BOULDER, Colo. —
Not to be outdone by his more famous weather-predicting rival in Punxsutawney, Boulder's own Flatiron Freddy made his annual Groundhog Day prediction Wednesday.
The stuffed yellow-bellied marmot got dressed up in his best first-responder outfit and chilled on a snowboard on a wintery morning – and didn't see his shadow.
The prediction from Boulder's "seer of seers" is that there will be only four more weeks of winter.
That puts Freddy at odds with Punxsutawney Phil, who saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter.
Of course, no matter what various rodents and their handlers predict on Feb. 2, spring will begin March 20. But Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks department has a lot of fun with the annual tradition.
Flatiron Freddy became a Groundhog Day weather prognosticator about a decade ago. He was enjoying a peaceful afterlife in Flagstaff Nature Center when he was accidentally left out during the winter instead of being stored with the other mounts. His fur was damaged, and he was dumped in the garbage.
But Ranger Dave Gustafson saw potential in Freddy. He pulled him from the trash, gave him a top hat, and a legend was born.
The last time Flatiron Freddy didn't see his shadow was in 2017, on a cloudy day when the marmot made his entrance by riding in a tiny canoe attached to a zipline.
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