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It's Groundhog Day! Michigan's Woody The Woodchuck Predicts 6 More Weeks Of Winter

MARION TWP. (WWJ/AP) - We're in for six more weeks of wintry weather, according to Woody the Woodchuck, the state's official groundhog.

Woody the Woodchuck made her annual Groundhog's Day predication Tuesday morning at the Howell Conference and Nature Center. She refused to come out of her house, indicating winter is here to stay.

Woody's handlers say if she emerges from her house and stays out for 30 seconds or longer, she is indicating an early spring. If she doesn't come out at all or runs back into her house before the 30 seconds are up, she is forecasting six more weeks of winter.

Woody's prediction is made on the same day as Groundhog Day's most famous and furry prognosticator: Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil. This year, Phil did not see his shadow, indicating an early spring.

Last year, Woody was recovering from a respiratory infection and sat out the annual event as another groundhog made the not-so-scientific forecast for how long winter might last.

Groundhog Day forecasts emanating from Howell Nature Center have been correct thirteen times out of seventeen, an accuracy rate that vastly surpasses Punxsutawney Phil's 39 percent, as recorded on the Stormfax Weather Almanac.

A rare misstep in 2013, when Woody incorrectly forecast an early spring, prompted an apology from the Michigan mammal.

TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

 

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