Kharkiv-based groundhog Timka IIІ, who lives at the biological station of Kharkiv National University, predicted a late spring in Ukraine. He did not see his shadow when he was woken on Saturday, reports Interfax-Ukraine.
University employee Nadiya Tokarska said that this behavior of the groundhog suggests that the spring will come late.
“Frosts are waiting for us in March. Warm and sunny weather will come in April,” explains Nadiya.
The Groundhog Day has been celebrated at the biological station of Kharkiv University for 15 years. The forerunner of the current groundhog - Timka II predicted the weather 7 times, after which he went on a well-deserved rest. Two years ago, he accurately predicted the arrival of spring, and even predicted that the European Union would grant Ukraine visa-free regime in the same year.
The Groundhog Day is the traditional holiday in the US and Canada that is annually celebrated on February 2 and was successfully adopted in Ukraine. It is considered that this day people observe the groundhog coming out of its burrow. According to the behavior of an animal, it is possible to predict when the spring will come.