One of the weather predicting groundhogs has died before his big day: ‘Does this mean winter isn’t ending?’

A weather-predicting groundhog, Milltown Mel, has died just days before he was meant to particpate in Groundhog Day.

On 2 February, Milltown Mel, from New Jersey, was set to participate in the big annual ceremony in Milltown, New Jersey, where his shadow would be used as a method for determining the arrival of spring this year.

Unfortunately, according to a Facebook post shared on 30 January, Milltown passed away and the ceremony has been cancelled. While the post explained that Milltown had “recently crossed over the rainbow bridge,” the groundhog’s cause of death was not revealed.

“We Wranglers are sad to report that Milltown Mel recently crossed over the rainbow bridge,” the post reads. “Considering the average lifespan of a groundhog is about three years, that is not such a shock, but Mel left us at a tough time of year, when most of his fellow groundhogs are hibernating.”

“So no babies will be available to replace him until this spring,” the post continues. “We tried everywhere to get a stand-in, but to no avail!”

The post also noted that there will hopefully be a replacement groundhog for Milltown by next year, but that those curious about the weather could “check out what all of Mel’s cousins have to say on Feb 2nd”.

As noted on the Borough of Milltown, New Jersey’s website, Milltown Mel’s ceremony was started by Jerry and Kathy Guthlein and has been celebrated for the past 10 years.

“On 2 February of every year, Milltown Mel predicts whether we will see an end to winter or another six weeks of cold weather,” the site reads.

Following the news of the groundhog’s death, people on social media have expressed their condolences, while noting that the timing may be a sign that a brutal winter is still yet to come.

“Does this mean winter isn’t ending in New Jersey this year?” one Facebook user asked.

“What does it mean if the groundhog dies the day before Groundhog Day?” another wrote. “#2billiondaysofwinter”

Other social media users claimed the groundhog’s death may be a bad omen in general for the coming year, especially in regards to the ongoing pandemic.

“This is very sad,” one post reads. “So what does this mean. Then it dawned on me, this means six more weeks of Covid outbreaks. Nobody cares if we have six more weeks of winter or not, at this point.”

While Millton will not be able to offer his prediction on this year’s weather, the annual holiday is still expected to be held, with Punxsutawney Phil having the most sway on the weather prediction.