Singleton Philly Celebrates Ground Hog Day 2021

Singleton Philly is alive and well, thank you… and looking forward to the Global Holiday on February 2nd. Unlike his Rideau Hall Relatives, there has been no screaming and yelling in the Singleton Burrow although there was a healthy amount of laughter in 2020. The Singleton Sanctuary is governed by the policy that merit is the only thing that matters. Working for and with nature is a way of life. 

The rural internet is slow and there has been no zooming with the outside world. That may be a good thing. In spite of COVID and technological isolation, news has leaked in the burrow that developers intent on making even more money, can pay the government some cash to ravage his provincially significant sanctuary. Sounds like a good idea to the politicians but not to Philly who intends to leave the sanctuary even more natural and healthy than the way he found it. It is the natural thing to do!

The COVID restrictions that were ignored by the political and corporate elite, were strictly enforced in the Singleton Burrow. It was pretty much life as normal for the hermit artist… and Philly expects that to continue for another year. Philly will get the vaccine but will not rush to the front of the line. Health care, teachers and law enforcement need to be first among everyone serving for the common good.  

Now for the Furcast… Unlike those other better known varmits, Singleton Philly relies on more than his shadow to predict the outcome of February 2nd - science!   A strong Nor’Easter will be pounding its way up the New England coast on Ground Hog morning. Watch out Nova Scotia!  No school for you. The deformation zone pattern suggests overcast skies and cool northerly winds for Singleton in the morning. 

But I already know that I won’t see my shadow … and won’t be scared back into my Singleton Burrow, which means that winter will be over. More importantly I will be obeying the COVID restrictions in the first place and still be in my hole in the ground anyway. 

Scientifically the polar vortex has split due to changes in the stratosphere. As well, La Niña—the cool phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation climate pattern—is firmly in place and likely to last at least into the summer. This pattern favours the Nor'Easter that I was mentioning and mild, stormy weather into spring. Maybe even some March low-topped supercell thunderstorms.

For those of you interested in deterministic forecasts, winter is over. It appears that some groundhog got into the computer models with a red crayon. It will be mild though.  But remember that this is a deterministic prediction and thus bound to be flawed - ensembles and probability are betters way to communicate the weather. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water... looking forward to a greener future...  the winds are changing... 

Singleton Philly

And please stay safe... 

By the way, Singleton Philly is not an albino. He turned gray in his thirties from worrying about getting the forecast right...