8 Signs Spring Is Definitely Coming

Believe it or not, Groundhog Day is already upon us, and Punxsutawney Phil has emerged from his cozy little cocoon to make a very important seasonal decision. Are we going to have six more weeks of winter? Or is spring arriving early this year? If Phil sees his shadow... we're doomed, y'all. I mean, haven't we been through enough? How many more Junos do we need to suffer through before we get to see the grass again?! I guess we'd better hunker down — Punxsutawney Phil has made his weather forecast, and it looks like this cold weather isn't going anywhere for a while... at least not for six more weeks.

Of course, little groundhog Phil knows his stuff. He's been alive for more than 125 years, thanks to the “elixir of life" he takes a sip of every summer, and his predictions aren't usually far off from the truth. But this year, we need to toss his prediction aside. Spring is coming. We will soon be excited to tackle our every day, as opposed to dragging ourselves out the door to first shovel the snow off our cars and trepidly navigate the roads while avoiding pockets of black ice. Winter is a soul killer, and spring is a natural energy producer. Very soon, we will be putting our winter coats and boots in storage and rocking light pastel cardigans. Here are all the signs that spring is coming, regardless of what Phil has to say at Gobbler's Knob.

1. Why do we listen to a magical groundhog?

OK, I get it. Punxsutawney Phil is a legend in Pennsylvania, and all over the country. He's immortal, and he's the only weather forecasting groundhog in existence. But.... he's a groundhog. And he will always see his shadow. Aside from it being an adorable tradition, I think we need to acknowledge that there's no real accuracy in his forecast.

2. Global Warming

This is a serious issue that I admittedly, don't know too much about. Something about the Earth getting hotter every year because of our resource-wasting, greedy human hearts, right? *Must Google later. So that means winter should be getting shorter each year, correct?

3. TV finales are already happening

All TV used to operate on the same schedule — premieres in the fall and finales at the end of spring. Now the schedule is a little murky, with mid-season breaks and binge-able shows premiering all at once. And with series finales taking place in January, TV programming has officially become the Wild Wild West. But since pretty much every major network show has already aired their mid-season premieres, there are only a few episodes until the season home stretch begins.

4. It only takes a few warm days to melt all the snow

The sh**iest part of winter is when there are consecutive storms hitting the same cities over and over. Things start to feel like the end of days and that winter will last forever. But all it takes is a few warm sunny days to make all that snow disappear, and since the last few winters have been the warmest on record, we are well on our way to freedom.

5. The worst is over

January is the bleakest month of the year. Darkness is everywhere and the holidays are officially over. But January is done! We're out of the horrid, depressing, sad period, and spring is just within our reach.

6. Spring fashion has already sprung

Winter clothes are heading to the clearance racks and new arrivals are here in the Easter-iest of color schemes. Hooray!

7. St. Patrick's Day is only a few weeks away

This holiday centers around the lucky four leaf clover, and you can't find those with snow still on the ground. It's really the biggest alcohol-induced spring kick-off party there is. So dust off those "Kiss me, I'm Irish" t-shirts, because you'll be able to wear them without jackets.

8. Daylight savings is also only a few weeks away

In just a few short weeks, we will all be able to #SpringAhead when we turn our clocks ahead by an hour. Or rather, when we look down at our smartphones and notice that it was done automatically for us. Early darkness will soon be dead, and spring will be in full bloom.

Image: Groundhog Day/Columbia Pictures; Giphy (8)