Many people around the world are familiar with Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil as the main creature that predicts the weather on each Groundhog Day, which falls on February 2.
However, Phil, whose full name is “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary,” is not the only notable rat whose shadow — or lack thereof — can herald the arrival of an early or extended spring. winter.
There are quite a few other notable weather forecasting woodchucks, hailing from Illinois to Wisconsin to Atlanta, including the groundhog below:
1. Milltown Mill – New Jersey
For many years, New Jersey's Milltown Mill was one of many groundhogs following in the footsteps of Punxsutawney Phil. However, in a strange turn of events, Mel died unexpectedly shortly before Groundhog Day 2022 and his caretakers were forced to cancel the town's annual party.
“We Wrangler are saddened to report that the Milltown Mill recently crossed the Rainbow Bridge,” the Mill’s Facebook page read.
Now the Cowboys ask, “Who will be the new Mel?”
But after much effort, the group announced on Sunday, January 29, that it was unable to “provide groundhogs for this year’s (2023) celebrations.”
Mel lived in a funeral home in a small community near New Brunswick. The previous owners of the property said they were inspired to start celebrating Groundhog Day in New Jersey after a visit to Punxsutawney in the 1990s, according to FOX5NY.
But Mill was not the only forecasting rat in Jersey. There is still Essex Ed.
2. Essex Ed – New Jersey
Further north, the resident groundhog at the Essex County Turtleback Zoo in New Jersey joins some of his fellow groundhogs in making an annual weather forecast on February 2. Essex Ed has been making mid-winter forecasts since 1997.
He's been mentored by Punxsutawney Phil, but his predictions are his own, according to Guest Services Director at Turtle Back Zoo in Essex County, Caitlin Sharp.
“The weather in New Jersey doesn't always keep up with the weather in Pennsylvania, and Ed can easily see his shadow while Phil can't, or vice versa,” Sharpe told AccuWeather.
Since the mid-2000s, Ed has also made predictions about which team will win the Super Bowl each year, adding a fun twist to the Groundhog Day tradition.
“He's much better at weather forecasting than football, but in his defense, he's hibernating for most of the sports season,” Sharpe said.
3. Chattanooga Chuck – Tennessee
The Tennessee Aquarium has its own master seasonal forecaster, known as the Chattanooga Chuck. Chuck has been making Groundhog Day at the Aquarium predictions since February 2, 2010.
Although the animal was obtained from a licensed wildlife breeder in Pennsylvania, Chuck has no connection to the Punxsutawney Elephant, according to Tom Benson, director of external affairs for the Tennessee Aquarium.
Just as crowds await Phil's forecast every year at Gobbler's Knob, if Chuck sees his shadow on February 2nd, there will be six more weeks of winter. If not, early spring is expected.
4. French Creek Freddy – West Virginia
The West Virginia Wildlife Center in French Creek, West Virginia, has been hosting the annual Groundhog Day Festival for more than 40 years.
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The center's weather forecasting groundhog is French Creek Freddy, who, like Phil, is called from his den every February 2. Its forecast for early spring or a long winter also depends on whether it has detected its shadow.
The French Creek Freddy Festival includes fun activities for attendees including a wood throwing contest and a performance of a song written especially for Freddy.
5. Staten Island Chuck – New York
These groundhog predictions usually mirror Phil's predictions each year.
At the Staten Island Zoo, schoolchildren and elected officials typically cheer for Chuck as the curtain is pulled back on a glass enclosure containing a groundhog.
6. Mrs. G – Massachusetts
Lady G, the official rat of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, returns to the Audubon's Drumlin Ranch Wildlife Refuge in 2022 to hunt for her shadow in Lincoln, Massachusetts, to make her annual forecast of when spring will arrive.
7. Jimmy the Groundhog – Wisconsin
Residents of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, have declared the city the “Groundhog Capital of the World.” More than 50 yearsAccording to the city's website.
Their weather forecaster is Jimmy the Groundhog, who makes predictions about how long the residents will have to endure the winter weather based on the appearance of his shadow on each Groundhog Day.
The Sun Prairie Groundhog Day tradition began in 1948 when Wisconsin artist Ira Bennett and his son created a series of postcards featuring various locations throughout the state and the holidays celebrated throughout the year. This was part of Wisconsin's centennial celebration, according to the city of Sun Prairie.
It is said that Bennett Choose Groundhog Day for Sun Prairie Because “the groundhog sees his shadow when the sun shines on the prairie; And so, Sun Prairie.”
8. Buckeye Chuck – Ohio
Although his weather predictions often miss the mark, Ohioan Buckeye Chuck, a Marion Township resident, has been predicting whether or not six more weeks of winter await us since the 1970s. Buckeye Chuck usually hibernates from September to April but emerges on February 2 to make his predictions. The Ohio Legislature appointed Buckeye Chuck as the state's official groundhog in 1979, according to Cleveland.com.
Of course, since the average lifespan of a groundhog is six years, it's likely that many more groundhogs have played Bucky Chuck in the past few decades.
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