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February 3, 2012

Our View: Nothing to fear from a winter like this one

We suspect most folks will take six more weeks of winter if it's the kind we've had so far.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow when lifted from his nest in rural Pennsylvania yesterday morning. And according to tradition, however counterintuitive it might seem, if the sun is shining and casts a shadow, the groundhog is frightened back underground, delaying the start of spring by six weeks.

Not that spring ever arrives in February here in New England. The really good weather doesn't usually start until Memorial Day at the earliest.

But few are complaining about the mild, snowless winter we've experienced thus far. And with no major storms forecast for the immediate future, the likelihood of a long-lasting snow cover diminishes with each passing day. (As of Feb. 1, according to The Washington Post, just 19 percent of the terrain in the lower 48 states was covered with snow, compared to 52 percent at this time last year.)

We've got more than a month to go before the official start of spring. But with the sun now rising before 7 and setting after 5 (as of this weekend), we know any snow that does fall won't last long.

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