Did the Milwaukee County Zoo’s groundhog see his shadow this Groundhog Day?
Well, no.
But that’s because there wasn’t a groundhog in attendance. The zoo’s groundhog, Gordy died last year, and the zoo has not procured his replacement yet.
However, the groundhog’s stand-in, a group of Humboldt penguins, didn’t see their shadow either. According to tradition, that means an early spring.
When is Groundhog Day?
Groundhog Day is Feb. 2 every year. It’s a tradition that derives from a superstition that if the weather is sunny and a groundhog emerges from its den to see its shadow, it will return to its burrow for six more weeks of winter. If it’s a cloudy day and it doesn’t see its shadow, there will be an early spring.
Why didn’t a groundhog make the zoo’s Groundhog Day prediction?
A groundhog typically makes the prediction at the zoo’s annual Groundhog Day ceremony. However, Gordy — the groundhog who had been making the zoo’s predictions since 2019 — died about a month after making his 2023 prediction (of six more weeks of winter).