Punxsutawney Phil may call Bill Murray a friend, but Georgia has its own weather woodchuck, General Beauregard Lee. On February 2, the groundhogs will emerge from hibernation to determine whether we’re due for another Snowpocalypse. Which rodent is the more reliable forecaster?
Punxsutawney Phil
Abode: Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Age: Immortal; drinks a “groundhog punch” every summer to give him seven more years of life
Forecasting since: 1887
Accuracy: 30 percent
Notoriety: Indicted by Ohio prosecutor for “misrepresentation of early spring” in 2013
Media appearances: Groundhog Day (1993)
Smack talk: Refers to Beau as an “impostor”
General Beauregard Lee
Abode: Weathering Heights mansion at the Yellow River Game Ranch in Lilburn
Age: The current Beau claims to be 17.
Forecasting since: 1981
Accuracy: 60 percent
Notoriety: Honorary doctorates in Weather Prognostication from UGA and Southern Groundology from Georgia State
Media appearances: Today (1988), Animal Planet (2004)
Smack talk: Refers to Phil as “unnamed woodchuck up North”
This article originally appeared in our February 2015 issue.
