No shadow seen: Balzac Billy predicts Alberta headed to early spring

No shadow spotted by Balzac Billy WATCH: It's looking like southern Alberta is in for an early spring – at least according to a local groundhog.

Calgary — Balzac Billy didn't see his shadow Sunday morning, meaning Alberta is (hopefully) headed toward an early spring.

The Balzac Business Community Association held its 17th annual Groundhog Day Breakfast at Bluegrass Nursery and Garden Centre, where the famed prairie prognosticator emerged from his burrow and didn’t scurry back inside.

"I love spring, I love flowers, so I can't wait for an early spring," said Sandy Maxwell, greenhouse manager at Bluegrass Nursery and Garden Centre

This year's prediction is for an early spring, but the weather was anything but spring-like overnight Saturday.

After rain fell Saturday afternoon, snow moved in Saturday night, blanketing the city with a few centimetres.

"That's typical Alberta weather, we have beautiful weather mixed in with the extremes, so Albertans are used to it," said Maxwell. "We take it and roll with it."

The forecast for the next few days is calling for some clouds and cool weather, with a high of -6 C on Monday and -2 C on Tuesday then 1 C and 2 C on Wednesday and Thursday.

In other parts of the country, the predictions were divided.

Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam emerged from his burrow northeast of Halifax, and according to his handlers, saw his shadow. But in Ontario and Quebec, Wiarton Willie and Fred la Marmotte were paraded before their respective audiences and evidently saw no shadow.

Folklore has it that if a groundhog sees its shadow on Feb. 2, it will retreat into its burrow, heralding six more weeks of cold weather, which is not bad by most Canadian standards. No shadow is said to foretell spring-like temperatures are on the way.

With files from The Canadian Press