Longer Winter? Jimmy Says Don't Buy It

SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. (WTAQ) - A groundhog in Pennsylvania told the nation we’ll have 6 more weeks of winter – but Wisconsin’s most famous groundhog says “Don’t believe it.” Jimmy of Sun Prairie did not see his shadow Tuesday morning. And that means we’ll have an early spring. You can almost take that to the bank. Jimmy has been right about 80 percent of the time in the 50-plus years he and his ancestors have presided over the Groundhog Day celebration about 10 miles northeast of Madison. They’ve had numerous events since last weekend.

Tuesday, Jimmy arrived in stretch limo, escorted by a Sun Prairie fire truck. During a light snow, a fireman shoveled a fresh path to Jimmy’s borrow – and he chatted with the mayor before making his prognostication. The forecast of an early spring goes against what Punxsutawney Phil predicted northeast of Pittsburgh. Phil saw his shadow. He and his ancestors have been forecasting the winter for over a hundred years. But Jimmy is no spring chicken. He comes from a line of 10 furry prognosticators, as part of a half-century tradition which had its beginnings in 1886.