Here’s What Illinois’s Groundhog Had To Say Today

It's Groundhog Day and groundhogs across America were put to task this morning.

It's that time of year again. Time for a specific animal like a groundhog to predict the weather on a random day in February. This morning, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and condemned us all to six more weeks of winter. But luckily, our buddy Phil has a terrible recent track record, having only been right 4 out of the last 10 years from 2013-2022.

He isn't the only marmot that we've been watching today.

In Illinois, there's Woodstock Willie. This groundhog lives in the northwest suburb of Chicago called Woodstock, which is where the movie "Groundhog Day" was filmed.

According to NBC Chicago, at 7:07 a.m., Woodstock Willie woke up and came out of his treehouse and unfortunately backed up Punxsutawney Phil's prediction.

One of "Groundhog Day"'s screenwriters, Danny Rubin, declared:

Willie looked skyward to east, behind to the ground and clearly stated in groundhog-ease. I definitely see a shadow.

You can watch the reveal here:

At this point for the QC, it's not that bad. I've heard the phrase "mild winter" half a dozen times within the last week. After the cold blast on Friday, highs are supposed to rise into the 40's, according to our pals at KWQC. Not exactly a heat wave but also not the arctic tundra either.

Where Groundhog Day Even Started

It starts around the fifth century. The European Celts believed that some animals had specific supernatural powers on certain days that were halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox (i.e. now). The National Weather Service says that it's also rooted in German and French folklore about marmots and bears emerging from their dens too early and being freaked out by their shadows.