Groundhog Day 2023 results: Lady Edwina, Stonewall Jackson, Staten Island Chuck join Punx Phil in making weather predictions

Groundhog Day 2023 has arrived, and all eyes are on Punxsutawney Phil – the world’s most famous weather-predicting groundhog – as he awoke from his hibernation early Thursday morning in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Punx Phil has seen his shadow, so according to folklore that means we have another six weeks of winter to endure. But he wasn’t the only furry creature trying to predict the weather.

Here’s a look at several New Jersey and New York groundhogs who ventured outside Thursday morning to look for their shade.

Has Lady Edwina of Essex seen her shadow?

Essex County’s Lady Edwina made her second appearance on Groundhog Day 2023 after taking on the role of Essex Ed, the beloved groundhog at Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange who made predictions for several years.

Emerging outside on Thursday morning, Lady Edwina saw her shadow – just like Punx Phil – forecast six more weeks of winter.

Edwina also made a prediction for the Super Bowl game that will be played on Sunday February 12 – she picked the Philadelphia Eagles over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Has Sussex’s Stonewall Jackson seen his shadow?

A Sussex County groundhog named Stonewall Jackson VI ventured outside at Space Farms Zoo & Museum in Wantage early Thursday morning and did not see its shadow, according to its handler, Parker Space. Folklore says that this is a sign that spring will come early this year.

Space, a state assemblyman and volunteer firefighter, said it was fourth year of weather forecasts for this groundhog, which had five ancestors, all named Stonewall Jackson.

Has Staten Island Chuck seen his shadow?

Staten Island Chuck — also known as Charles G. Hogg — emerged from his roost at the Staten Island Zoo Thursday morning to weigh up whether we’re going to have a long winter or an early spring. Like New Jersey’s Stonewall Jackson VI, Chuck didn’t see his shadow, suggesting early spring.

Has Holtsville Hal seen his shadow?

Holtsville Hal is a marmot from Long Island, New York who makes his prediction each year at the Brookhaven Wildlife and Ecology Center in Holtsville, New York. Hal saw his shadow Thursday morning, according to a report from the Long Island Press. That signals six more weeks of winter.

Has Malverne Mel seen his shadow?

Malverne Mel, another Long Island marmot, also made his weather forecast Thursday morning at Crossroads Farm in Malverne. And unlike his Holtsville forecasting buddy, Malverne Mel didn’t see his shadow, suggesting early spring, the Long Island Press reported.

Has Milltown Mel seen his shadow?

Another groundhog named Mel from New Jersey died before last year’s Groundhog Day ceremony in Milltown. The organizers have found a replacement for this year. But they hit a legal snag and had to cancel their traditional ceremony for the second year in a row.

Event organizers could not be reached for comment on what happened to Milltown Mel’s replacement. Organizers previously said a state law prevented them from using a new groundhog for this year’s ceremony.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection said the state regulates wild animal ownership, noting, “Marmots are carriers of rabies and in many cases they carry a variant of rabies that is not found in New Jersey.”

Spokeswoman Caryn Shinske said DEP’s Fish and Wildlife Division “strictly regulates wildlife brought into New Jersey from out of state and there must be evidence that the animal was not taken from the wild.” New Jersey also requires pre-authorization for wildlife imports.”

“At this time, NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife has not applied for a pre-authorization request to import a groundhog from Milltown,” Shinske said in an email to NJ Advance Media.

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Len Melisurgo can be reached at [email protected].

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