Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter, but his competition Sir Walter Wally of Raleigh, N.C., and Gen. Beauregard Lee of Macon, Georgia, say it will be an early spring. Around the U.S., Kansas is fog-bound and Bellingham, Wash., has tied the warmest January record since 1986. And what is the prediction for Super Bowl Sunday in Miami?
Raleigh N.C. —
Parents ready for snow days to end
Triangle school officials drove the roads Monday, while area parents walked the floor. School systems were painstakingly trying to determine whether buses could shuttle students safely today. The Wake, Durham, Orange, Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Johnston systems all ultimately decided to keep schools closed. That's not what many beleaguered parents spent the day hoping for.
Sir Walter Wally, Punxsutawney Phil, disagree on winter's end
Sir Walter Wally did not see his shadow. Officials held the ceremony inside, which appears to be a first. He ducked outside for fewer than three seconds. He was not worried, apparently, that Punxsutawney Phil would think he's a sissy.
Macon, Ga. —
Georgia groundhogs predict early spring
At 7:35 a.m. a Twitter posting from the Yellow River Game Ranch in Lilburn said Gen. Beauregard Lee did not see his shadow in the rainy 40 degree morning. The prediction was delayed when Gen. Lee got away from his handlers and hid, then climbed a fence behind his mock-mansion home.
Charlotte, N.C. —
Punxsutawney Phil and most of his groundhog buddies agree with meteorologists -- we're facing six more weeks of winter. Four of the nation's best-known weather-predicting critters -- led by the most famous of them all, Pennsylvania's Phil -- saw their shadows this morning. And according to tradition, that means a long winter.
Bellingham, Wash. —
Bellingham ties warm weather record for January
Bellingham has tied its record for the warmest January - the city had an average temperature of 45.3 degrees; the same record that was set in 1986, according to the National Weather Service. January's warm temperatures, which have been largely due to El Nino, made records across western Washington. El Nino, characterized by unusually warm temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that affect climate around the globe, means warmer temperatures and less rainfall than normal in the Pacific Northwest.
Wichita, Kansas —
Forecasters say it will be cold, gray and foggy in Wichita today, just as it was over the weekend and Monday. Wednesday promises more of the same. Blame westerly winds and the snowcover left behind by the winter storm late last week, National Weather Service meteorologist Stephanie Dunten said.
Miami —
The rain that broke records and flooded streets will taper off Tuesday, clearing the way for a picture-perfect Chamber of Commerce South Florida day on Super Bowl Sunday. ``That's what it looks like now, according to our latest forecast,'' said National Weather Service meteorologist Joel Rothfuss, who was feeling the pressure of issuing a good game-day forecast in a host city without a domed stadium.
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