Georgia Groundhog Day 2025: What time will General Beauregard Lee make his prediction?
JACKSON, Ga. - Will we have an early spring or is January's cold weather going to come back with a vengeance? General Beauregard "Beau" Lee, Georgia's famous groundhog, will make his prediction on Sunday.
For decades, Beau has been making his annual weather prediction in Georgia, and he's set to celebrate his special day once again in 2025.
SEE MORE: Could weather effect General Beauregard Lee's prediction
Who is General Beauregard Lee?
The backstory:
Beau is no ordinary groundhog — he’s the South’s official weather prognosticator, continuing a tradition that started in 1981. Named after two Confederate generals, Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard, Beau took over from his ancestor in 1991 and now lives in style at Dauset Trails in his custom antebellum mansion, Weathering Heights.
Beau’s previous home at Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary in Gwinnett County closed in 2017, but he’s been thriving in his new digs ever since.
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What time will General Beauregard Lee make his prediction?
What we know:
This year's ceremony will take place at Beau's mansion at the Dauset Trails Nature Center in Jackson, Georgia.
Gates open at 6 a.m. Beau will make his prediction at sunrise with the ceremony starting at 7:30 a.m.
Visitors will be able to grab food, drinks, and special souvenir shirts honoring the furry, four-legged weather predictor.
How to watch Georgia's Groundhog Day celebration
You can watch the big reveal on the FOX LOCAL App or live on the FOX 5 Atlanta YouTube or Facebook pages.
Groundhog Day history
Big picture view:
Groundhog Day traces its roots to ancient Celtic traditions, where Imbolc marked the midway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Early Christians celebrated Candlemas around the same time, and German immigrants brought the custom of weather-forecasting animals to America, swapping European hedgehogs and badgers for the native groundhog.
Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil has been at it since 1887, but Georgia’s Beau gives him a run for his money — especially in the accuracy department.
Which groundhog is more accurate?
By the numbers:
According to a 2022 study by FiveThirtyEight.com, Beau boasts a 63% accuracy rate for predictions from 2012 to 2021, outshining Phil’s 45.5%. The Dauset Trails Nature Center claims Beau’s accuracy is even higher, somewhere in the 90% range.
Last year, both Phil and Beau predicted an early spring.
The Source: Information for this story came from previous FOX 5 reporting, a release by the Dauset Trails Nature Center, and the Associated Press.