Georgia's GROUNDHOG sees no shadow, predicting EARLY SPRING!

DANIEL YEE
Associated PressLILBURN, Ga. - Georgia's groundhog is predicting an early spring.General Beauregard Lee emerged from his antebellum mansion at 7:35 a.m. Friday, went around to the back of the house and saw no shadow.Beau's northern colleague, Punxsutawney Phil, saw no shadow either.Tradition holds that it means spring will come early. If the groundhog had seen his shadow, Georgia would have been in for six more weeks of winter. About 100 people gathered in the cold, dark weather to await the groundhog's forecast. Waffle House hash browns were placed outside the groundhog's door to entice him to come out. The Groundhog Day weather was dry but cloudy, the temperature about 40 degrees. No official records of Beau's forecasts have been kept, but his owners claim a 94 percent accuracy rating. But one miss can be a biggie. Beau called for an early spring in 1993 and the worst blizzard in decades blasted the South. Still, Beau's prognosticating prowess has earned him honorary doctorates from the University of Georgia and Georgia State University.