Groundhog Day 2020

Photo: Getty Images

The groundhog forecasts for 2020 are in, and by a majority it appears that Canadians are in for an early spring.

A variety of news reports on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, captured the spring predictions of Shubenacadie Sam (Nova Scotia), Wiarton Willie (Ontario), Fred la Marmotte (Quebec) and Winnipeg Wynn (Manitoba).

The only outlier, Shubenacadie Sam, saw his shadow, thus forecasting six more weeks of winter and disagreeing with his furry friends that an early spring lies ahead.

Punxsutawney Phil of Pennsylvania fame in the U.S also did not see his shadow and is onside with the majority of his northern neighbours that an early spring is on the way.

Groundhog Day celebrations date back as far as the 1880s when the actions of groundhogs emerging from their burrows were observed to see whether they saw their shadow, which forecast either an early spring or six more weeks of winter.