Groundhog Day (Feb. 2) has become an annual tradition. Spectators eagerly await the emergence of a creature known as a groundhog (also called a woodchuck in some parts) to see if he sees his shadow. Should the shadow be present, the prediction is that winter will carry on for another six weeks. Lack of a shadow means spring weather will arrive six weeks earlier. Perhaps you’re wondering just how this furry fellow came to predict the weather and why his opinions are still considered so highly when we have Doppler radar, meteorologists and other scientific information at our disposal. Groundhog Day actually has roots in German culture. Candelmas was the name of the celebration that was the precursor to the modern Groundhog Day. Celebrants lit candles to lure back the spring weather so that crops would flourish and farm life could begin anew. Weather predictions were also common during these celebrations. Germans relied on the hedgehog to predict the oncoming of spring. When the tradition was brought to America by German immigrants, hedgehogs weren’t part of North American wildlife. So settlers adapted and used the groundhog, or woodchuck, instead. Residents of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, northeast of Pittsburgh, were some of the first celebrants of Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil, as their groundhog is so aptly named, is by far the most famous weather prognosticating groundhog around. He achieved even greater fame when the film “Groundhog Day,” starring comedian Bill Murray as a reporter covering the Groundhog Day festivities, brought Phil and Punxsutawney to an international audience. However, there are many other groundhogs and animals that do their part to predict if spring is in the air. Here’s a look at some of the lesser-known weather wizards: Birmingham Bill from Alabama, Chester from St. Louis, Claude the Crawfish from Louisiana, Jimmy the Groundhog from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, Malverne Mel of Long Island, Octara Orphie a groundhog from Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County, Shubenacadie Sam of Nova Scotia and Unadilla Bill from Nebraska. These are only a few on the many groundhogs who do their part to usher in an early spring.