Local and National Groundhogs See Shadow, Predict 6 More Weeks of Winter

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – It’s the one day of the year that Americans rely on an animal to predict the weather. Most Americans look to Punxsutawney Phil for a forecast of a longer winter or early spring.

Punxsutawney Phil resides at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, PA. Every year, he comes out of his burrow to look for his shadow. If he sees his shadow, the forecast calls for six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, the forecast calls for an early Spring.

This morning, Phil did see his shadow, signaling a longer winter. However, Punxsutawney Phil is only 39% accurate when it comes to his “Groundhog’s Day” forecasts.

Georgia has its own groundhog to predict the weather. His name is General Beauregard Lee. This is the first year that Beau will not make his prediction at the Yellow River Ranch in Lilburn, GA. He has found a new home just south of Atlanta in Jackson, GA at Dauset Trails Nature Center.

Beau also saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. General Beauregard Lee is 94% accurate in his “Groundhog’s Day” forecasts.

How do these rodents compare to actual meteorologists and climatologists?

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, much of the southeast has a 30-40% chance of being warmer than average through April. So based on climatology, southern states may actually experience an “early spring.”

Long-range forecasts aren’t the most accurate. The only way we’ll be able to tell whose prediction is correct is by monitoring the weather through the next few weeks.