce a rain-snow mix.”
With a high of 36 degrees Tuesday and a low of 33 Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, little to no accumulation was expected.
“Other than that, we currently don’t have a chance of precipitation in the forecast,” Sullivan said. “A pretty tranquil week and temperatures maybe slightly milder than average.”