Climate catastrophe, groundhog predictions, performance endings, and a musical competition.

Happening in the World: In Australia, in the northern Queensland region, catastrophic floods have caused residents to evacuate and one woman has died. These could be the worst floods in the region in 60 years. Queensland is prone to flooding and extreme weather events, but the intensity and longevity of this event has led climate scientists to connect the floods to global warming. (BBC)

Happening in the US: Punxsutawney Phil, the Groundhog Day groundhog, saw his shadow today. According to tradition, that means that we will have six more weeks of winter. Historically, he has only been right about 35% of the time, so we’ll have to see what happens this year! (CNN)

Happening in NYC: Today marks the end of the Blue Man Group’s 33-year-long New York run of performances. The group, while painted entirely blue, presented an abstract, musical performance described as “poignant and hilarious.” The group is currently owned by Cirque de Soleil, which made the decision to end the New York run. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: The 2025 Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition will take place at the Manhattan School of Music beginning tomorrow, February 3, until February 14. The competition’s final rounds are all free and open to the public, including string, piano, voice, woodwind, and brass. (Morningside Area Alliance)

Blue Man Group via Flickr.