As the story goes, if a groundhog sees their shadow on Feb. 2, there will be six more weeks of winter. while a shadowless event means an early spring.
Shubenacadie Sam in Nova Scotia joined Violet in predicting six more weeks of winter in the Maritimes.
The events were decidedly more subdued in Quebec with their marmot Fred, passing away on Wednesday, Feb. 1. A child using a stuffed marmot stood in and also predicted an extended winter.
In fact, most of Canada’s groundhogs, including Two Rivers’ Tunnel, Ontario’s Harvey and Manitoba Merv predicted six more weeks of winter, while Alberta’s Balzac Billy and Wiarton Willy in Ontario deviated from the crowd.
At the origin of the tradition, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, their prized groundhog Punxsutawney Phil also forecast six more weeks of winter amid ongoing snowfall and frigid temperatures on the US east coast.
Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Phil’s predictions are correct around 40 per cent of the time
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