Groundhog named for Bill Murray: 6 more weeks of winter

MARION TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A Michigan groundhog named for the actor Bill Murray predicts six more weeks of winter.

Howell Conference and Nature Center officials say Murray - an 8-month-old female - rendered her forecast Monday morning after seeing her shadow. She was standing in for Woody the Woodchuck, the state's official groundhog recovering from a respiratory infection.

Spokeswoman April Gasbarre says at least a foot of fresh snow was on the ground at the Livingston County center, which made the prediction seem appropriate. Murray stayed in her house, which staff members interpret as a reluctance to emerge and see her shadow.

The not-so-scientific forecast comes after a storm dropped 1ˆ½ feet of snow over parts of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

The actor Bill Murray is known for movies including "Groundhog Day."

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Online:

http://www.howellnaturecenter.org