Pittsburgh’s Predictions for Punxsutawney Phil’s Prognostication

With Pittsburgh winter temperatures averaging in the mid-20s to mid-30s, it might be fair to say that many would welcome spring coming sooner than later. So, in preparation for either six more weeks of winter or not, we wanted to capture our community’s predictions on Punxsutawney Phil’s prognostication by popping up in the lobby of Bridesidge to ask participants.

With plenty of doughnuts, cookies, and coffee to lure any critter out of a hole, we asked members to fill out a quick questionnaire card that included trivia questions and their guesses on whether or not Phil would see his shadow. And to up the ante, the person with the most correct answers would be the proud recipient of a gift card of their choosing!

First up were predictions, where the majority guessed there would be six more weeks of below-average temperatures – and they were right! The very next day the infamous groundhog did see his shadow, meaning the winter weather will continue.

That wasn’t the only question that most of the attendees answered correctly. In terms of the actual accuracy of Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast, exactly half of the members guessed 40 percent, which was also right!

Lastly, and clearly on a roll, our participants answered three out of the four trivia questions correctly:

The competition was fierce, with so many right answers among the attendees, but only one reigned supreme – a physical therapy (PT) student, Aditi Sharma, who chose a Starbucks gift card as her reward. And even though this celebrated occasion occurs over 300 miles away in Philadelphia, it’s clear Pittsburgh people know their Punxsutawney Phil phacts.