Sir Walter Wally Makes Groundhog Day Prediction For NC

NORTH CAROLINA — While a rodent in Pennsylvania predicted this morning that the country had six more weeks of winter to endure, it's Sir Walter Wally in Raleigh who makes the call on Groundhog Day in North Carolina. And, this year, North Carolina's favorite groundhog says the Tar Heel state will enjoy an early spring.

That forecast, however, stands at odds with the more widely revered prediction by the Pennsylvania whistle pig, Punxsutawney Phil, who earlier Tuesday morning said we were all in for six more weeks of winter.

The same rules apply for Wally as for Punxsutawney Phil. If he comes out to embrace the day, that means winter is almost over. If he sees his shadow and heads back inside, that's a sign that six more weeks of chilly weather are on the way.

Wally has been making forecast for his fellow North Carolina residents for more than two decades, and his keepers at the North Carolina Natural Science Museum in Raleigh credit his long lifespan and "youthful vigor" to a regimen of drinking magical elixirs from crushed acorns off the oldest oak trees found in Raleigh, according to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Watch the 2021 NC Groundhog Day Shadown Ceremony here:

Wally is one of several weather predicting varmints that call North Carolina home. Chimney Rock State Park has its own groundhog, Greta, and the N.C. Zoo Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is home to Sunshine and Stormy, NC DNCR said.