Groundhog Day 2026: Fred la marmotte in Quebec predicts spring’s early arrival

The famous groundhog in Quebec’s Gaspésie region reportedly did not see his shadow on Feb. 2.

Quebec’s Fred la Marmotte has made his Groundhog Day prediction, calling for an early spring.

The famous groundhog in Quebec’s Gaspésie region reportedly did not see his shadow on Monday morning.

According to legend, there will be six more weeks of winter if a groundhog sees its shadow, and an early spring if it doesn’t.

Fred made his prediction after some singing and dancing at the early morning event in Val-d’Espoir, Que.

• READ MORE: Groundhog Day 2026: Did Willie see his shadow?

After Fred was shown to the crowd and received kisses from his handler, he was put in his cabin to look for his shadow.

Soon after, a child held up a sign that read “un printemps hâtif” - an early spring.

One of Canada’s most famous groundhogs, Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam, did not go ahead with her prediction due to yet another winter storm in her home province.

The Nova Scotia government announced the cancellation, saying blowing snow could create unsafe driving conditions for people travelling to Sam’s home at Shubenacadie Wildlife Park, about 50 kilometres north of Halifax.

The provincial government said that because she will not see a shadow today, folklore calls for an early spring.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has winter storm and snowfall warnings in place for most of northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton as of late Sunday, calling for up to 25 centimetres in some areas.

• READ MORE: Punxsutawney Phil is said to have seen his shadow, forecasting 6 more weeks of wintry weather

Wiarton Willie, in Bruce County, Ont., also predicted an early spring.

Last year, Canada’s famous prognosticating rodents were split over spring’s arrival.

Meanwhile, Lucy the Lobster in the southwestern Nova Scotia community of Barrington is also set to make a prediction.

Since 2018, the prognosticating crustacean has been used to kick off the Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl festival.

The tradition has ties to medieval Europe, when farmers believed that if hedgehogs emerged from their burrows to catch insects, it was a sure sign of an early spring.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2026.

With files from The Associated Press.