North America’s famous groundhogs are sending mixed messages about whether we will see an early spring.
Shubenacadie Sam in Nova Scotia was the first to emerge from its burrow Saturday morning.
The groundhog saw its shadow which, according to folklore, means six more weeks of winter weather.
I’m hearing a lot of booing 😔
— Shubenacadie Sam (@ShubenacadieSam) February 2, 2019
However, Wiarton Willie in Ontario and Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania did not see their shadows, meaning spring will come early this year.
Whether you love or hate winter, do not hold your breath on any of the Groundhog Day predictions.
Canadian climatologist David Phillips crunched the numbers by looking at meteorological data from 13 cities over the past 40 years and found the groundhogs’ predictions were correct only 37 per cent of the time.
In a relatively new tradition in Nova Scotia, Lucy the Lobster crawled out of the Atlantic Ocean to predict six more weeks of winter.
Spring officially begins — at least on the calendar — on March 20.
