An old piece of folklore has turned into a fun tradition in predicting the weather.

On Groundhog Day it's said if a groundhog comes out of its burrow and sees its shadow it means another six weeks of winter, but if there's no shadow, then it could mean an early spring.

Balzac Billy emerged from his hole at Blue Grass Nursery and Garden Centre in Calgary at sunrise Tuesday morning to see if he could spot his shadow.

With no shadow in sight, the prairie prognosticator predicted an early spring.

Over 400 people came out to Blue Grass to wait for Billy to come out of hibernation, an event that's been a part of Balzac for 39 years.

"A lot of the old farm homesteads that are around here, we have some of the people that this is one of the things they come to every year," says Steve Neubauer, Event Coordinator with the Balzac Business Community Association. "We see a lot of familiar faces every year and new faces which is great."

Balzac Billy is said to have been correct on his prediction for the past three years.

Dan Kulak, meteorologist with Environment Canada, confirms Billy's outlook and says February is expected to be a warmer month for the Foothills with temperatures above normal.

To learn about February's forecast click here.

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