Beyond Phil: Other Rodents Pretending to “Predict” the Weather – Boston News, Weather, Sports

Rodents predict weather trends. Why?

However, an equally fair question about Groundhog Day is: why not? And more importantly, why should Punxsutawney Phil always hogging the press?

The little animal that heralds (or delays) spring has taken root in some parts of American culture. And while Phil and his ilk are the most famous in Pennsylvania, there is a surprisingly wide array of other creatures who have felt the need (or at least their handlers have) to risk their reputations to “predict” the meteorology of the dead. of winter. Here we only offer a few.

Before we take a look, pause for a moment to recall one particular groundhog from back in the day — Charlotte, a replacement for Staten Island Chuck in 2014. She predicted six more weeks ahead to be famously dropped by then New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio and died a week later.

However, take a disclaimer with you on board. This is just a fraction of Groundhoggery, offered in no particular order. Please do not be offended if your pet is not present. Maybe next year.

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JIMMY THE GROUNDHOG, Wisconsin: Caused controversy in 2015 afterward biting the Mayor of Sun Prairie on the Ear.

MILLTOWN MEL, NJ: Event caught problems with state law this year after the previous forecaster expired.

WOODY THE WOODMUM, Michigan: Came out of a tiny green door in a small man-made tree stump on Thursday.

WOODSTOCK WILLIE, Illinois. saw his shadow Thursday. Location where the best PR of all time – the 1993 film “Groundhog Day” – was filmed.

OCTORARO ORPHIE, Pennsylvania: predicts from a home base in Quarryville in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Due to the Pennsylvania Dutch folklore that helped create the Groundhog Day tradition, this region has several at workincluding Mount Joy Minnie and Dover Doug.

STATEN ISLAND CHUCK, New York: Longtime predictor in the New York borough. This year, the current mayor was not there.

BUCKEYE CHUCK, Ohio: Another Chuck, this one further inland. This year acc reportsthe chuck used publicly was a stuffed one after an animal rights group objected to how a live chuck had been treated.

GENE. BEAUREGARD LEE, Georgia: Claims a high accuracy rate. Disagrees Phil this year.

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