Heavy Rain in the Mid-Atlantic; Severe Thunderstorms in the Northern Plains; Critical Fire in the West

Locally heavy rain and flash flooding will be possible today into tonight near the Mid-Atlantic/Carolina coast. Storms with large hail and severe wind gusts are expected across parts of the central and northern Plains into the upper Mississippi Valley. Dry thunderstorms, and warm, dry, and windy conditions will produce fire weather conditions in parts of the Great Basin and northern Rockies. Read More >

Climate statistics for Peoria and Springfield are available for Groundhog Day.

Groundhog Day has its origins in early European culture. It was said that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on February 2, winter would last another 6 weeks. No shadow would indicate that spring was around the corner. German tradition used hedgehogs as the animal in question, which shifted to groundhogs when German immigrants moved to Pennsylvania. The groundhog ceremony near Punxsutawney became the most well-known, using a groundhog named Phil.

Since reliable sky cover statistics became available (1957 in Peoria, and 1950 in Springfield), Groundhog Day sunrise in our area has been cloudy or mostly cloudy about 2/3 of the time.

Groundhog Day climate statistics

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Heavy Rain in the Mid-Atlantic; Severe Thunderstorms in the Northern Plains; Critical Fire in the West

Groundhog Day Climate Statistics for Peoria and Springfield