A ground hog’s day tragedy

The mythical story of the Groundhog’s day is known across the world; if, on February 2nd, the furry creature gazes upon its shadow, then six more weeks of winter are coming while being shadowless predicts an early spring. However, this prophecy, mighty and grand, does not give details of the future in the case of the demise of the woodchuck on the monumental date and many hoped such an occasion would never come.

While the true prophet among the chucks, Punxsutawney Phil, is still safe and sound after delivering his prognostication of six more weeks of winter on February 2nd, 2022, his New Jersey counterpart, Milltown Mel, sadly perished the night before Groundhog’s day. City officials of Milltown were unable to find an adequate replacement for Mel and went without a prediction this year.

But the question remains: does the death of a groundhog seer foretell an endless winter? Probably not as the expected lifespan of a Groundhog is about 6 years to 10 years and Mel was going on 7, but one can never be too sure. The city of Milltown is currently looking for a proper replacement to avoid another year without a forecast.