After three weekends in a row of winter weather, many across Georgia are probably wondering when spring will begin. Well, good news! Monday, three of America's favorite groundhogs will emerge once again to make a meteorological prediction for the start of the season.
What we know:
Punxsutawney Phil will emerge to make his annual weather prediction at sunrise on Monday. The ceremony takes place at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where sunrise is set for 7:07 a.m. on Feb. 2, according to the National Weather Service.
What we know:
Georgia’s most famous groundhog will be doing what he’s done for decades. General Beauregard "Beau" Lee will make his annual prediction at Dauset Trails Nature Center in Jackson. Gates open at 6 a.m., with Beau’s big moment set for 7:30 a.m.
What we know:
Yonah the Groundhog will emerge at 8 a.m. inside North Georgia Wildlife & Safari Park. There will also be appearances from the park’s baby honey badgers — Zena, Zelda and Zuri — plus one of its resident hedgehogs.
Groundhog Day history
Big picture view:
Groundhog Day traces its roots to ancient Celtic traditions, where Imbolc marked the midway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Early Christians celebrated Candlemas around the same time, and German immigrants brought the custom of weather-forecasting animals to America, swapping European hedgehogs and badgers for the native groundhog.
Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil has been at it since 1887, but Georgia’s Beau gives him a run for his money — especially in the accuracy department.
Which groundhog is more accurate?
By the numbers:
According to a 2022 study by FiveThirtyEight.com, Beau boasts a 63% accuracy rate for predictions from 2012 to 2021, outshining Phil’s 45.5%. The Dauset Trails Nature Center claims Beau’s accuracy is even higher, somewhere in the 90% range.
Last year, both Phil and Beau predicted six more weeks of winter.
The Source: Information in this article came from previous FOX 5 reporting.