Ontarians could see six more weeks of winter after one of the country’s best-known groundhogs saw his shadow.
Officials declared a longer winter after Wiarton Willie emerged from his den just after 8 a.m.
This year was the first for the young rodent, which replaced the previous Willie, who died last September.
If you were hoping for an early spring, Wiarton Willie says think again.
The rookie rodent prognosticator – successor to the original Wiarton Willy who died in September -- saw his shadow this morning and, as legend has it, that means winter is far from over.
"It's about a thousand degrees below zero up here. So six more week of it," sighed Janice Jackson, the mayor South Bruce Peninsula, which takes in the town of Wiarton.
"Actually, more people up here wanted a longer winter. That's because we've got fantastic snowmobile and ski trails here. So they just want to play for a little longer," Jackson told CBC's London Morning.
Willie emerged from his den at 8:07 a.m. to crowds chanting "Wake up Willie!"
Willie's first day on the job
Jackson said the new Willie has a little more spunk than his predecessor. "He's white with beautiful blue eyes and he's just a real cutey pie."
She said the annual event attracted a large crowd, including tourists from the Netherlands and Germany, as well people from across Ontario.
The Wiarton Willy festival continues Friday and Saturday at Wiarton's Bluewater Park.
"Willie has put Wiarton on the map for us. I just couldn't be more proud of our town and Willie," said Jackson.
Ontarians could see six more weeks of winter after one of the country's best-known groundhogs saw his shadow.
Officials declared a longer winter after Wiarton Willie emerged from his den just after 8 a.m.
This year was the first for the young rodent, which replaced the previous Willie, who died last September.
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia's famed Shubenacadie Sam had another prediction.
Sam waddled out of his fenced pen at about 8 a.m. local time and wandered around, a sign he was predicting an early end to winter.
Fans looked on and let out loud cheers as Sam, who lives at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park, scampered around the snowy grounds on what was the 30th anniversary of his annual weather prediction.
Groundhog Day 2018 - The most popular event takes place in Pennsylvania, where Punxsutawney Phil was lured out of his borrow.
However, after the 1993 Groundhog Day movie, the tradition became more widespread and is now celebrated across most of the US and Canada.
One of Canada’s most well known Groundhog’s prediction mirrored that of Punxsutawney Phil and foresaw another six weeks of winter.
The Canadian Groundhog saw his shadow, and according to custom, means they are predicting another winter spell.
