Michigan's Woody the Woodchuck predicts six more weeks of winter
A Southeast Michigan rodent dubbed "Michigan's Official Groundhog" looked outside Monday, and indicated there will be six more weeks of winter to go, its handlers said.
Woody the Woodchuck is a resident of Howell Nature Center in Livingston County.
"The results are in, and we will have more winter!" the Howell Nature Center posted on social media Monday morning.
The weather was snowing when Woody was presented to a group of visitors, including children, who were bundled up in snowpants and parkas on Monday morning. The reactions shown on the nature center's livestream video as Woody looked outside and then backed into its shelter were a mix of boos and cheers.
While Woody and other contemporaries across the country are lesser known than Punxsutawney Phil, whose celebration in Pennsylvania gets national attention, the legend is the same.
On Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, it is said that certain animals can predict an early end to winter or indicate another six weeks to winter's seasonal end in late March. The story can be traced to a German folk song that immigrants brought to the United States. According to folklore, if the designated animal sees a shadow, it spooks and returns underground to continue hibernating. Staying outside or above ground is seen as a sign of spring on the way.
Unfortunately for those in the Great Lakes and eastern U.S. who may be annoyed enough by the extreme cold and wintry storms in recent weeks, both Woody and Punxutawney Phil predicted continued winter conditions this year.
NOAA says Punxutawney Phil is correct about one-third of the time.