EDITORIAL: Is Phil's forecast of more winter a good thing?

Feb. 5—We usually use this space on Sundays to highlight good things going on in our area and around the world.

But let's do something different today. Let's discuss news that we suspect will lead to some arguments about how "good" it actually is: Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. According to folklore, if the famed Pennsylvania groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter.

So let's debate: Is six more weeks of winter a good thing?

We say yes.

Winter is a critical part of the yearly life cycle in this part of the world, and it's actually a necessary part of nature. An early spring risks a late freeze, damaging plants that were tricked into blooming and leaving animals without an important source of food.

Let's look at just one part of winter: snow. Snow cover helps regulate the temperature of Earth's surface, and once that snow melts, the water helps fill rivers and reservoirs in many regions of the world, especially the western United States, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Snow also acts like an insulating blanket, protecting soil and the organisms within it from changes in the air temperature above the surface.

On a more superficial level, one of the best things about living in the Ozarks is that we get four different seasons, including a clearly defined winter. If we lived with year-round spring and summer, we'd find ourselves missing the snow, the warm sweaters and scarves, the cozy fireplace.

Of course, we're saying this as the Joplin area is coming off a week in which icy roads closed schools and businesses for several days and made for tricky driving. Hmm. Maybe a slightly early spring wouldn't be so bad ...

If you think six more weeks of winter isn't a good thing, this entire discussion may be moot because the odds might be in your favor. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration compared Punxsutawney Phil's forecast to the national weather the past 10 years and found "on average, Phil has gotten it right 40% of the time."

More winter or early spring?

We'll just have to stay tuned.