Massachusetts groundhog Ms. G makes winter prediction during annual event
LINCOLN – Massachusetts groundhog Ms. G has some bad news for people hoping the New England winter will be coming to an end sooner rather than later.
During an annual Groundhog Day event at Mass Audubon's Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln, Ms. G saw her shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of winter rather than an early spring.
"The interesting thing about Groundhog Day is it's that day that is halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox so it was a day that was very important in ancient cultures that paid a lot of attention to the seasonal change," said Tia Pinney, a senior naturalist with the Mass Audubon Metro West Region.
Sunday marked the first time in five years that Ms. G saw her shadow. Overall, Ms. G. has attempted to predict when winter will end for 18 years. Nine times she has called for an early spring, and nine times she predicted an extended winter.
"Groundhogs are pretty remarkable animals," said David O'Neil, the president and CEO of Mass Audubon. "They're just coming out of hibernation right about this time all across the Commonwealth. They're coming out of hibernation, they went into hibernation back in about October, they're in these big dens."
Massachusetts Groundhog Day
The annual event in Lincoln draws hundreds of people each year.
Ms. G's story began when a group of first grade students at Hunnewell School in Wellesley worked with the Mass Audubon and politicians to write a bill declaring her the state's official groundhog. The bill became a law in 2014.
"I liked seeing the whole community come out and now I'm thinking that we have to visit every official groundhog," said one woman who came out to watch on Sunday.
What did Punxsutawney Phil predict?
A similar event in Pennsylvania yielded the same results.
Punxsutawney Phil also saw his shadow Sunday morning during the signature event at Gobbler's
Phil has been making winter predictions for almost 140 years. From 2014 to 2023, he was right 30% of the time, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Overall, Phil has seen his shadow 107 times since 1887.
Mass Audubon boats that Ms. G is "far more accurate compared to Punxsutawney Phil." She has been accurate with 60% of her predictions.