Earlier this morning at Gobber’s Knob in Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney Phil scurried out of his little marmot hole and saw his shadow. This omen indicates a long winter.

Meanwhile, out here in Palm Desert, Mojave Maxine, a prized 40 year old desert tortoise at The Living Desert in charge of Southern California's climate, has emerged from her slumber. She wrapped up her brumation (reptilian hibernation) on January 31, at 12:28 p.m., start of spring in the Coachella Valley. Sarah Greely, Desert Tortoise Conservation Coordinator at The Living Desert noted that “typically Maxine emerges in February, and her January debut means we could be in for a warm year.” With the Palm Desert weekly forecast full of predicted high temperature in the 80s, it looks like Maxine is off to a good start with her prediction.

To read more about Punxsutawney Phil, courtesy of local TV station KESQ, please visit: Groundhog Hath Spoken: Six More Weeks Of Winter

To read more about our own Mojave Maxine, again courtesy of KESQ, please visit: Mojave Maxine Has Emerged Signaling An Early Spring

Happy Groundhog Day!