Stormy Marmot

Stormy Marmot is a stuffed yellow-bellied marmot who lives in Aurora, Colorado, and has been providing a winter prediction on Groundhog Day, since 2006.

Stormy's prediction is based on whether he sees his shadow (long winter) or not (early spring) on Groundhog Day.

Per Stormy's handler: "Stormy Marmot is Colorado's most steadfast winter whisperer, a stuffed yellow-bellied marmot who has willingly traded the high alpine meadows for a forecasting desk in Aurora.

Since 2006, he has emerged every Groundhog Day with the solemn resolve of a rodent who knows the weight of meteorological responsibility.

Trotted out once a year to check for his shadow, Stormy delivers his seasonal outlook with the calm certainty of someone who is completely immune to both hibernation and hypothermia.

While real marmots spend February blissfully unconscious underground, Stormy remains ever-vigilant - plump, plush and perpetually prepared to pronounce whether Colorado faces six more weeks of winter or an early spring.

His forecasts have inspired everything from loyal fans to heated debates. Punxsutawney Phil loyalists have been known to scoff at Stormy's credentials, but that hasn't stopped Coloradans from relying on his predictions.

Stormy remains the state's most unflappable forecaster, operating with zero fear of predators, zero need for snacks and zero patience for sugarcoating the season ahead.

With his rugged mountain charm and a weather record delivered entirely without flinching (or blinking), Stormy Marmot continues to call winter as he sees it, proving year after year that sometimes the most reliable meteorologist is the one who's already stuffed."