Friday February 2nd is Groundhog Day, when the country turns to Punxsutawney Phil to find out if we have six more weeks of winter weather in store. Legend has it that if the rodent in the small Pennsylvania town sees his shadow on February 2nd, winter will continue, and if not, spring will come early. While Phil gets all the attention, he’s not the only animal making weather predictions. In fact, North Carolina has it's version of Punxsutawney Phil, and it makes me laugh!
A white squirrel has been the weather forecaster for the last 10 years in Brevard, North Carolina. It used to be Pisgah Pete, but since he retired, Penelope Ella Catherine Elizabeth, known as Pisgah Penny, has taken over. Penny is damn cute if you ask me!
These are some of the other animal forecasters across the country:
- Fufu the hedgehog has been making predictions at The Oregon Zoo for a few years now and has an accuracy rate of about 53%, slightly better than Punxsutawney Phil’s 40%.
- In Southwest Florida, it's Ground Owl Day on February 2nd. The Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife and Cape Coral Parks & Recreation host the event to find out if Athene the burrowing owl will see its shadow, and if it does, six more weeks of winter are on the way.
- New York’s Clucksatawney Henrietta the chicken has been determining if winter is over since 2019. But it’s not about if the bird sees her shadow, it’s when she lays her egg that matters. If it happens during the annual Groundhog Day ceremony, spring is coming early, if not, winter is sticking around.
- In Connecticut, Scramble the Duck makes the yearly prediction and its handlers claim it’s the most accurate weather-predicting groundhog alternative on Earth.
- Texas has Bob the Armadillo, who’s driven from Katy to Bee Cave to make his annual forecast.
- Stumptown Fil, also known as Filbert the Beaver also makes predictions at The Oregon Zoo, but he doesn’t always get it right. In 2020, Fil predicted an early spring, but a month later, the zoo had to close because of snow and ice.
5 Types Of Natural Disasters You Are At Risk Of Experiencing In North Carolina
As powerful as mankind is, there will always be one thing more powerful and outside of our control- the weather and mother nature. Heck, we can't even accurately predict it. The sheer power of what mother nature is capable of is mindblowing from tsunamis to tornados to hurricanes. You've probably watched videos on the Weather Channel youtube or another platform showing these types of storms. And it can be fascinating. But one thing is for sure I don't want to be in the path of mother nature when she's at her peak. And I'm thankful to live in North Carolina where the threat of these types of weather-related events is smaller than many other areas of the country. But that doesn't mean we don't face natural disasters in North Carolina.
At least we don't live in tornado alley. Natural disasters though can and will happen everywhere including North Carolina. Below you'll find information about 5 of the most common natural disasters in our state. And the most common one, well it may not be exactly what you think. It's more of a subset of the type of storm most commonly associated with North Carolina. Keep reading to see what they are. Want information on keeping yourself safe during weather-related storms? Get info at ReadyNC.gov.
Flooding
Would you have guessed the most common natural disaster in North Carolina is flooding? Coastal areas as well as other low-lying levels are at the highest risk of flooding. And NC has well over 3,000 miles of coastline. This along with the frequency of another type of natural disaster on this list, hurricanes and tropical storms, means the state is at a high risk for flooding. But it's not limited to just coastal areas, with the amount of rivers and streams in the state rainfall and storm surge can cause flooding around any body of water.
Tornados
While not the most common, and certainly not as common as in the midwest, tornados are possible in North Carolina. When I lived in Raleigh a few years ago, a tornado touched down about a mile from where I was living at the time. Sitting in the basement listening to the live stream of the news named roads right by us was one of the most terrifying things I have ever experienced. And I sincerely hope that is the closest I ever have to come to living through a tornado. These violent, deadly storms can pop up almost out of nowhere typically during thunderstorms. The Asheville Citizen-Times has a list of tornados by year in NC, and we have seen as many as 50 in one year (2020). So far in 2023, we have seen 2 tornados.
Hurricanes
Hurricanes are the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of natural disasters in North Carolina, even living 3-4 hours from the coast. If you've resided in the area for any time, you can probably name multiple storms that have hit the coast and even Charlotte throughout the years. While I was not alive at the time of Hurricane Hugo my parents told me about not having power for 2 weeks after the storm, in fact, my aunt and uncle's wedding had to be rescheduled because of the hurricane. Hurricanes bring with them an array of dangers including flooding and storm surges as previously mentioned, dangerous winds, capable of destroying buildings, and the threat of tornados. And with 3,330+ miles of shoreline, there is always a chance a storm makes landfall in North Carolina, or slightly south in South Carolina still causing damage in our state.
Droughts/Heat Waves
While I'm certainly no stranger to record heat waves I don't often think of them as natural disasters. Though these events can be dangerous and even life-threatening. They also can pose issues with the food supply.
Wildfires
Droughts and heat waves can also make the risks of wildfires more significant. The drier brush and greenery the higher likelihood that it can catch fire and spread quickly. Luckily NOrth Carolina is not at as high of a risk of wildfires as states like California, which continuously deal with massive fires. But they do happen from time to time as we have seen in recent months.
