Colorado’s version of Punxsutawney Phil makes his weather prediction. What was it?
Before you let this unseasonably warm weather trick you into planting your petunias and putting up the parka, consider the fact that at around 8 a.m., Flatiron Freddy predicted six more weeks of winter.
Flatiron Freddy, a dapperly-dressed stuffed marmot, saw his shadow Sunday morning as did famed Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil.
Freddy is a taxidermied marmot, a close relative to the groundhog, and Colorado’s answer to the more storied Phil.
He became a Groundhog Day weather prognosticator more than 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, even though he was dead.
He often makes a grand appearance. Last year, he arrived in a dog sled, did not see his shadow, and predicted an early spring. However, this year, he slipped on the ice on a hike but thankfully survived with minor bruises. Freddy was carried down the mountain on a gurney by Rocky Mountain Rescue to the delight of the crowd gathered at the Chautauqua Ranger’s Cottage.
Despite an injured arm which was set in a tiny white brace, he bravely noted his shadow and spoke through a Mountain Parks Ranger, who translated this 2025 Groundhog Day poem:
“I’ve looked around me and I see
A shadow that is as long as can be.
Fate has spoken and I must say
Winter will linger, snow is on the way.”
Legend has it that if a groundhog sees its shadow there will be six more weeks of winter.
Freddy’s prediction is a direct clash with what real science forecasts for the week in Colorado.
According to Gazette weather news partner 9News, the next few days will be relatively quiet for the region with a continued westerly flow of air at the jet stream level. That means very mild temperatures.
The mountains will see another surge of Pacific moisture starting Wednesday which will bring snow. Until then, the mountains will see a break in the action, other than just a few pop-up snow showers because of daytime heating.
Denver’s next chance for more seasonal weather will arrive toward the end of the week when we see our next chance for colder air and some light snow.
