National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

 

Ground Hog's Day

     PERIOD OF RECORD:   154 YEARS    (1871 - 2024)

 

Ground Hog's Day is celebrated on the 2nd day of February. According to folklore, if the ground hog sees its shadow, winter will persist for 6 more weeks. If the ground hog does not see its shadow, then Spring will come early.

The highest temperature ever recorded on Ground Hog's Day is 57F degrees in 1973. The lowest the mercury has ever fallen to on Ground Hog's Day is -20F in 1961. Normally, the high temperature averages 32F degrees and the low 18F degrees on Ground Hog's Day.

The greatest snowfall on Ground Hog's Day came in 2015 when a synoptic storm dropped a foot of snow across Western New York on the 1st - 2nd, with 8.2 inches falling on the 2nd.

 

 

 

Temperature (F) Data

 

Highest

57 1973

Lowest

-20 1961

Highest Minimum

39 1973

Lowest Maximum

5 1881

Average High

32  

Average Low

18  

 

 

 

     HIGH TEMPERATURE (F)  BY 10 DEGREE RANGES

(since 1944; 81 years)

 

 

Single

Digits

Teens 20s 30s 40s 50s
Number of occurrences 2 11 23 28 14 3
Percentage 2% 14% 28% 35% 17% 4%

 

 

     

      Precipitation Data                                                Snow Data

        (since 1944; 81 years)                                                          (since 1944; 81 years)

 

Number of times 0.01" or greater:

48  

Number of times 0.1" or greater:

40

Number of times 0.10" or greater:

22  

Number of times 1.0" or greater:

16

Number of times 0.50" or greater:

3  

Number of times 3.0" or greater:

6

 

   

Number of times 6.0" or greater:

4

 

 

Precipitation Records

 

Greatest Snow
 

8.2" 2015

Greatest Precipitation
 

0.81" 1990

 

 

 

Almanac Data for Recent Ground Hog Day's

 

Year High Low Precip Snow
1980
15 4 0.03 0.3
1981
40 16 0.18 0.7
1982
36 9 0.00 0
1983
54 29 0.51 0.0
1984
47 16 0.00 0.0
         
1985 20 8 0.05 1.2
1986 40 26 0.04 T
1987 37 32 T T
1988 33 23 0.21 0.5
1989 27 18 0.04 0.1
         
1990 40 17 0.81 7.1
1991 44 27 0.00 0.0
1992 29 14 T T
1993 25 5 T T
1994 26 5 T T
         
1995 29 11 T T
1996 13 3 T 0.1
1997 37 30 0.07 T
1998 46 32 0.00 0.0
1999 44 36 0.18 0.0
         
2000 22 11 T 0.1
2001 33 18 0.18 1.7
2002 30 22 T T
2003 35 31 0.01 T
2004 37 6 0.00 0.0
         
2005 36 8 0.00 0.0
2006 49 36 0.06 0.0
2007 28 14 0.11 1.4
2008 33 30 0.02 0.2
2009 32 21 0.00 0.0
         
2010 29 11 0.02 0.2
2011 26 15 0.41 6.7
2012 36 31 T T
2013 19 13 0.27 7.8
2014 37 24 0.20 0.5
         
2015 15 3 0.42 8.2
2016 44 30 0.04 0.0
2017 31 19 T T
2018 19 9 0.03 2.0
2019 38 3 0.00 0.0
         
2020 36 31 0.26 1.4
2021 31 18 0.19 1.4
2022 46 32 0.43 0.9
2023 35 18 T T
2024 37 33 0.02 T