Punxsutawney Phil and lots of other furry little critters are getting all the attention on Groundhog Day, and so far the results have been mixed.
Some are predicting an early spring and some are forecasting six more weeks of winter after seeing their shadows Thursday morning.
Since none of those rodents studied meteorology in college and none of them hold advanced degrees or can interpret data (as far as we know), we decided to check with some two-legged weather prognosticators in our region to see how much longer New Jerseyans have before they can break out their spring jackets and cargo shorts.
Milltown Mel predicts an early spring
Here's what several meteorologists and weather agencies are predicting:
AccuWeather
"It doesn't look like it's going to be a particularly early spring, even though it's been warmer than usual" during recent weeks, said Dave Samuhel, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.
"It's been a pretty warm winter so far," he noted. And even though February started out on the warm side, colder air will be returning Thursday, Friday and Saturday before another warm-up.
After that, Samuhel expects a stormy weather pattern and a "wetter than normal February and March" in the New Jersey region.
"It's tough to say whether that will be rain or snow," he added, but snow lovers shouldn't give up hope.
"Don't throw in the towel yet," he said, noting there are likely to be some shots for frozen precipitation in February and March.
A reminder........#GroundhogDay pic.twitter.com/v9yBt4vquD
-- AudreyPuente (@AudreyPuente) February 2, 2017
National Weather Service
Valerie Meola, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's regional forecast office in Mount Holly, said long-range forecasters from the agency's Climate Prediction Center see indications of a warming trend in New Jersey from February through April.
"For the next three months, the outlook is for an increased probability of above-normal temperatures for the whole state," Meola said on Thursday.
That doesn't mean it can't be cold at times or snowy.
"We may see a cold period coming up in the next couple of weeks, with some precipitation," she added. "Temperatures look like they may cool off for a little bit before they go up again."
Her message to snow lovers: "Don't give up on winter yet. There's still at least a month and a half to go.... It is February now, and February is typically the coldest month. So you can't discount that we will have some snowy weather."
Long-range forecasters from the national Climate Prediction Center say New Jersey is more likely to see warmer than usual temperatures than colder temperatures in February, March and April. (National Weather Service)WeatherWorks
Rob Reale, a meteorologist at the private forecasting company, WeatherWorks, based in Warren County, said he thinks spring will start on time this year and New Jersey should have some shots of snow between now and then.
"We're kind of holding to our original long-range forecast -- not a lot of snow early in the winter, but more shots of snow in February," Reale said. "It does seem like the first week or week and a half will be fairly warm," making it favorable for more rain than snow.
However, Reale said a cold snap could be coming next Friday into next weekend. "I don't think it's going to be prolonged, but I think we're going to get more of these cold shots."
With temperatures returning closer to normal in mid-February, "it also should mean some better chances for snow," he said.
As for March, Reale is expecting the typical weather pattern of fluctuations, with a handful of warm days and a handful of cold days.
NY NJ PA Weather
Steven DiMartino, a meteorologist who owns NY NJ PA Weather in Freehold, is predicting above-normal temperatures and near-normal precipitation for much of February, March and April.
"We are in the middle of a stratospheric warming event that will keep the region at threat for polar and arctic air mass invasions through mid-February," DiMartino wrote in his recent long-range forecast. "The debate on whether these cold waves also lead to winter storms is strongly dependent on the evolution of the interactions of polar and sub-tropical shortwaves through February 20th."
As of now, DiMartino said, there are atmospheric signs that February could be dominated by "waves of cold air followed by rapid warmups ahead of rain storms, depressing I know, for many snow lovers."
DiMartino expects March to have a low risk of wintry weather, and a potential for significant rain storms.
By the way, spring officially arrives on March 20, although the meteorological spring season starts on March 1.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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