Mass. Weather Predictor Groundhog Contradicts Punxsutawney Phil

Massachusetts' weather predicting groundhog had differing results to the famed Punxsutawney Phil during Groundhog Day on Wednesday (February 2).

CBS Boston reports Ms. G, who lives at the Mass Audubon Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln, did not see her shadow, indicating an early spring.

“I think Ms. G is telling us there’s no shadow today,” Mass Audobon’s Renata Pomponi said in a Facebook Live stream of the Groundhog Day festivities. “Spring will come early this year!”

Phil, however, saw his shadow after emerging from his burrow in front of a crowd of thousands at Gobbler's Knob in Western Pennsylvania, indicating six more weeks of winter.

Punxsutawney's event is the most famous of the Groundhog Day festivities held in both the U.S. and Canada, which formally began in 1887, but is believed to have roots dating back even earlier.

During the annual February 2 ceremony, Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler's Knob and determines whether the next six weeks will see more winter-like weather.

Ms. G has served as Massachusetts' official state groundhog since 2008 and has reportedly been accurate during most Groundhog Day celebrations.

Ms. G's early spring prediction comes just days after a blizzard covered Massachusetts, with some areas getting up to two inches of snow and another storm expected for Thursday (February 3) into Friday (February 4) in the region.