--- title: Groundhog Day 2018 Results Are Very Different description: Two groundhogs had two drastically different forecasts when it came to whether or not we'll be having an early spring or a long winter. canonical: https://time.com/5130815/wiarton-willie-shubenacadie-sam-different-forecasts-groundhog-day-2018/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-02T19:11:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:56:15.535Z og:title: Groundhogs Have Different Forecasts For Year's Weather og:description: Wiarton Willie and Shubenacade Sam are at odds og:url: https://time.com/5130815/wiarton-willie-shubenacadie-sam-different-forecasts-groundhog-day-2018/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf549d7d84b804b6e/6988fa62656a3fca98bd3608/groundhogs-predictions-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: Two Alpine marmots (Marmota marmota) are standing on a rock og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Groundhogs Have Different Forecasts For Year's Weather twitter:description: Wiarton Willie and Shubenacade Sam are at odds twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf549d7d84b804b6e/6988fa62656a3fca98bd3608/groundhogs-predictions-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Two Groundhogs Give Drastically Different Weather Forecasts for Groundhog Day > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=4c8cc3dc-4e16-4aac-9b69-25ad158c7656&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Punxsutawney Phil Just Emerged for Groundhog Day. Find Out When Spring Is Coming [Watch (HLS stream): Punxsutawney Phil Just Emerged for Groundhog Day. Find Out When Spring Is Coming](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/85X9lYLJ.m3u8) (2:27)  _Published 2018-02-02. Bad news for warm-weather fans: beloved groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow, therefore predicting that winter will stick around for another six weeks in 2018._  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Feb 2, 2018 7:11 PM UTC Bad news for warm-weather fans: beloved groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow, therefore predicting that winter will stick around for another six weeks in 2018.  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Feb 2, 2018 7:11 PM UTC In Pennsylvania on Friday morning, [Punxsutawney Phil](http://time.com/4657714/groundhog-day-2017-punxsutawney-phil-sees-shadow/) saw his shadow, effectively predicting that there will be [six more weeks of winter](http://time.com/5123837/groundhog-day-results-2018-2/), but up north, two groundhogs are at odds after giving drastically different weather forecasts. According to [_The Globe and Mail_](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/nova-scotia-groundhog-predicts-an-early-spring-after-not-seeing-shadow/article37828638/), Ontario’s Wiarton Willie had a prediction that paralleled Punxsutawney Phil’s, forecasting six more weeks of winter, however, Nova Scotia’s groundhog, dubbed Shubenacadie Sam, couldn’t find his shadow this morning, thus predicting an early spring. The conflict between Sam and Willie’s forecasts wasn’t the only headline-grabbing event of the morning either; Sam apparently tried to escape after making his weather prediction and was ultimately stopped by _CBC_ reporter Brett Ruskin, who was rewarded for his efforts with a bite from Sam. > [](https://twitter.com/Brett%5FCBC/status/959405906894180352) Happy Groundhog Day! ## Transcript Okay, guys are we ready! [ APPLAUSE ] The state remove our lock please. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ NOISE ] Come on Phil. Ladies and gentlemen Punxsutawney Phil! [ APPLAUSE ] Gather around here, guys. It's getting pretty serious here. [ NOISE ] Okay, here we go. What do you think, buddy? Right here- We got a winter, or we got a spring? Stay here. Shivering? [ LAUGH ] Yeah, shivering. Okay, we got it. That one right there. [ NOISE ] Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye. Now, this second day of February 2018, the 132nd annual track of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. Punxsutawney Phil, the seer of seers, prognosticator of all prognosticators, was awakened from his burrow, By the cheers of his thousands of faithful followers. [ APPLAUSE ] In ground hog eves he directed the president of the inner circle to his prognostication scroll which reads. Up early this morning, far from home Are you searching for the philosopher's stone? Well even my best friends, they don't know. Is it an early spring or just more snow? My faithful followers, your hands and my pulse are getting cold. So here is my forecast, not lead but solid gold. I see my royal shadow, six more weeks of winter to go [ APPLAUSE ] [ UNKNOWN ] [ SOUND ] Dilly, dilly. Dilly, dilly. 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