What a difference a year makes

Last year at this time scores of Chicagoans were still digging out from The Snowmaggedon That Swallowed Lake Shore Drive.  Unbelievable scenes like this dotted the newscasts:



So far this year, Syracuse is reporting 31.8 inches of snow; last year on this date we had 116.8.*  Winter wasn't even half over and the residents of most of the country were ready to call it a day and move to Tampa.
As a reminder of those times, the Penguin Hall Monitor would like to rerun one of its more popular posts pertaining to the day and that miserable winter:

Breaking News From Punxsutawney, PA

"You want a prediction about the weather, you're asking the wrong Phil. I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life."
Bill Murray as Phil the weatherman in Groundhog Day (1993)

There was a drumroll. Digging down about 3- 4 feet into an icy snow bank, the mayor, assisted by his cabinet, reached in and pulled out the lifeless frozen remains of a groundhog. Momentarily stunned, the mayor regained his composure and announced, completely nonplussed, that after a brief "conversation" with Phil, he was fairly certain he could say that it was unlikely Phil saw his shadow, so there would be an early spring. It was the happiest meteorological news the snow soaked East Coast citizens had heard in weeks and they rejoiced accordingly. Phil, in response, was uncharacteristically silent. However, the following week he was spotted by the local populace over at Abner's Taxidermy Shop, looking fresher and brighter than ever. When interviewed, Mr. Abner's remarks were contained solely on the toughness of the jerky this year.

*Statistics courtesy of GoldenSnowball.com.