As millions in the United States get ready to find out whether Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow (he saw his shadow), including us here at WeatherNation, we wanted to let you know Punxsutawney Phil isn’t the only game in town when comes to forecasting the weather for the rest of winter.
From other groundhogs to prairie dogs to walruses to polar bears, many communities across the United States have traditions where animal help forecast the weather for the rest of Winter. Here are all the ones we found:
General Beauregard Lee (Groundhog) in Georgia
Chattanooga Chuck (Groundhog) in Tennessee
Sir Walter Wally in Raleigh-Durham, NC
French Creek Freddy in West Virginia.
Jimmy the Groundhog in Sun Prairie, WI
Queen Charlotte (Groundhog) in Charlotte
Sir Walter (Groundhog) in Raleigh
Woolly Mammoth in Saltville, VA
Dunkirk Dave in Western New York
Sand Mountain Sam the weather forecasting opossum in NE Alabama.
Bee Cave Bob the Armadillo in Texas
Armadillo day: Bee Cave Bob says spring is coming
Spike the Porcupine in Minnesota
Woodstock Willie in Woodstock, IL
Unadilla Bill in Unadilla, NE (He’s stuffed)
Malverne Mel – Long Island, NY
Holtsville Hal – Long Island, NY
Milwaukee Zoo Polar Bears Forecasting
Prairie Dog Pete in Lubbock, TX
Aqua Fria Freddie (Rattle Snake) in Phoenix, Arizona
Quilliam the Hedgehog in Dayton