Wiarton Willie sees early spring, Shubenacadie Sam calls for more winter
Posted Feb 2, 2015 5:14 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Canada’s fuzzy forecasters are divided in their predictions this Groundhog Day.
The first of Canada’s celebrity groundhogs, Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam, emerged from his burrow Monday morning and saw his shadow, which according to groundhog folklore means we can expect six more weeks of winter.
But Ontario’s Wiarton Willie called for an early spring.
Last year, only Willie was correct when he spotted his shadow.
Neither Shubenacadie Sam nor the lesser-known Winnipeg Willow saw theirs, thereby forecasting an early spring.
They were wrong. A polar vortex plunged Canada into a brutal winter that dragged on and on.
Environment Canada has already crunched the data for the next month and come up with this prediction: February will be colder than normal across the country.
Senior climatologist Dave Phillips notes Wiarton Willie’s overall record is spotty, but says predicting the weather is a tough gig.
“His batting average is not that great… but hey, neither is ours.”
With files from Toronto staff
