Days before Groundhog Day, New Jersey’s go-to weather scout groundhog, Milltown Mel, has died. The death of Mel the Groundhog was confirmed on his Facebook page.
“We Wranglers are sad to report that Milltown Mel recently crossed over the rainbow bridge,” the post stated. “Considering the average lifespan of a groundhog is about 3 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 2022 prediction of the weather is now canceled. “We will work hard on getting us a new weather prognosticator for next year, till then please check out what all of Mel’s cousins have to say on Feb. 2,” the post closed.