GROUND HOG DAY
THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED ON GROUND HOG DAY WAS 57 DEGREES IN 1973. THE LOWEST EVER WAS MINUS 20 IN 1961. NORMALLY, THE HIGH AVERAGES ABOUT 29 DEGREES AND THE LOW TEMPERATURE AROUND 16.
THERE IS ABOUT AN 85 PERCENT CHANCE OF HAVING PRECIPITATION OF A TRACE OR MORE-- MOST LIKELY SNOW. THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION RECORDED WAS 0.81 INCH IN 1990. THE MOST SNOWFALL WAS 7.1 INCHES IN 1990.
IF THE GROUND HOG LIVED IN BUFFALO INSTEAD OF PUNXSUTAWNEY, HE ONLY WOULD HAVE SEEN HIS SHADOW 13 TIMES IN THE PAST 117 YEARS.
IN 1904, A VERITABLE BLIZZARD RAGED THROUGHOUT THE DAY. LIGHT SNOW BEGAN EARLY IN THE MORNING AND CONTINUED UNTIL MIDNIGHT. THE LOOSE DRY SNOW WAS BLOWN ABOUT AND DRIFTED BY A WIND OF 32 TO 47 MPH.
A WINDSTORM IN 1907 RAISED THE WATER IN THE HARBOR SEVERAL FEET AND THE ICE AT THIS END OF THE LAKE WAS CONSIDERABLY BROKEN UP. MANY WIRES WERE BROKEN DOWN CAUSING DELAY IN TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE SERVICE AND PUTTING OUT LIGHTS. MANY SHOWCASES AND SIGNS WERE BLOWN DOWN AND WINDOWS BROKEN.
SNOWMELT AND ABOUT 1‑1/2 INCHES OF RAIN CAUSED ICE JAMS AND CAUSED LOCALIZED FLOODING ALONG CAZENOVIA CREEK IN 1970. IN WEST SENECA, 30 FAMILIES HAD TO BE EVACUATED IN THAT AREA OF THE CREEK.
HIGH WINDS AGAIN CAUSED PROBLEMS IN 1981 AND 1983. IN 1981, WINDS GUSTED OVER 50 MPH. BLOWING SNOW AND HEAVY SQUALLS SOUTH OF BUFFALO CAUSED MANY MINOR TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AND TRAFFIC JAMS. THE THRUWAY WAS CLOSED BY NEARLY 2 FEET OF SNOW NEAR THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE LINE. IN 1983, WIND GUSTS OVER 70 MPH OCCURRED IN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY. THEY KNOCKED OUT ELECTRIC POWER TO MORE THAN 1000 CUSTOMERS AND FLIPPED OVER TWO TRACTOR TRAILER UNITS PARKED ALONG THE THRUWAY.
GROUND HOG DAY FEBRUARY 2 PERIOD OF RECORD: 122YEARS (1890‑2012)
TEMPERATURE DATA
HIGHEST 54 DEGREES IN 1983
LOWEST ‑20 DEGREES IN 1961
LOWEST MAXIMUM 6 DEGREES IN 1906, 1971
HIGHEST MINIMUM 36 DEGREES IN 1999
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE 29.02 DEGREES
AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE 17.64 DEGREES
HIGH TEMPERATURE BY 10 DEGREE RANGES
SINGLE
DIGITS TEENS 20S 30S 40S 50S
5 18 40 37 19 4 NUMBER OF OCCURRANCES
4% 15% 33% 30% 16% 3%
PRECIPITATION DATA
NUMBER OF TIMES WITH MEASURABLE PRECIP 73 OCCURRENCES OR 59%
NUMBER OF TIMES WITH TRACE OR MORE PRECIP 105 OCCURRENCES OR 85%
NUMBER OF TIMES WITH NO PRECIP 17 OCCURRENCES OR 15%
PRECIPITATION OF: 0.01 INCH OR MORE 73 OCCURRENCES
0.50 INCH OR MORE 4 OCCURRENCES
SNOW DATA: NUMBER OF TIMES WITH A TRACE OR MORE 93
NUMBER OF TIMES OVER A TRACE 65
NUMBER OF TIMES WITH 1.0 OR MORE 19
MAXIMUM PRECIP: 0.92 INCH IN 2008
MAXIMUM SNOWFALL: 7.1 INCHES IN 1990
CHARACTER OF SUNRISE...CLOUDY 109 OUT OF 122 YEARS
SHADOW WOULD ONLY HAVE BEEN SEEN 14 TIMES IN 122 YEARS
GROUND HOG DAY
CHARACTER OF
YEAR HI LO PRECIP SUNRISE SHADOW?
1890 41 22 TR CLOUDY
1891 29 20 0.02/0.2 CLOUDY
1892 41 31 0.75 CLOUDY
1893 22 13 0.12/0.5 CLOUDY
1894 30 16 0.00 CLEAR YES
1895 16 7 0.01/0.1 CLOUDY
1896 35 26 TR CLEAR YES
1897 31 24 0.00 FOGGY
1898 15 ‑3 0.05/0.5 CLOUDY
1899 23 14 TR / TR CLEAR YES
1900 14 3 0.09/0.9 CLOUDY
1901 22 13 0.03/0.3 CLOUDY
1902 33 21 0.40/4.0 CLOUDY
1903 50 35 0.01 CLOUDY
1904 30 ‑1 0.26/2.6 CLOUDY
1905 8 0 0.01/0.1 CLOUDY
1906 6 ‑2 0.07/0.7 CLOUDY
1907 40 15 0.09/0.1 CLOUDY
1908 15 9 0.30 CLOUDY
1909 29 22 0.01/0.1 CLOUDY
1910 40 26 TR / TR CLOUDY
1911 43 15 0.05/0.6 CLOUDY
1912 27 10 0.39/4.4 CLOUDY
1913 26 10 0.22/2.5 CLOUDY
1914 38 18 0.00 CLOUDY
1915 20 12 0.67/0.4 CLOUDY
1916 24 16 TR / TR CLOUDY
1917 9 0 0.03/0.3 CLOUDY
1918 18 ‑1 0.00 CLEAR YES
1919 34 18 0.00 CLEAR YES
1920 49 32 0.00 CLOUDY
1921 31 27 0.05/0.4 CLOUDY
1922 46 26 0.23/1.1 CLEAR YES
1923 41 25 0.05 CLOUDY
1924 32 31 0.05/0.5 CLOUDY
1925 19 14 0.40/3.7 CLOUDY
1926 27 20 0.00 CLOUDY
1927 37 26 0.00 CLOUDY
1928 21 15 TR / TR CLEAR YES
1929 22 14 0.06/0.6 CLOUDY
GROUND HOG DAY
CHARACTER OF
YEAR HI LO PRECIP SUNRISE SHADOW?
1930 33 27 0.37/2.9 CLOUDY
1931 32 12 0.01/0.1 CLOUDY
1932 37 22 0.07/0.7 CLOUDY
1933 39 30 TR / TR CLOUDY
1934 11 3 0.02/0.2 CLOUDY
1935 32 29 TR CLOUDY
1936 12 1 TR / TR CLOUDY
1937 22 15 0.09/1.1 CLOUDY
1938 37 13 0.00 CLOUDY
1939 41 31 0.04/0.3 CLOUDY
1940 20 7 0.09/1.4 CLOUDY
1941 33 22 0.03/0.1 CLOUDY
1942 11 1 0.07/1.0 CLOUDY
1943 25 18 TR / TR CLOUDY
1944 29 16 TR / TR CLOUDY
1945 23 14 TR / TR CLOUDY
1946 34 14 0.03/0.3 CLOUDY
1947 25 17 0.05/0.7 CLOUDY
1948 30 15 0.02/0.2 CLOUDY
1949 22 12 TR / TR CLOUDY
1950 36 23 0.01/0.1 CLOUDY
1951 13 0 0.04/0.7 CLOUDY
1952 43 33 TR FOGGY
1953 23 11 0.19/4.0 CLOUDY
1954 29 25 TR / TR CLOUDY
1955 14 3 TR / TR CLOUDY
1956 35 27 0.17/1.4 CLOUDY
1957 28 18 TR / TR CLOUDY
1958 27 18 0.01/0.4 CLOUDY
1959 14 ‑1 TR / TR CLEAR YES
1960 18 10 0.02/0.5 CLOUDY
1961 7 ‑20 TR / TR CLOUDY
1962 23 ‑5 TR / TR CLOUDY
1963 18 15 0.16/ TR CLOUDY
1964 34 19 0.05/0.5 CLOUDY
1965 21 12 0.02/0.5 CLOUDY
1966 28 17 0.05/1.1 CLOUDY
1967 32 17 0.32/3.8 CLOUDY
1968 50 28 0.18/0.2 CLOUDY
1969 40 30 0.00 CLOUDY
GROUND HOG DAY
CHARACTER OF
YEAR HI LO PRECIP SUNRISE SHADOW?
1970 47 27 0.41/0.9 CLOUDY
1971 6 1 0.00 CLOUDY
1972 36 21 TR / TR CLOUDY
1973 36 21 0.57 CLOUDY
1974 18 10 0.14/2.7 CLOUDY
1975 31 19 TR/ TR CLOUDY
1976 12 ‑6 0.02/0.2 CLOUDY
1977 24 18 0.02/0.7 CLOUDY
1978 20 14 0.08/0.8 CLOUDY
1979 20 11 0.06/1.2 CLOUDY
1980 15 4 0.03/0.3 CLOUDY
1981 40 16 0.18/0.7 CLOUDY
1982 36 9 0.00 CLEAR YES
1983 54 29 0.51 CLOUDY
1984 47 16 0.00 CLOUDY
1985 20 8 0.05/1.2 CLOUDY
1986 40 26 0.04/ TR CLOUDY
1987 37 32 TR/ TR CLOUDY
1988 33 23 0.21/0.5 CLOUDY
1989 27 18 0.04/0.1 CLOUDY
1990 40 17 0.81/7.1 CLOUDY
1991 44 27 0.00 CLEAR YES
1992 29 14 TR/ TR CLOUDY
1993 25 5 TR/ TR CLEAR YES
1994 23 5 TR/ TR PT CY
1995 29 12 TR/ TR PT CY
1996 13 3 TR/0.1 M. CY
1997 37 30 TR/ TR CLOUDY
1998 46 32 0.00/0.00 CLOUDY
1999 44 36 0.18 CLOUDY
2000 22 11 TR/ 0.1 CLOUDY
2001 33 18 0.18/1.7 CLOUDY
2002 30 22 TR/ TR M.CLOUDY
2003 35 31 0.01/TR CLOUDY
2004 37 6 0.00 M.CLEAR YES
2005 36 8 0.00 M.CLEAR YES
2006 49 36 0.06/0.00 M.CLOUDY
2007 28 14 0.11/1.4 CLOUDY
2008 33 30 0.92/1.6 CLOUDY
2009 32 21 0.0/0.0 CLEAR
2010 29 11 0.02/0.2 LIGHT SNOW
2011 26 15 0.41/MM SNOW, SLEET, BLOWING SNOW
2012 36 31 TR/MM LIGHT SNOW