Buffalo Bert predicts 6 more weeks of winter

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Buffalo Bert, the city’s official face of Groundhog Day, predicted six more weeks of winter on Saturday during the 12th Annual Buffalo Groundhog Day event.

The prediction came when Buffalo Bert emerged from a wooden beer barrel at downtown’s Banshee Irish Pub as the crowd eagerly watched, cheering him on. He was accompanied by a large banner with snowflakes reading, “Six more weeks of winter!”

The groundhog has had the same prediction for every year since 2013.

Buffalo Bert, who was rescued as an orphan and now lives at Hawk Creek Wildlife Refuge in West Falls, is said to have a 100 percent accurate prediction rate, making him the most accurate groundhog in the world, according to animal expert Jarod Miller.

The annual tradition, which Buffalo celebrates one day before Groundhog Day, was first brought to the city when a few Buffalonians made a trip to Punxsutawney, P.A. — the town most known for its celebration of Groundhog Day — and were struck with inspiration.

“[We] saw what they had to offer and then we decided that we could probably do this better in Buffalo, so then we turned around, drove back and started it back in 2013 and it’s been going ever since,” said Christopher Flynn, the vice president of marketing of the Buffalo Groundhog Day Society, in an interview with WIVB News 4 Wednesday.

All of the proceeds raised by the event, which is hosted by the Buffalo Groundhog Day Society, is donated to support local animal charities. Over 12 years, the organization has raised a total of $70,000, Flynn said.

This year’s profits are going to the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter and the Hawk Creek Wildlife Center.

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Katie Skoog joined the News 4 team in April 2024. She is a graduate from the University at Buffalo. You can view more of her work here.

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