The Groundhog That Predicts If Spring Is Coming Early Has Just Died

The very groundhog that’s supposed to tell us if warmer weather is coming sooner, rather than later has just recently passed.

Named Milltown Mel, the groundhog that predicts the changing seasons in a town in New Jersey has died before he could tell residents whether or not spring was coming early or if winter will stick around.

Due to short notice, one of the groundhog’s cousins will stand in for Mel tomorrow, February 2 when Groundhog day is celebrated.

The groundhog’s passing was announced on his Facebook page which further explained that the famous groundhog has lived a full life since the average lifespan of a groundhog is typically three years, while Mel has been reporting the weather for six.

“We Wranglers are sad to report that Milltown Mel recently crossed over the rainbow bridge. Considering the average lifespan of a Groundhog is about 3 years, that is not such a shock, but Mel left us at a tough time of year, when most of his fellow groundhogs are hibernating…so no babies will be available to replace him until this Spring. We tried everywhere to get a stand-in, but to no avail, said the groundhog wranglers.”

On top of that, the county is not currently renting out the big Showmobile stage due to the pandemic, so we would have had that issue as well. We will work hard on getting us a new weather prognosticator for next year, till then please check out what all of Mel’s cousins have to say on Feb 2nd, explained the groundhog wranglers.”

So while Mel’s cousins will be filling in for the time being, everyone is curious to know tomorrow if the colder weather will stick around longer or if spring’s showers and May’s flowers are on the horizon soon enough.