On February 2, 1887, Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteorologist,was celebrated for the first time at Gobbler’s
Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to tradition,
if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its
shadow, it gets scared and runs back into its burrow, predicting
six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early
spring.

Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition
of Candlemas, when clergy would bless and distribute candles
needed for winter.

Willard Herman Scott Jr. (March 7, 1934 – September 4, 2021)

(The New York Times) – Willard Scott, the antic longtime weather forecaster on the “Today” show, whose work, by his own cheerful acknowledgment, made it clear that you don’t need a weatherman
to know which way the wind blows, died on Saturday at his farm in Deplane, Va. 

His death was confirmed by his wife, Paris Keena Scott. She did
not specify a cause, saying only that he had died after a brief
illness.

Mr. Scott, who had earlier played both Bozo the Clown and the
original Ronald McDonald on television (below), was among
the first of a generation of television weathermen who stressed showmanship over science.