2 NJ Groundhogs, Turtle Make Winter Weather Predictions

While Punxsutawney Phil is widely considered to be the leading rodent in weather prediction on Groundhog Day, two New Jersey groundhogs and a turtle decided to take a stab at seeing when winter will end this year.

Lady Edwina of Essex, a groundhog from the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, has been predicting weather since 2021, when she took over for Essex Ed.

This year, Lady Edwina is expecting six more weeks of winter, a prediction concurring with her Pennsylvanian partner Phil.

See Edwina’s prediction below, relayed by representatives from the Turtle Back Zoo:

“Let me start off by saying this winter hasn’t been fun. It’s been windy and cold, and it snowed, well, a ton. Sure, I’ve been bundled up warm in my nice cozy bed, but my Wifi’s been working, I know what’s being said. You wanted more snow, but this is more than you planned. And weeks below freezing? This is way out of hand. I know daisies and tulips would be lovely to see, but I’m afraid here in Jersey, it’s not meant to be. That’s right, I have been scared by my shadow, so it’s one more winter nap. And this is all based on science; it’s not AI, it’s not an app. I know it’ll be tough to keep those shovels and heaters, but getting through these grey times will make spring even sweeter.”

Edwina’s prediction skills don’t stop at weather; however, she’s also capable of predicting who will win Super Bowl LX this Sunday.

Edwina, perhaps biased as a fellow member of the animal kingdom, has predicted that the Seattle Seahawks will beat the New England Patriots this weekend.

Related— Groundhog Day 2026: Punxsutawney Phil Makes Annual Forecast

Over in Sussex County, however, there’s been conflicting weather reports from another prophetic groundhog.

Stonewall, a groundhog from the Space Farms Zoo & Museum in Wantage, did not see his shadow Monday morning, implying an early spring.

With contradicting reports, eyes turned to South Jersey, where a newcomer is trying his webbed hand at weather prediction.

Tomothy is an Eastern Box Turtle with the Edelman Fossil Park of Rowan University. According to Rowan officials, the reptile did see his shadow Monday morning, joining Lady Edwina of Essex and Punxsutawney Phil in their predictions of six more weeks of winter.

With a majority of the predictions in, it looks like New Jersey is in for some more cold weather. However, when and why did we start listening to rodents’ (and now, reptiles’) weather predictions?

Groundhog Day History

The folklore behind Groundhog Day is credited to early European settlers, who used hibernating animals, often hedgehogs, to predict the end of winter.

Once German and Dutch settlers took stake in Pennsylvania, they wanted to continue the tradition. But since hedgehogs are not native to North America, settlers settled for another hibernating rodent, the woodchuck, also known as the groundhog.

The tradition became solidified in American culture on Feb. 2, 1887, at Gobbler's Knob in western Pennsylvania, which became known as “Groundhog Day.”

While experts say that groundhogs’ weather predictions are accurate less than half of the time, the tradition has become embedded in American society and pop culture.